Bright Stars celebrate after a victory – Courtesy photo.

The Bright Stars return to the court later today to face Nigeria’s D’Tigers after defeating Guinea on Thursday in the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2027 African Qualifier in Tunisia.

The Bright Stars beat their West African opponents 81–71 in a closely contested match, sending fans back home into celebrations.

The victory strengthened South Sudan’s position in Group E, where they currently sit second with a 5–2 record, behind leaders Cameroon.

Nigeria, meanwhile, suffered a 78–62 defeat to Cameroon in their opening game of the current qualifying window.

The meeting is expected to be highly competitive as both teams continue their push for one of Africa’s five available places at the 2027 FIBA Basketball World Cup in Qatar.

Under FIBA’s qualification system, the top two teams from each second-round group, together with the best third-placed team, will qualify for the tournament.

A victory over Nigeria would give the Bright Stars another major boost in their qualification campaign and strengthen their position ahead of their remaining Group E fixture.