Rwanda’s campaign at the 2025 Men’s AfroBasket ended disappointingly with a third defeat, 75-62 against Cape Verde, following two consecutive losses against Côte d’Ivoire and DR Congo, thus ending the group stage without a win and finishing 13th out of 16 teams.
Rwanda was eliminated in the group stage of the 2025 Men’s AfroBasket after another defeat against Cape Verde. In the final Group A match on 17 August 2025, Cape Verde dominated Rwanda 75-62, knocking them out of the tournament.
First, let me thank my players for their commitment and dedication. The committee put its faith in this team because they fought hard to get here. They qualified in the best possible way. They made us proud by being here. I just want to thank them. The captain, in particular William Robbins and Gaston Désiré.
Cheikh Sarr, Amavubi coach – Senegal
After two consecutive defeats against Côte d’Ivoire and DR Congo, Senegalese coach Cheikh Sarr’s team was expected to respond against Cape Verde and fight for pride, with the aim of avoiding leaving the tournament without a win. As a reminder, Rwanda, the host country of the 2021 Afrobasket, was eliminated prematurely in the round of 16.
In today’s match, we were punished. We were punished because, even though they won by 17 points, we fought to come back. We had the momentum. We lost by 8. But we turned the ball around.
Cheikh Sarr, Amavubi coach – Senegal
This is the first time Rwanda has exited the continental competition without a single win in seven appearances since 2007. Rwanda finished AfroBasket 2025 in 13th place, ahead of Madagascar, Uganda and Libya, who also ended the tournament without a win.
