Nigeria entered the 2019 FIBA World Cup as the 33rd ranked team in the world, by the time the tournament ended, the team climbed 10 places (23) in the ranking and are now the highest ranked team in Africa.

D’Tigers picked up wins over South Korea (32), Ivory Coast (64) and China (30) to place 17th overall in the competition and the performance in China yielded gains.

With a Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games ticket the top prize for Alex Nwora’s side, the latest ranking (23) puts the gloss on Nigeria’s impressive campaign – the highest in the team’s history.

CHIMEZIE METU NO. 1 PLAY OF THE WORLD CUP! 🇳🇬🇳🇬🇳🇬@Chimezie_Metu https://t.co/LUhzqX6OBj

— D’Tigers | Nigeria Basketball (@NigeriaBasket) September 18, 2019

Meanwhile, Angola (32), Tunisia (33), Senegal (35) and Cote d’Ivoire (48) make up the top five teams in Africa.

The highest ranked team in the world is the USA, while World Champions Spain are in second spot.