Featured image by Commissioners Female Basketball Association Facebook 

The Liberia Basketball Association (LBA) will host the Zone 3 regional qualifier for the FIBA 2024 Africa Women’s Basketball League (AWBL) from November 5-10. The event, which was originally scheduled to start on October 29, will take place at the Samuel K. Doe Gymnasium in Paynesville, Liberia. In preparation for the tournament, Go Team Liberia spoke with the newly elected LBA president Abraham Samukai.

“I think it’s good for us because the children would be able to showcase, first, their talents and then compete at this level,” Samukai said. “I think that’s what we hope for, exposure for them and to interact with other countries.”

AWBL Zone 3 participating teams

Basketball fans can expect to watch four countries compete in the regional match: Ivory Coast, Liberia, Nigeria, and Benin. 

As for women’s basketball in Liberia, Samukai shared that the country currently has one division with eight female teams whose members range from 14 to 25 years old.  Out of these teams, two will compete in the tournament, LBA’s 2024 female division champions, Commissioners, and division runner-up, Invincible Eleven (IE).

Additionally, FIBA listed the following competitors on its website:

  • Energie BBC (Benin)
  • MFM Queens Basketball (Nigeria)
  • Customs Basketball Club (Nigeria)
  • Friend’s Basketball Association (Côte d’Ivoire)
  • Société Omnisports de l’Armée (Côte d’Ivoire)
Sign Up!

Join the GTL newsletter for exclusives and updates on your favorite Liberian athletes!

According to Samukai, the rules allow each team to register 15 players. The LBA president also said Liberia will host three games each day and charge an entrance fee that won’t exceed 900 LD ($5 USD).

These tickets will allow attendees entrance to all games played for the day.

FIBA 2024 Africa Women’s Basketball League

Ultimately, the winners of Zone 3 will go on to compete for the final phase from December 6-15 in Dakar, Senegal. Fans can watch live games on the FIBA YouTube channel and get tournament recaps on all GTL platforms.

The LBA can be reached at liberiaba@gmail.com for sponsorship and other basketball inquiries.