Uganda’s national basketball team, the Silverbacks, will be without new head coach Goraj Lojo for the upcoming 2027 FIBA World Cup Qualifiers in Alexandria.
Lojo, the Bosnian, has pulled out due to a medical emergency, with no further details from FUBA.
Assistant coach Mandy Juruni will step up as head coach for the tournament.
Uganda is already in Alexandria, Egypt ahead of Thursday’s opener against Angola.
This is a blow for the Silverbacks who are in a tough Group B, alongside hosts Egypt and Mali, all vying for a spot in next year’s World Cup in Qatar.
The team is now complete in Alexandria, with forward Deng Gui joining the squad on Monday.
How To Qualify
The top three teams in each group, after facing each other twice, will advance to the Second Round of the African Qualifiers where they will join three teams from another group.
All teams will carry over the results from the First Round, ensuring every single game has meaning in the Road to Qatar 2027.
In the Second Round, each team will play the three teams coming from the other group in two more tournaments played over two more windows scheduled in August 2026 and February 2027.
At the end of these additional six games per team, the top two teams in each group along with the best third team will qualify to the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2027.