Mickaël Pivaud and his Ankoay squad must beat the DRC. With twelve days until the third window of the 2027 FIBA World Cup qualifiers, Madagascar's senior men's team enters a decisive phase of their preparation. With the arrival of French coach Mickaël Pivaud and several expatriates, Madagascar is already playing a crucial part of its future during training sessions scheduled from June 20-28.
The Ankoay senior men's team officially began their regrouping on Saturday with the arrival of players competing abroad. Among them are Mathias M'Madi, Austin Rasolonjatovo, Kiady Razanamahenina and Rija Lahontan, key elements called upon to strengthen a Malagasy selection seeking results.
The preparation program promises to be intense. Starting Sunday, players began a week of work alternating physical preparation, technical sessions, shooting drills, friendly matches and video analysis. The camp will continue until the delegation departs for Dakar, where the third qualifying window will take place from July 2-5.
Mandatory Victory Against the DRC
The Senegalese appointment represents a true turning point for Madagascar. The Ankoay will compete in Group B alongside Côte d'Ivoire, Senegal and the Democratic Republic of Congo. After this phase, only the top three nations will continue to the second round of qualifications.
Madagascar's situation is precarious. After the first two windows, Madagascar occupies last place in the group with three defeats in as many matches. Under these circumstances, every match played in Dakar will be crucial. The clash against the Congolese already appears as a capital encounter with a mandatory victory at stake. A win could allow the Malagasy to revive their ambitions, while another defeat would severely compromise their chances of continuing the world campaign.
Assistant coach Ndranto Rakotonanahary does not hide the magnitude of the stakes. According to him, Madagascar must absolutely beat the DRC by a margin of more than ten points to hope to reverse the trend and stay in contention.
The arrival of Mickaël Pivaud thus marks the beginning of a new chapter for the Ankoay. Between integrating the expatriates, finding automatisms and the obligation to produce results, the Malagasy selection will approach Dakar under maximum pressure. More than just a qualifying window, these three matches could determine the future of Malagasy basketball on the world stage.