ABIDJAN/JOHANNESBURG (Cote d'Ivoire/South Africa) - The most exciting moment of the qualifying process for the next edition of the Basketball Africa League (BAL) is here, but who is qualifying?

In this article, FIBA.basketball brings you everything you need to know about the Road to BAL Elite 16 Round. 

WHO IS COMPETING IN THE ELITE 16?

As its name suggests, 16 basketball clubs representing 15 countries are competing in the Road to BAL Elite 16 Round. Those teams are: Cape Town Tigers (South Africa), Urunani (Burundi), Kenya Ports Authority (Kenya), COSPN (Madagascar), Elan Coton (Benin), Abidjan Basket Club (Cote d'Ivoire), Ferroviario da Beira (Mozambique), AS Sale (Morocco), Stade Malien (Mali), Bangui Sporting Club (Central African Republic), Forces Armees et Police (Cameroon), Nueva Era Basket Club (Equatorial Guinea), City Oilers (Uganda), Seydou Legacy Athletique Club (Guinea), Matero Magic (Zambia), and the NBA Academy Africa - a program that gathers young players from all corners of Africa.

WHEN AND WHERE IS THE ELITE 16 TAKING PLACE?

This round of the qualification for the BAL will take place from Monday, November 14 until Sunday, November 27. It follows the Group Phase played in October across the African cities of Dar es Salaam (Tanzania), Yaounde (Cameroon), Antananarivo (Madagascar), and Niamey (Niger).

The 16 teams have been divided into East and West Divisions. 

Abidjan will be home to the West Division from November 14-19 while Johannesburg will host the East Division from November 22-27. 

WHAT'S AT STAKE?

Of the 16 teams in contention, only six (three from each division) will qualify for the 2023 BAL regular season. Those teams will join the champions of Angola, Egypt, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal and Tunisia, who all qualified automatically. 

COMPETITION SYSTEM

Both divisions consist of two groups each. The teams that finish in the top three places of Groups E and F will qualify for the Final Phase of Basketball Africa league.

HOW TO WATCH THE GAMES?

All Road to BAL Elite 16 games will be streamed live on FIBA's Youtube Channel. Fans wanting to attend the games in Abidjan and Johannesburg should contact the host clubs to acquire their tickets.

WHO ARE THE FAVOURITES TO QUALIFY?

At first glance former African champions Abidjan Basket Club and AS Sale appear on the pole position to move on to the BAL, for the following reasons: The Ivorian champions displayed a flawless Group Phase campaign and have the advantage of playing in front of their home fans. AS Sale, on the other hand, count on an experienced squad and coaching staff that know African basketball better than most of their opponents.  

Other potential candidates to move on include East Division hosts Cape Town Tigers, who reached the BAL Quarter-Finals last season; 2022 BAL semifinalists Forces Armees et Police; Ferroviario de Maputo, and Urunani.

The NBA Academy Africa's participation will not be scored and will not count in the group standings, but their games will count towards their opponents’ final group standings and their opponents’ opportunity to qualify to the next stage of the competition. 

DON'T SLEEP ON THEM

There is a trio of teams with legitimate chances of snatching some of the six tickets for the BAL. Those teams are Bangui Sporting Club, who built a team around the likes of Max Kouguere, Kenneth Gasana, and William Claiborne, City Oilers, and KPA.

UNIQUE CASES IN THE HISTORY OF THE ROAD TO BAL

Among the 16 teams competing in the Elite 16 Round, FAP appear as the only one that has featured in the previous two edition of the qualifiers, and, successfully, qualified for the BAL regular season. 

There is no doubt that the BAL came to revolutionise basketball on the continent, and this is reflected on the number of debutant teams in the Elite 16. A total of seven teams are set to play in the event for the very first time. Those teams are: NBA Academy Africa, Urunani, COSPN, Elan Coton, Stade Malien, Bangui Sporting Club, and Nueva Era. 

PLAYERS TO WATCH OUT FOR

This series of the Elite 16 won't be short of talented players to watch out for. Keep these names in mind: Souleymane Berthe (Stade Malien), Amadou Harouna (AS Sale), Raphiael Putney (Cape Town Tigers), Landry Ndikumana (Urunani), and Mike Fofana and Jorge Pacheco-Ortiz (ABC).

But that's not all. Get the popcorn ready as the NBA Academy Africa squad may come loaded with talented young players. Some names that pop up include Thierry Serge Darlan, Emmanuel Okorafor, Kaman Maluach, Ulrich Kamka-Chomche, and Rueben Chinyelu. 

FIBA