Competition System
The competing teams will participate in the qualifying tournament for the Basketball Africa League (Road to BAL) 2027.
The group stages will take place between 1 October and 30 October 2026..
The Elite 16 is scheduled to take place from 10 to 15 November 2025 for the Division West in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, and from 24 to 29 November 2026 for the Division East in Nairobi, Kenya.
Qualification System
Group Phase
The twenty or so registered teams will be divided into five (05) groups of between 03 and 06 teams, split into the Division West (Groups A, B, C) and the Division East (Groups D, E).
Each team will play a single match against the other teams in its group.
The teams finishing first and second in each group will qualify for the Elite 16. They will be joined by wild cards (the best third-placed teams from the group stages).
Below is the composition of the groups:
Elite 16
Scheduled for November 2026, the Elite 16 will consist of two group stages (Groups F & G).
Thirteen (13) teams from the group stages and three (3) teams who have qualified automatically will take part in the Elite 16.
The teams that have automatically qualified for the Elite 16 are:
Jeunesse Club d'Abidjan Kings (CIV)
Nairobi City Thunder (KEN) and Dar City Basketball (TAN)
The teams finishing first and second in each division, plus the best third-placed teams from both divisions – making a total of five (5) teams – will qualify for the BAL finals. These teams will join the seven (7) other teams that have automatically qualified (Angola, Egypt, Morocco, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal and Tunisia).