DAKAR (Senegal) – The Basketball Africa League (BAL) today announced the 12 teams and Group Phase schedule for the 2026 BAL season, which will tip off on March 27 at the in Pretoria, South Africa.
The league's sixth season will feature the top 12 club teams from 12 African countries playing a total of 42 games across the Kalahari Conference Group Phase from March 27 to April 5 in Pretoria, the Sahara Conference Group Phase from April 24 to May 3 in Rabat, Morocco, and the Playoffs and Finals from May 22 to May 31 in Kigali, Rwanda.
Below is the complete list of the 12 participating teams by conference:
Kalahari Conference | Sahara Conference |
|---|---|
Johannesburg Giants (South Africa)* Al Ahly Ly (Libya) Armée Patriotique Rwandaise Basketball Club (APR; Rwanda) Dar City (Tanzania)* Nairobi City Thunder (Kenya) Petro de Luanda (Angola) | Fath Union Sport Rabat (FUS Rabat; Morocco) Al Ahly (Egypt) ASC Ville de Dakar (Senegal) Club Africain (Tunisia)* JCA Kings (Côte d’Ivoire)* Maktown Flyers (Nigeria)* |
The 12 teams include Dar City – the first-ever BAL participant from Tanzania – first-time BAL participants JCA Kings (Côte d’Ivoire), Maktown Flyers (Nigeria), Johannesburg Giants (South Africa) and Club Africain (Tunisia), 2024 BAL champion Petro de Luanda (Angola) – the only team to have qualified for all six BAL seasons – and 2023 BAL champion Al Ahly (Egypt).
"Welcoming five new teams into the BAL family is a powerful sign of the league's continued growth, the impact it is having on the African basketball ecosystem, and the incredible talent developing across the continent," said BAL President Amadou Gallo Fall.
"We look forward to engaging our passionate fans in South Africa, Morocco, Rwanda and those watching across Africa and around the world as we continue to establish the BAL as the continent’s preeminent sport and entertainment property."
This season, the national league champions from seven countries – Angola, Egypt, Morocco, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal and Tunisia – automatically qualified for the BAL. The other five teams qualified through the Road to the BAL qualifying tournaments conducted by FIBA Africa across the continent from October to December 2025.
Each conference will play a 15-game Group Phase during which each team will face the other five teams in its conference once. Tickets for the Kalahari Conference group phase in Pretoria are on sale now at Ticketmaster.za.
Eight teams from across the two conferences will qualify for the Playoffs in Kigali. Tickets for the Sahara Conference group phase in Rabat and the Playoffs and Finals will be available soon.
Fans can register their interest in tickets at BAL.NBA.com. Fans who purchase tickets will also have free access to the BAL Fan Zone at each arena.
Additional information about the 2026 BAL season will be announced in the coming weeks.
###
About the BAL The Basketball Africa League (BAL), a partnership between the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) and NBA Africa, is a professional league featuring 12 club teams from across Africa that will tip off its sixth season in March 2026. Headquartered in Dakar, Senegal, the BAL builds on the foundation of club competitions FIBA Africa has organized across the continent and marks the NBA’s first collaboration to operate a league outside North America. Fans can follow the BAL (@theBAL) on Facebook, Instagram, Threads, X, and YouTube and register their interest in receiving more information at BAL.NBA.com.