NAIROBI (Kenya) - The last two of the four places available for the 2026 Basketball Africa League (BAL) season, which are up for grabs in the Road to BAL qualifiers, will be decided on Saturday 22 November in Nairobi.
After three game days in the East Division Elite 16 in the Kenyan capital, hosts Nairobi City Thunder and Dar City from Tanzania are still undefeated. They will face off against Ferroviario da Beira and Johannesburg Giants, who have lost once on their way to the semi-finals.
In this article, FIBA.basketball analyses the teams' historic matchups and x-factors, breaks down the differences and similarities between them, and shares the thoughts of players and coaches.
Both games will be live-streamed on FIBA's YouTube channel.
CLICK HERE for the West Division SEMIS PREVIEW in the One win away from the 2026 BAL season (Part 1) article.
Dar City vs. Johannesburg Giants
Two of the favourites from the East Division, the unbeaten and star-studded Dar City and the Johannesburg Giants — a team that had been on a winning streak before losing 86–83 to NCT in Group A, which comprised three teams — will face off.
Both teams are making their debut in the Road to BAL and are chasing the all-important semi-final victory that would qualify them for the 2026 BAL season.
Dar City are hoping to continue their winning streak and become the first Tanzanian team to qualify for the BAL.
The Giants, for their part, are following in the footsteps of the Cape Town Tigers and the Made by Basketball (MBB) teams, the only two South African teams to have played in the premier African men's club competition.
While Dar City are heading to the semi-finals on a 5-0 run, having won both their Group Phase matches before continuing the streak in Group B of the Elite 16, the Giants have a 6-1 record, having won five of their Group Phase matches but lost one of the two preliminary final qualifying stage matches.
Coached by Mamadou Gueye — a former Senegalese international who coached Urunani last year, was named BAL Coach of the Year in 2023 and led AS Douanes to the BAL final — the team has a strong starting lineup. However, their bench, which includes the Tanzanian league's Most Valuable Player (MVP), Ally Faraji, has not been tested much.
Coach Gueye has largely depended on his imports, led by assist provider Solo Diabate, a two-time BAL winner. Coach Gueye's go-to players are American Raphael Putney, who scored 55 in the group phase, Deng Angok Yak Deng, Ivorian international Nisre Zouzoua, Tanzanian international Hasheem Thabeet, and Senegalese centre Youssou Ndoye.
Meanwhile, the Giants are banking on the experience of players who have previously played in the BAL, as well as coach Florsheim Ngwenya, who orchestrated the Cape Town Tigers' historic run to the semi-finals of the BAL in 2024.
The team's offence is led by Dhieu Abwok Deing and Joshua Ozabor, the MVP of the South African National Championships. Meanwhile, captain Pieter Prinsloo, a veteran of the Road to BAL and well known for his time with the Tigers, as well as Nkosinathi Sandile Sibanyoni, add to the team's strength in depth on both sides of the court. "I am really proud of my players and the way they played in the second half of our loss to NCT. We just didn't go to the paint as much as we would have wanted to and we allowed them to out rebound us offensively, getting a few more points. We will work these and a few more things before facing Dar City," Giants head coach Florsheim Ngwenya. "We will have to work for that slot and the off day comes in handy as it helps us work on our defense. The last two teams have out rebounded and that's down to our biggest challenge so far, which has been intensity on defense. Saturday is the most important match of the competition and we have to be at our best," Dar City coach Mamadou Gueye.
Nairobi City Thunder vs. Ferroviario da Beira
Last year, the Thunder became the first Kenyan team to qualify for the Basketball Africa League (BAL), winning the East Division Elite 16.
It was a year of many firsts for the Kenyan side: they won the national league title for the first time, made their debut in the Road to the BAL Group Phase and finished second, and secured their place in Nairobi.
At the Nile Conference in Kigali, Rwanda, from 17 to 25 May, they had a challenging start, winning only one of their six matches against South Africa’s MBB.
They will face Beira, who secured their place in the East Division Elite 16 phase with an impressive performance in the Road to the BAL Group E, finishing second with a 4–1 record.
The Mozambicans are aiming to qualify for the BAL for the third time, having previously appeared in the 2022 tournament. In that tournament, the team finished fifth in the Sahara Conference with a 1–4 record, achieving their first league victory against DUC with a score of 98–92. They then returned for the 2023 BAL season in the Nile Conference.
Joshua Thomas has already established himself as the team’s primary offensive threat, demonstrating his ability to score in a variety of ways and create opportunities for his teammates. Meanwhile, Ke’Tarrious Bouchum and Helton Ubisse offer versatility at both ends of the court, contributing to transition play, perimeter defence and scoring.
Meanwhile, NCT's charge will be led by Albert Odero, Lance Thomas and Tylor Ongwae, while Eugene Adera and Chase Adams will be in charge of ball distribution. Adera has performed well so far, emerging as the top rebounder in two matches. Ater Majok adds depth to the team on both ends of the floor.
"It really feels good to finish top of the group. It means we play the second team in the other group, and to be honest, no one wants to play Dar City with a trip to BAL on the line. It was good for the squad to win a tough match like that and if we have to do it again, we know we can," NCT head coach Bradley Ibs. Ibs continued: "I love the way Beira play. They have great chemistry, and one can tell they play together a lot locally which is similar to our story. Saturday will be a big day for us and we hope to see the fans double. We feed off their energy and we hope they come out to support the team."
"We are going to rest and watch every film as we prepare for NCT. The focus is on bringing a winning mentality to that important clash. It is going to be a different game but we will fight for a place in BAL," Beira's forward Ayad Munguambe.
FIBA