CAIRO (Egypt) - All 12 teams set to compete in this year's Women's Basketball League Africa (WBLA), which is being hosted by Al Ahly Sporting Club, have been confirmed.
Cairo, the Egyptian capital, is hosting the event for the first time since 2019, with last year's winners, Ferroviario de Maputo, headlining this year's event. The 2023 event was hosted by Sporting Club in Alexandria.
As last year's top two finishers, both the hosts and the Mozambicans secured a place in this year's tournament and are tipped for success, having dominated their respective national competitions.
Last year's bronze medallists, Rwanda's APR, have made it back, this time qualifying as Zone 5 champions as opposed to last year, when they benefited from a wildcard entry.
In the Zone 5 qualifiers, the Charles Mushumba-coached military side dominated with a star-studded squad, remaining unbeaten throughout the nine-team competition.
They defeated the national champions, Rwanda Energy Group (REG), in the final to qualify as the second team from the Zone.
Meanwhile, the 2023 silver medallists, Kenya Ports Authority (KPA), are back after missing last year's continental showcase, having beaten Burundi's Les Hippos in the Zone 5 third-place play-off to secure the final spot.
In Zone 2, meanwhile, last year's semifinalists ASC Ville de Dakar, who fell to APR to finish fourth, dominated the qualifier in Praia, Cape Verde with authority.
First, the Senegalese champions dispatched the hosts, Kriola Star, with a resounding 68–42 victory.
They then cemented their dominance in Praia with a 124–31 victory over Guinea's Fireball, who were limited to six players due to eligibility issues.
That 93-point victory set a new record for the 2025 WBLA Qualifiers, surpassing KPA's previous record of 58 points (100–42) against the Gladiators.
In Zone 4, Cameroon’s FAP and DR Congo’s CNSS — ranked 11th and 7th respectively in the 2024 edition — secured their places in the 2025 Final Phase in Kinshasa, DR Congo. FAP remained undefeated in three matches, with the hosts finishing the tournament with a 2–1 record.
Two-time champions Nigeria's First Bank are also back on the continental stage after a six-year absence.
They won the Zone 3 Qualifiers in Abidjan, beating the host team, the Friends Basketball Association (FBA), who are making a second conservative return to the Final Round.
The 2003 and 2009 champions, who won bronze in 2016, 2017 and 2018 before their long absence, are expected to challenge the favourites.
Sporting Clube de Luanda of Angola complete the list of participants, having secured their place in Cairo by finishing top of Zone 6 Group E.
Sporting, who will be making their tournament debut, are joined by Bravehearts, who placed second in the zone, as newcomers.
2025 WBLA Participating teams:
- Al Alhy (EGY - hosts) - Sporting Clube Luanda (ANG) - C.N.S.S (DR CONGO) - F.A.P (CMR) - K.P.A (KEN) - Ferroviario Maputo (MOZ) - REG BBC (RWA) - A.P.R (RWA) - AS Ville de Dakar (SEN) - FirstBank (NGR) - Friend’s Basketball Association (CIV) - Bravehearts BBC (MLW)
FIBA