The sixth edition of the Basketball Africa League (BAL) Group Phase is set to commence on March 27 in Pretoria South Africa with 12 clubs in participation
The 12 club teams from 12 African countries will plsy 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.
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.
The Kalahari Conference which will bring together six teams: Johannesburg Giants (South Africa), Al Ahly (Libya), Rwandan Patriotic Army (Rwanda), Dar City (Tanzania), Nairobi City Thunder (Kenya), Petro de Luanda (Angola). These teams will be based in South Africa with meetings scheduled from March 27 to April 5.
The Sahara Conference includes Fath Union Sport Rabat (Morocco), Al Ahly (Egypt), ASC Ville de Dakar (Senegal), Club Africain (Tunisia), Jeunesse Club Abidjan Kings (Ivory Coast), Maktown Flyers (Nigeria), with meetings scheduled in Morocco from April 24 to May 3.
The top 4 teams from each conference will qualify for the play-offs, commonly known as the Final 8, for a final tournament from 22 to 31 May 2026 in Kigali, Rwanda. Al Ahly Tripoli who are the reigning champion, are not in participation.
Newcom,ers to the tournament Dar City will be the first Tanzanian representative in the history of the competition. Four other newcomers will also be in the running: JCA Kings (Côte d’Ivoire), Maktown Flyers (Nigeria), Johannesburg Giants (South Africa) and Club Africain (Tunisia). Petro de Luanda, winner in 2024, will be present for a 6th consecutive edition.
