Kigali is ready to host the Basketball Africa League (BAL) playoffs from Could 22 to 31, bringing collectively eight of the continent’s prime groups that emerged from the Kalahari and Sahara Conferences.
As Rwanda prepares to welcome Africa’s greatest membership basketball occasion as soon as once more, here’s a nearer take a look at the groups battling for the 2026 BAL championship.
1. Petro de Luanda (4-1)
Petro de Luanda stay one of many BAL’s most constant and profitable groups. The Angolan giants are the one membership to have participated in each version of the competitors since its launch in 2021.
Additionally they maintain the report for probably the most BAL video games performed, with 45 appearances.
Petro are the one facet in league historical past to have reached the semifinals in each version between 2021 and 2025, ending first, second twice, third and fourth respectively.
2. Al Ahly Egypt (4-1)
Earlier than Al Ahli Tripoli claimed the 2025 BAL title, Egypt’s Al Ahly SC made historical past by changing into the primary crew to win the competitors in its debut season.
This marks Al Ahly’s third BAL look, making them Egypt’s most frequent consultant within the competitors forward of Zamalek (two appearances) and Al Ittihad Alexandria (one look).
3. RSSB Tigers (4-1)
RSSB Tigers are the fourth Rwandan crew, after Patriots, REG and APR, to characterize the nation within the BAL. Rwanda is now the one nation to have had greater than three totally different groups take part within the competitors.
The Tigers head into the playoffs because the event’s highest-scoring crew after registering 483 factors in 5 video games through the Kalahari Convention.
They scored greater than 100 factors in three of their 5 matches and made a exceptional 74 three-pointers, 20 greater than second-placed Dar Metropolis, who completed with 54.
4. Membership Africain (4-1)
Membership Africain ended US Monastir’s dominance of Tunisian basketball by profitable the 2025 home league title, incomes qualification because the second Tunisian crew to compete within the BAL.
Previous to the 2026 season, the five-time Tunisian champions had not featured in a continental competitors since profitable bronze on the 2014 FIBA Africa Champions Cup.
Through the Sahara Convention in Rabat, Membership Africain made BAL historical past by overturning a seven-point deficit within the last 15 seconds to defeat Al Ahly Egypt 69-68.
The Tunisian facet are additionally the one playoff crew to have received all their video games by margins of fewer than 10 factors, with their greatest victory being a nine-point win over Maktown Flyers.
5. Al Ahly Libya (3-2)
Al Ahly Libya turned the primary Libyan crew to take part within the BAL in 2024.
Final season’s runners-up recovered from a tough begin to the 2026 marketing campaign, opening with back-to-back defeats earlier than bouncing again with three consecutive victories to safe a playoff spot.
Their 118-97 win over Dar Metropolis through the Kalahari Convention produced the highest-scoring recreation in BAL historical past with a mixed 215 factors, surpassing the earlier report of 213 factors set throughout APR’s 123-90 victory over Al Ittihad Alexandria final 12 months.
Al Ahly Libya scored greater than 100 factors in every of their last three convention video games in Pretoria.
They’re additionally the one playoff crew to have modified head coach this season, changing Egyptian coach Ahmed Soliman with Greek tactician Fotios Katsikaris.
6. FUS Rabat (3-2)
Alongside Petro de Luanda, Morocco’s FUS Rabat are one in all solely two groups to have reached the BAL playoffs in every of the final three seasons.
The crew is coached by Mentioned El Bouzidi, one in all solely two coaches on this 12 months’s playoffs with an African membership title to his title. El Bouzidi guided AS Sale to the 2017 FIBA Africa Champions Cup title.
7. ASC Ville de Dakar (3-2)
ASC Ville de Dakar secured their first-ever BAL playoff qualification after recovering from a poor begin to the Sahara Convention, the place they misplaced their opening two video games earlier than profitable three straight matches.
Following a disappointing BAL debut final season, after they failed to succeed in the playoffs, the Senegalese champions head to Kigali with renewed confidence and momentum.
8. Dar Metropolis (2-3)
Dar Metropolis turned the primary Tanzanian crew in BAL historical past after qualifying via the FIBA Highway to BAL qualifiers.
They’re one in all solely two playoff groups, alongside Al Ahly Libya, to have reached the postseason via the qualification route relatively than direct home league qualification.
The Tanzanian champions are coached by Mamadou Gueye, who was named BAL Coach of the Yr in 2023.
