Nairobi City Thunder among 12 teams confirmed for BAL 2026
Reading Time: 2min | Thu. 26.02.26. | 15:26
Eight teams from across the two conferences will qualify for the Playoffs in Kigali
The Basketball Africa League (BAL) has announced the 12 teams and group phase schedule for the 2026 season.
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Kenya will be represented by Nairobi City Thunder, returning for their second BAL appearance after qualifying through the Road to BAL tournaments conducted by FIBA Africa from October to December 2025.
Nairobi City Thunder’s qualification ensures Kenya continues to have representation on the continental stage.
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The sixth BAL season will feature the top 12 club teams from 12 African countries playing a total of 42 games. The Kalahari Conference group phase will take place from Friday, 27 March to Sunday, 5 April at the SunBet Arena.
The Sahara Conference group phase will take place from Friday, 24 April to Sunday, 3 May at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Sports Complex. The Playoffs and Finals will take place from Friday, 22 May to Sunday, 31 May at the BK Arena.
The 12 teams include Dar City from Tanzania, JCA Kings from Côte d’Ivoire, Maktown Flyers from Nigeria, Johannesburg Giants from South Africa, Club Africain from Tunisia, 2024 BAL champions Petro de Luanda, which is the only team to have qualified for all six BAL seasons, and 2023 BAL champion Al Ahly.
BAL President Amadou Gallo Fall said, “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.
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.”
Seven national league champions from Angola, Egypt, Morocco, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, and Tunisia automatically qualified for the BAL. The other five teams, including Nairobi City Thunder, qualified through the Road to BAL tournaments.
Each conference will play a 15-game group phase with each team facing the other five teams in its conference once. The season opener will feature APR against Al Ahly Ly at 4:00 PM (CAT) followed by Johannesburg Giants against Dar City at 7:00 PM (CAT).
Tickets for the Kalahari Conference in Pretoria are on sale at Ticketmaster.
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 in Kigali will be available soon.
Fans can register their interest in tickets at BAL.NBA.com. Fans who purchase tickets will have access to the BAL Fan Zone at each arena.