2026 BAL qualification
| 2026 BAL qualification | |
|---|---|
| Association | FIBA Africa |
| League | Road to BAL |
| Sport | Basketball |
| Duration | 17 October – 22 November 2025 |
| Teams | 25 |
| West Division | |
| Division champions | Al Ahly Ly (1st division title) |
| Top scorer | James Amotoe (Spintex Knights) |
| East Division | |
| Division champions | Nairobi City Thunder (2nd division title) |
| Top scorer | Raphiael Putney Dar City |
The qualification for the 2026 BAL season, also known as Road to BAL 2026, were the qualifying tournaments for the sixth season of the Basketball Africa League (BAL). The tournaments were organised by FIBA Africa.
The competition began on 17 October and ended in 22 November 2025.[1]
Teams
The official list of teams were announced by FIBA on 3 October 2025.[1][2]
Dynamo was supposed to represent Burundi as national champions, however, it was not able to meet the deadlines, including the pending suspension after their withdrawal from the 2024 BAL season, which occurred after the Burundian government disallowed the team to wear the Rwandan sponsor, following political tensions between the two nations.[3][4][5]
West Division
| Association | Team | Qualification method | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Entered in Elite 16 | |||
| Cape Verde | Kriol Star | ||
| Entered in first round | |||
| Benin | Elan Coton | 2025 Benin Basketball Super League champions | [6] |
| Burkina Faso | AS Douanes | 2025 Burkinabé Men's Basketball Championship champions | [7] |
| Central African Republic | New Tech Bantou | ||
| DR Congo | New Generation | ||
| Ivory Coast | JCA | 2025 Ligue d'Or champions | [8] |
| Gabon | Moanda | 2025 Gabonese Basketball Cup champions | [9] |
| Ghana | Spintex Knights | 2025 Accra Basketball League champions | [10] |
| Guinea | Centre Fédéral de Guinée | ||
| Mali | CRB Tombouctou | 2025 Ligue 1 champions | [11] |
| Liberia | LPRC Oilers | 2024–25 LFA First Division | |
| Libya | Al Ahly Ly | 2024–25 Libyan Division I Basketball League | [12] |
East Division
| Association | Team | Qualification method | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Entered in Elite 16 | |||
| Kenya | Nairobi City Thunder | 2024–25 KBF Premier League champions | [13] |
| Cameroon | BEAC | 2024–25 Elite Messieurs champions | [14] |
| Entered in first round | |||
| Uganda | Namuwongo Blazers | 1st ranked team in 2025 NBL Uganda[a] | |
| Botswana | Dolphins | 2025 Botswana Basketball League champions | [16] |
| Burundi | 2025 Burundian Basketball Championship | [17] | |
| Comoros | Djabal | ||
| Mozambique | Ferroviário da Beira | 2024 Liga Moçambicana de Basquetebol champions | [18] |
| Madagascar | 2025 N1A champions | [19] | |
| Malawi | Bravehearts | 2025 BASMAL National Championship champions | [20] |
| South Africa | Johannesburg Giants | 2025 South African National Basketball Championship champions | [21] |
| Tanzania | Dar City | 2024 National Basketball League champions | [22] |
| Zambia | Matero Magic | 2024–25 Zambia Basketball League champions | [23] |
| Zimbabwe | Basket Hounds | 2025 BUZ National Championship champions | [24] |
First round
The group stage began on 17 October and ended on 29 October. The venues for each group were announced on 15 October 2025.[25]
West Division
Group A
Venue: Bamako, Mali
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | PF | PA | PD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Al Ahly Ly | 3 | 3 | 0 | 251 | 197 | +54 | 6 | Advance to Elite 16 |
| 2 | CRB Tombouctou (H) | 3 | 2 | 1 | 203 | 182 | +21 | 5 | |
| 3 | Centre Fédéral de Guinée | 3 | 1 | 2 | 177 | 223 | −46 | 4 | |
| 4 | AS Douanes Ouagadougou | 3 | 0 | 3 | 186 | 215 | −29 | 3 |
Group B
Venue: Abidjan, Ivory Coast
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | PF | PA | PD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jeunesse Club d'Abidjan (H) | 3 | 3 | 0 | 218 | 152 | +66 | 6 | Advance to Elite 16 |
| 2 | Spintex Knights | 3 | 2 | 1 | 197 | 184 | +13 | 5 | |
| 3 | Elan Coton | 3 | 1 | 2 | 167 | 201 | −34 | 4 | |
| 4 | LPRC Oilers | 3 | 0 | 3 | 174 | 219 | −45 | 3 |
Group C
Venue: Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | PF | PA | PD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Moanda | 2 | 2 | 0 | 158 | 143 | +15 | 4 | Advance to Elite 16 |
| 2 | New Generation (H) | 2 | 1 | 1 | 146 | 143 | +3 | 3 | |
| 3 | New Tech Bantou | 2 | 0 | 2 | 146 | 164 | −18 | 2 |
Ranking of third-placed teams
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | PF | PA | PD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New Tech Bantou | 2 | 0 | 2 | 146 | 164 | −18 | 2 | Advance to Elite 16 |
| 2 | Elan Coton | 2 | 0 | 2 | 92 | 132 | −40 | 2 | |
| 3 | Centre Fédéral de Guinée | 2 | 0 | 2 | 111 | 162 | −51 | 2 | Eliminated |
Updated to match(es) played on unknown. Source: FIBA
East Division
Group D
Venue: Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | PF | PA | PD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dar City (H) | 2 | 2 | 0 | 185 | 120 | +65 | 4 | Advance to Elite 16 |
| 2 | Namuwongo Blazers | 2 | 1 | 1 | 202 | 141 | +61 | 3 | |
| 3 | Djabal | 2 | 0 | 2 | 108 | 234 | −126 | 2 |
Group E
Venue: Lusaka, Zambia
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | PF | PA | PD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Johannesburg Giants | 5 | 5 | 0 | 362 | 280 | +82 | 10 | Advance to Elite 16 |
| 2 | Ferroviário da Beira | 5 | 4 | 1 | 432 | 378 | +54 | 9 | |
| 3 | Matero Magic (H) | 5 | 3 | 2 | 383 | 280 | +103 | 8 | |
| 4 | Bravehearts | 5 | 2 | 3 | 346 | 354 | −8 | 7 | |
| 5 | Dolphins | 5 | 1 | 4 | 309 | 333 | −24 | 6 | |
| 6 | Basket Hounds | 5 | 0 | 5 | 342 | 442 | −100 | 5 |
Elite 16
On 31 October 2025, Nairobi, Kenya and Praia, Cape Verde were announced as host venues.[26]
West Division
New Tech Bantou was forced to withdraw after it was unable to travel to Praia.[27]
Group A
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | PF | PA | PD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jeunesse Club d'Abidjan | 3 | 3 | 0 | 239 | 203 | +36 | 6 | Advance to final round |
| 2 | CRB Tombouctou | 3 | 2 | 1 | 239 | 240 | −1 | 5 | |
| 3 | New Generation | 3 | 1 | 2 | 198 | 225 | −27 | 4 | |
| 4 | Kriol Star (H) | 3 | 0 | 3 | 255 | 263 | −8 | 3 |
Group B
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | PF | PA | PD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Al Ahly Ly | 2 | 2 | 0 | 177 | 131 | +46 | 4 | Advance to final round |
| 2 | Spintex Knights | 2 | 1 | 1 | 134 | 157 | −23 | 3 | |
| 3 | Moanda | 2 | 0 | 2 | 137 | 160 | −23 | 2 | |
| 4 | New Tech Bantou | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Withdrew |
Source: FIBA
Final round
| Semi-finals | Final | |||||
| JCA Abidjan | 93 | |||||
| Spintex Knights | 82 | |||||
| JCA Abidjan | 92 | |||||
| Al Ahly Ly | 105 | |||||
| Al Ahly Ly | 103 | |||||
| CRB Tombouctou | 76 | |||||
| Third place game | ||||||
| Spintex Knights | 64 | |||||
| CRB Tombouctou | 90 | |||||
Semi-finals
| 15 Nov 2025 | JCA Abidjan | 93–82 | Spintex Knights | Praia, Cape Verde |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20:30 (GMT-1) | Scoring by quarter: 19–20, 22–17, 22–18, 30–27 | |||
| Pts: Nuga 27 Rebs: Yayo 8 Asts: Cisse 3 |
Boxscore | Pts: Amotoe 24 Rebs: Bassey, Oumar, Yakubu 7 Asts: Opoku-Tham 2 |
Arena: Pavilhão Desportivo Vavá Duarte Attendance: 231 |
|
| 15 Nov 2025 | Al Ahly Ly | 103–76 | CRB Tombouctou | Praia, Cape Verde |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18:00 (GMT-1) | Scoring by quarter: 27–10, 25–24, 34–14, 17–28 | |||
| Pts: Jordan 20 Rebs: Zubčić, Sadi 10 Asts: Bile, Sadi, Jordan 3 |
Boxscore | Pts: B. Diallo 17 Rebs: Dó, Fall 7 Asts: Kaba, Toure, Fall 3 |
Arena: Pavilhão Desportivo Vavá Duarte Attendance: 430 |
|
Third place game
| 16 Nov 2025 | Spintex Knights | 64–90 | CRB Tombouctou | Praia, Cape Verde |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18:00 (GMT-1) | Scoring by quarter: 21–15, 15–26, 19–24, 9–25 | |||
| Pts: Amotoe 19 Rebs: Oumar 11 Asts: Amotoe 4 |
Boxscore | Pts: Coulibaly 19 Rebs: Coulibaly 14 Asts: Fofana 6 |
Arena: Pavilhão Desportivo Vavá Duarte Attendance: 250 |
|
Final
| 16 Nov 2025 | JCA Abidjan | 92–105 | Al Ahly Ly | Praia, Cape Verde |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20:30 (GMT-1) | Scoring by quarter: 22–34, 24–26, 23–28, 23–17 | |||
| Pts: Cisse 27 Rebs: Yayo 10 Asts: Cisse 5 |
Boxscore | Pts: Zubčić 24 Rebs: Hamad 7 Asts: Jordan 5 |
Arena: Pavilhão Desportivo Vavá Duarte Attendance: 254 |
|
East Division
Group A
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | PF | PA | PD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nairobi City Thunder (H) | 2 | 2 | 0 | 175 | 145 | +30 | 4 | Advance to final round |
| 2 | Johannesburg Giants | 2 | 1 | 1 | 175 | 157 | +18 | 3 | |
| 3 | Namuwongo Blazers | 2 | 0 | 2 | 133 | 181 | −48 | 2 |
Group B
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | PF | PA | PD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dar City | 3 | 3 | 0 | 265 | 231 | +34 | 6 | Advance to final round |
| 2 | Ferroviário da Beira | 3 | 2 | 1 | 245 | 240 | +5 | 5 | |
| 3 | Matero Magic | 3 | 1 | 2 | 243 | 245 | −2 | 4 | |
| 4 | Bravehearts | 3 | 0 | 3 | 212 | 249 | −37 | 3 |
Source: FIBA
Final round
| Semi-finals | Final | |||||
| Nairobi City Thunder | 109 | |||||
| Ferroviário da Beira | 70 | |||||
| Nairobi City Thunder | 94 | |||||
| Johannesburg Giants | 84 | |||||
| Dar City | 69 | |||||
| Johannesburg Giants | 71 | |||||
| Third place game | ||||||
| Ferroviário da Beira | 77 | |||||
| Dar City | 92 | |||||
Semifinals
| 22 Nov 2025 | Nairobi City Thunder | 109–70 | Ferroviário da Beira | Nairobi, Kenya |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19:00 (GMT+3) | Scoring by quarter: 22–12, 30–20, 31–16, 26–22 | |||
| Pts: A. Adera 32 Rebs: Majok 9 Asts: E. Adera 10 |
Boxscore | Pts: Nurmamade, Drame 13 Rebs: Drame 7 Asts: Munguambe 4 |
Arena: Kasarani Indoor Arena Attendance: 5,129 |
|
| 22 Nov 2025 | Dar City | 69–71 | Johannesburg Giants | Nairobi, Kenya |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16:30 (GMT+3) | Scoring by quarter: 21–13, 18–21, 14–20, 16–17 | |||
| Pts: Zouzoua 25 Rebs: Deng 13 Asts: Diabate 8 |
Boxscore | Pts: Dim 21 Rebs: Prinsloo 14 Asts: Dim 4 |
Arena: Kasarani Indoor Arena Attendance: 1,500 |
|
Third place game
| 23 Nov 2025 | Ferroviário da Beira | 77–92 | Dar City | Nairobi, Kenya |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15:30 (GMT+3) | Scoring by quarter: 12–27, 19–23, 25–19, 21–23 | |||
| Pts: Thomas, Ubisse 16 Rebs: Munguambe 7 Asts: Nurmamade, Bouchum, Munguambe 3 |
Boxscore | Pts: Putney 28 Rebs: Putney, Thabeet 8 Asts: Diabate 14 |
Arena: Kasarani Indoor Arena |
|
Final
| 22 Nov 2025 | Nairobi City Thunder | 94–84 | Johannesburg Giants | Nairobi, Kenya |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18:00 (GMT+3) | Scoring by quarter: 28–17, 22–21, 33–23, 11–23 | |||
| Pts: Majok, Ongwae 17 Rebs: E. Adera 12 Asts: E. Adera 8 |
Boxscore | Pts: Deing 21 Rebs: Sibanyoni 11 Asts: 5 tied 2 |
Arena: Kasarani Indoor Arena Attendance: 5,423 |
|
Notes
- ^ The FUBA initially nominated 2024 NBL champions City Oilers as representative, however, Nam Blazers successfully protested the decision, and was given the spot based on its first place in the regular season of the 2025 season.[15]
References
- ^ a b "African clubs lining up for the marathon journey to the 2025 Road to BAL". www.fiba.basketball. 2 October 2025. Retrieved 11 October 2025.
- ^ "Teams List - FIBA Africa Champions Clubs ROAD TO B.A.L 2026". www.fiba.basketball. Retrieved 11 October 2025.
- ^ "Burundi's Dynamo exit Basketball Africa League over jersey row". Reuters. 12 March 2024. Retrieved 14 March 2024.
- ^ "Burundi's Dynamo BC out of BAL over Visit Rwanda protest". ESPN.com. 12 March 2024. Retrieved 14 March 2024.
- ^ Sikubwabo, Damas (14 October 2025). "Burundi's Dynamo BBC withdraws from 2026 "Road to BAL"". The New Times. Retrieved 21 October 2025.
- ^ "African Basketball News, Scores, Stats, Analysis, Standings". www.afrobasket.com. Retrieved 18 August 2025.
- ^ "AS Douanes are the new champions of Burkina Faso". www.afrobasket.com. 21 September 2025. Retrieved 26 September 2025.
- ^ GONLI, Donald (10 May 2025). "Basket-ball: La JCA double champion de Côte d'Ivoire grâce à un coaching gagnant de Stéphane Konaté". www.linfodrome.com. Retrieved 13 May 2025.
- ^ "Basketball : Tandem et Moanda s'offrent la Coupe du Gabon et prennent la route des préliminaires de la BAL". AFC Sports (in French). 10 August 2025. Retrieved 25 October 2025.
- ^ "Spintex Knights drafted in 2026 Basketball Africa League Qualifiers Group B". news.ghheadlines.com. October 2025. Retrieved 26 October 2025.
- ^ "History Made!". www.instagram.com. Retrieved 3 July 2025.
- ^ "Al Ahly Benghazi are Libya Basketball League champions!". www.afrobasket.com. 5 July 2025. Retrieved 29 July 2025.
- ^ "City Thunder, KPA crowned KNBL champions". Citizen Digital. 14 September 2025. Retrieved 15 September 2025.
- ^ "BEAC celebrate 2025 title!". www.afrobasket.com. 12 May 2025. Retrieved 13 May 2025.
- ^ Baluku, Chrispus (1 October 2025). "Namuwongo Blazers confirm participation in Road to BAL 2026 qualifiers". New Vision. Retrieved 26 October 2025.
- ^ "African clubs lining up for the marathon journey to the 2025 Road to BAL". www.fiba.basketball. 2 October 2025. Retrieved 11 October 2025.
- ^ "VBL – Playoffs Finals : Urunani BBC de Jean-Jacques Boissy est champion du Burundi !" (in French). 29 September 2024. Retrieved 1 October 2024.
- ^ "Ferroviário da Beira conquista sexto título de campeão nacional de basquetebol masculino". lance.co.mz (in Portuguese). Retrieved 26 September 2025.
- ^ "Le COSPN sacré champion de Madagascar". 2424.mg - L'actualité à Madagascar en temps réel (in French). 14 September 2025. Retrieved 15 September 2025.
- ^ "ElevateTheGame: Bravehearts win CDH basketball tourney". Malawi Institute of Journalism. 9 June 2025. Retrieved 31 July 2025.
- ^ "Johannesburg Giants crowned the 2025 South African champions". www.fiba.basketball. 23 September 2025. Retrieved 26 September 2025.
- ^ "Dar City outshine ABC to win National Basketball League title". The Citizen. 21 November 2024. Retrieved 25 November 2024.
- ^ "Matero Magic, Lusaka Queens retain ZBF titles". Zambia: News Diggers!. Retrieved 6 July 2025.
- ^ "Instagram". www.instagram.com. Retrieved 31 July 2025.
- ^ "Everything you need to know about the 2026 Road to BAL". www.fiba.basketball. 15 October 2025. Retrieved 17 October 2025.
- ^ "Nairobi and Praia to host the 2026 Road to BAL Elite 16 tournaments". www.fiba.basketball. 31 October 2025. Retrieved 2 November 2025.
- ^ "New Tech Universite withdraw from the 2026 Road to BAL West Division Elite 16". www.fiba.basketball. 12 November 2025. Retrieved 13 November 2025.