The stage is now set for the fourth edition of the Basketball Africa League (BAL) qualifiers (Road to BAL) which gets underway from October 2 with the curtain expected to come down on November 19.
The first round of the Road to BAL is scheduled for October while the Second Round Elite 16 will take place in November.
As of September 19, nineteen clubs from all corners of Africa have registered for the first round with a few more teams expected to join in the coming weeks.
Meanwhile, teams that competed in the previous edition of the BAL will automatically qualify for the Second Round Elite 16 if they earn the right to represent their respective countries in the qualifiers.
As has been the case in recent years, five cities will host the First Round of the Road to BAL qualifiers while the decisive Elite 16 round will take place in two other cities.
This year's Road to BAL comprises East and West Divisions, with teams split into five groups. Subsequently, the teams that will finish at the top of each group will advance to the Second Round Elite 16.
With the tentative dates for the event already released, the teams from all FIBA Africa Zones will now have an opportunity to showcase their talent in an attempt to qualify for the now popular continental basketball premier league, the BAL.
From East and West to North and South, preparations are already in high gear for all the clubs that qualified for this year’s competition- some of which are making their maiden appearance.
The campaign will start off with Group E matches that will take place in Antananarivo, Madagascar from October 3-8.
It will then move to Groups A and B whose matches will simultaneously be held in Benghazi, Libya and Yaoundé, Cameroon, from October 6-10.
From October 10-15, the action will then swing to Dar es Salaam, Tanzania who will host Group C matches before winding up with Group D matches in Gaborone, Botswana on October 17-22.
The potential participating teams in the First Round include Elan Coton Club (Benin), FUS Rabat (Morocco), AS Nigelec (Niger), Al Alhy Benghazi (Libya) FAP (Cameroon), Espoir Basket Club (Gabon), Bangui Sporting Club (Central African Republic), Sebeta City BBC (Ethiopia), Pazi Basketball Club (Tanzania), Dynamo Basketball Club (Burundi), Kenya Ports Authority (Kenya), Dolphins Basketball Club (Botswana), Bravehearts Basketball (Malawi), Munali Suns Basketball Club (Zambia), JBC Basketball Club (Zimbabwe), Ushindzi Club (Comoros), COSPN (Madagascar), Beau Vallon Heat (Seychelles) and Roche-Bois Warriors (Mauritius).
The table is already laid for the teams up there to prove their mettle. The only question that hangs in the sky is, "Who amongst the lot will move on to the next stage and book themselves a date for a possible brush against Africa's top cream?"
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Heading the list of already qualified teams for the 2024 BAL Championship are title holders Al Ahly of Egypt, last year's losing finalists AS Douanes of Senegal and Rwandan champions APR.
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Completing the remaining slots are Angolan powerhouse Petro de Luanda who lost the bronze medal game to Stade Malien of Mali last year; 2022 champions US Monastir of Tunisia as well as a yet-to-be-named team from Nigeria.
Once again, it will be a race like no other and when the dust finally settles after these rounds of qualifying games, it will be all clear as to who moves to the next phase of the competition and who falls by the roadside.