Kigali will once again be among the cities hosting the Basketball Africa League, as the competition returns for its sixth edition in 2026.

The tournament will tip off on March 27 in Pretoria and conclude with the finals on May 31 in Kigali.

This year’s edition will feature 12 teams, with the regular season divided into two conferences — the Kalahari Conference and the Sahara Conference.

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As the tournament prepares to begin, here is what to know.

APR back on the BAL stage for third time

Rwanda’s APR BBC will represent the country in the competition for the third consecutive season.

The army side made its BAL debut in 2024 after qualifying directly for the main tournament as champions of the domestic league.

During their debut campaign, APR were placed in the Sahara Conference but finished fourth in the group, becoming the first Rwandan team in the league’s history to miss out on the playoffs.

In the 2025 edition, however, the Lions improved significantly, finishing third overall — the best performance by a Rwandan club in the competition, surpassing Patriots BBC’s fourth-place finish in 2021.

APR also set a league record for the most points scored in a single game during the third-place match, defeating Al Ittihad Alexandria 123–90. Center Aliou Diarra was later named the league’s Defensive Player of the Year.

In July 2025, APR secured their 16th national championship to qualify for BAL 2026.

For the upcoming season, APR have been placed in the Kalahari Conference alongside Al Ahly Tripoli, Johannesburg Giants, Dar City, Nairobi City Thunder and Petro de Luanda.

Competing teams

The Kalahari Conference will be played in Pretoria from March 27 to April 5 and will feature six teams: Johannesburg Giants (South Africa), Al Ahly Tripoli (Libya), APR (Rwanda), Dar City (Tanzania), Nairobi City Thunder (Kenya) and Petro de Luanda (Angola).

Meanwhile, the Sahara Conference will take place from April 24 to May 3 in Rabat.

The conference will feature Fath Union Sport, Al Ahly, ASC Ville de Dakar, Club Africain, Jeunesse Club Abidjan Kings and Maktown Flyers.

The top four teams from each conference will advance to the playoffs — commonly known as the Final 8 — scheduled for May 22 to 31 in Kigali.

The tournament will crown a new champion after reigning winners Al Ahly Tripoli failed to qualify for this year’s competition.

Debut for a Tanzanian team

This year’s edition will mark the first time a Tanzanian team participates in the BAL, with Dar City making its debut.

Four other clubs will also be making their first appearance in the tournament: Jeunesse Club Abidjan Kings (Ivory Coast), Maktown Flyers (Nigeria), Johannesburg Giants (South Africa) and Club Africain (Tunisia).

Meanwhile, Petro de Luanda — the 2024 champions — will feature in the competition for a record sixth consecutive season.

Format and host cities

Each team will face the other five teams in its conference once during the regular season, meaning each conference will stage 15 games.

The top four teams from each conference will qualify for the Final 8 tournament.

Pretoria will host the Kalahari Conference, while Rabat will stage the Sahara Conference before the tournament concludes in Kigali.

Notably, Dakar will not host BAL games for the first time since the league was launched in 2021.