Rwandan champions APR will June 7 face Angolan giants Petro de Luanda in the quarterfinals of the Basketball African League (BAL) playoffs which will take place in Pretoria, South Africa from June 6-14. The BAL playoffs fixture draw released on Tuesday, June 3, saw James Maye Jr’s army side pitted against the Angolan champions who traveled to South Africa to defend the championship they won in Kigali on 2024 after beating Libya’s Al Ahli Tripoli in the final. They would be the first team to retain the title since BAL inception in 2021. ALSO READ: What to know about the eight teams at BAL 2025 playoffs APR qualified for the playoffs after finishing second in the Nile Conference held in Kigali from May 17-25 while Petro de Luanda booked their playoffs ticket after finishing second in the Sahara Conference that took place in Dakar, Senegal in April. APR, Cape Verde’s Kriol Star and Egypt’s Al Ittihad are making their debut in the BAL playoffs. During the 2024 season, APR failed to qualify for the playoffs after finishing at the bottom of the Sahara Conference. Meanwhile, Al Ittihad will rub shoulders with Al Ahli SC of Libya in what promises of be the clash of the quarterfinal round considering that they are the only teams which qualified for the BAL playoffs undefeated. Full BAL quarterfinal playoffs draw: June 6 Kriol Star Vs FUS de Rabat Al Ahli SC Vs Al Ittihad June 7 Petro de Luanda Vs APR US Monastir Vs Rivers Hoopers
