Basketball Africa League (BAL) fans will this year witness Dar City Basketball Club on the continental stage as the first Tanzanian team to compete in the competition since its launch in 2021. The team secured qualification for BAL 2026, placing Tanzania among the continent’s elite basketball nations. Founded in 2022, Dar City Basketball Club is based in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania’s largest city. The club has quickly risen to prominence, winning back-to-back National Basketball League (NBL) titles in 2024 and 2025, and is widely regarded as the most dominant basketball team in the country in recent years. How have they qualified? Dar City’s journey to the BAL began impressively in the Road to BAL qualifiers. Before advancing to the Elite 16 in Nairobi, the Tanzanian side hosted the group phase where they defeated Djabal Club of Comoros 102–50 and later beat Uganda’s Namuwongo Warriors 83–70. In Nairobi, Dar City continued their strong run, defeating Zambia’s Matero Magic (85–78), Malawi’s Bravehearts (93–75), and Mozambique’s Ferroviário da Beira (87–78) during the group stage. However, they narrowly missed automatic qualification after losing 71–69 to the Johannesburg Giants in the semifinal. Dar City responded strongly in the third-place playoff, defeating Ferroviário da Beira 92–77, a victory that secured the final qualifying slot for the 2026 BAL season. They concluded their qualifying campaign with an impressive 6–1 win-loss record. Revamped roster Following their historic qualification, Dar City underwent significant roster changes after the departures of Deng Deng, Solo Diabaté, Raphael Putney, and Youssoupha Ndoye, who had played key roles in the team’s qualification campaign. The Tanzanian champions retained several local players, including Ally Faraji Abdallah, Amin Mkosa Juma, Fotius Ngaiza Felesian, and Hasheel Thabeet, while also extending the contract of Ivorian shooting guard Nisre Zouzoua. The club has also strengthened its squad with several international additions, including South Sudanese guard Junior Madut, French point guard David Michineau—who previously played for AS Monaco—as well as Michael Foster Jr., a former NBA player with the Philadelphia 76ers. Nigerian international Daniel Utomi has also joined the roster ahead of the tournament. Head coach The team is coached by Senegalese tactician Mamadou Pabi Gueye, who brings significant BAL experience. Gueye was named BAL Coach of the Year in 2023 after leading AS Douanes to the BAL final, where they finished runners-up following an 80–65 defeat to Egyptian giants Al Ahly. He has also served as head coach of the Senegal men’s national team on several occasions and currently works as an assistant to DeSagana Diop. His assistant at Dar City is Nabil Kabalan, who previously served as assistant coach to 2025 BAL champions Al Ahly Tripoli. BAL debut Dar City will make their BAL debut on March 27, facing familiar rivals Johannesburg Giants at the SunBet Arena in Pretoria, South Africa. The match offers the Tanzanian champions an immediate opportunity to seek revenge for their narrow semifinal defeat during the Road to BAL qualifiers.
