Moroccan side FUS Rabat will face Rwanda’s RSSB Tigers in the quarterfinals of the Basketball Africa League (BAL) playoffs, set for May 22–31 in Kigali. FUS Rabat, who previously reached the BAL quarterfinals in 2024, are aiming to go further this year. The team showed its quality during the Sahara Conference, notably with a dominant 85-55 win over JCA Kings of Côte d’Ivoire on April 24. Key players include experienced Nigerien guard Abdoulaye Harouna and American point guard Will Perry, both BAL regulars. The Moroccan club booked its playoff spot with a 3-2 record, advancing alongside Al Ahly and Club Africain. During the conference, they pulled another major feat, ending Club Africain’s unbeaten run with a 71-68 victory, showing their competitiveness in a tightly contested conference. The BAL 2026 quarterfinals will be played over two legs, with aggregate scores determining who advances. This means RSSB Tigers and FUS Rabat will face each other twice for a place in the semifinals. Tigers head coach Henry Mwinuka expects a tough challenge. “We have to prepare with intensity,” he said in a previous interview with Times Sport. “I want to win. We’ve received a lot of support from the Ministry of Sports, the federation, RSSB, and the country.” More about FUS Rabat FUS Rabat, founded in 1946 and based in Rabat, Morocco, is a major powerhouse in Moroccan basketball. The team competes in the Division Excellence and has won a record 20 league titles and 11 Moroccan Throne Cups. After claiming their first league title in 1968, FUS added more success over the years, including titles in 2001 and 2004. They ended a 19-year league title drought by winning their 18th championship in the 2022-23 season under French coach Stéphane Dumas. FUS made their BAL debut in 2024 after qualifying through the Road to BAL, securing their spot with a 78-60 win over Cameroon’s FAP in the semi-finals on November 4, 2023. They went on to post a 3-1 record in the Kalahari Conference against teams including Petro de Luanda and Cape Town Tigers. The team plays its home games at Salle Abderrahmane Bouânane, which has a capacity of 1,500 spectators.
