RSSB Tigers Basketball Club’s foreign players have arrived in the country to join their teammates as preparations intensify for the upcoming playoffs. The Tigers secured a place in the playoffs, scheduled to take place in Kigali from May 22–31, following impressive performances during the Kalahari Conference group stage held in South Africa last month. The Rwandan side won four of their five games to finish top of the Kalahari Conference, ahead of continental heavyweights such as Al Ahly Ly and Petro de Luanda. After the group stage, some of the club’s foreign players returned to their respective countries for a short break, but they have now begun returning to Rwanda ahead of the playoffs. Americans Antino Jackson, Craig Randall and Teafale Lenard Jr, as well as South Sudanese-Australian star Mangok Mathiang, have already arrived in Kigali. Ntore Habimana and Axel Mpoyo also joined the squad on Tuesday. Times Sport understands that Tigers could further strengthen their roster before the playoffs, with the club reportedly considering the addition of a center and a power forward. Following the conference stage, eight teams qualified for the playoffs and will travel to Kigali for the knockout phase. The quarterfinal matchups are determined by seeding, with higher-ranked teams facing lower-ranked opponents. Four teams finished the conference stage with identical 4-1 records, meaning the final rankings were decided by points scored. Angola’s Petro de Luanda finished top of the standings, followed by Egypt’s Al Ahly, while RSSB Tigers placed third. The playoff format will pair teams as 1 vs 8, 2 vs 7, 3 vs 6, and 4 vs 5. The quarterfinals will be played over two legs, with aggregate scores determining which teams advance to the semifinals. RSSB Tigers will therefore face FUS Rabat twice, with the aggregate winner progressing to the last four. BAL 2026 Playoffs fixtures are as follows Petro de Luanda (Angola) Vs Dar City (Tanzania) Al Ahly Ly (Libya) Vs Club Africain (Tunisia) Al Ahly (Egypt) Vs Ville de Dakar (Senegal) RSSB Tigers (Rwanda) Vs FUS Rabat (Morocco)
