Kigali is set to host the Basketball Africa League (BAL) playoffs from May 22 to 31, bringing together eight of the continent’s top teams that emerged from the Kalahari and Sahara Conferences. As Rwanda prepares to welcome Africa’s biggest club basketball event once again, here is a closer look at the teams battling for the 2026 BAL championship. 1. Petro de Luanda (4-1) Petro de Luanda remain one of the BAL’s most consistent and successful teams. The Angolan giants are the only club to have participated in every edition of the competition since its launch in 2021. They also hold the record for the most BAL games played, with 45 appearances. Petro are the only side in league history to have reached the semifinals in every edition between 2021 and 2025, finishing first, second twice, third and fourth respectively. 2. Al Ahly Egypt (4-1) Before Al Ahli Tripoli claimed the 2025 BAL title, Egypt’s Al Ahly SC made history by becoming the first team to win the competition in its debut season. This marks Al Ahly’s third BAL appearance, making them Egypt’s most frequent representative in the competition ahead of Zamalek (two appearances) and Al Ittihad Alexandria (one appearance). 3. RSSB Tigers (4-1) RSSB Tigers are the fourth Rwandan team, after Patriots, REG and APR, to represent the country in the BAL. Rwanda is now the only nation to have had more than three different teams participate in the competition. The Tigers head into the playoffs as the tournament’s highest-scoring team after registering 483 points in five games during the Kalahari Conference. They scored more than 100 points in three of their five matches and made a remarkable 74 three-pointers, 20 more than second-placed Dar City, who finished with 54. 4. Club Africain (4-1) Club Africain ended US Monastir’s dominance of Tunisian basketball by winning the 2025 domestic league title, earning qualification as the second Tunisian team to compete in the BAL. Prior to the 2026 season, the five-time Tunisian champions had not featured in a continental competition since winning bronze at the 2014 FIBA Africa Champions Cup. During the Sahara Conference in Rabat, Club Africain made BAL history by overturning a seven-point deficit in the final 15 seconds to defeat Al Ahly Egypt 69-68. The Tunisian side are also the only playoff team to have won all their games by margins of fewer than 10 points, with their biggest victory being a nine-point win over Maktown Flyers. 5. Al Ahly Libya (3-2) Al Ahly Libya became the first Libyan team to participate in the BAL in 2024. Last season’s runners-up recovered from a difficult start to the 2026 campaign, opening with back-to-back defeats before bouncing back with three consecutive victories to secure a playoff spot. Their 118-97 win over Dar City during the Kalahari Conference produced the highest-scoring game in BAL history with a combined 215 points, surpassing the previous record of 213 points set during APR’s 123-90 victory over Al Ittihad Alexandria last year. Al Ahly Libya scored more than 100 points in each of their final three conference games in Pretoria. They are also the only playoff team to have changed head coach this season, replacing Egyptian coach Ahmed Soliman with Greek tactician Fotios Katsikaris. 6. FUS Rabat (3-2) Alongside Petro de Luanda, Morocco’s FUS Rabat are one of only two teams to have reached the BAL playoffs in each of the last three seasons. The team is coached by Said El Bouzidi, one of only two coaches in this year’s playoffs with an African club title to his name. El Bouzidi guided AS Sale to the 2017 FIBA Africa Champions Cup title. 7. ASC Ville de Dakar (3-2) ASC Ville de Dakar secured their first-ever BAL playoff qualification after recovering from a poor start to the Sahara Conference, where they lost their opening two games before winning three straight matches. Following a disappointing BAL debut last season, when they failed to reach the playoffs, the Senegalese champions head to Kigali with renewed confidence and momentum. 8. Dar City (2-3) Dar City became the first Tanzanian team in BAL history after qualifying through the FIBA Road to BAL qualifiers. They are one of only two playoff teams, alongside Al Ahly Libya, to have reached the postseason through the qualification route rather than direct domestic league qualification. The Tanzanian champions are coached by Mamadou Gueye, who was named BAL Coach of the Year in 2023.
