All seven visiting teams have arrived in Kigali ahead of the highly anticipated Basketball Africa League (BAL) 2026 Playoffs, scheduled for May 22–31. The postseason tournament will bring together Africa’s top eight basketball powerhouses at BK Arena, where they will battle for the continental crown. For the second time in BAL history, the defending champions will miss out on the playoffs. The first instance came in 2023, when US Monastir were eliminated during the Sahara Conference. Similarly, 2025 champions Al Ahli Tripoli will not feature in this year’s playoffs after failing to qualify for the 2026 BAL season. Al Ahly (Egypt), ASC Ville de Dakar (Senegal), Al Ahli Ly (Libya), Club Africain (Tunisia), FUS Rabat (Morocco), Petro de Luanda (Angola), and Tanzania’s Dar City all arrived in Kigali on Wednesday. Together with hosts RSSB Tigers, the teams will be accommodated at Four Points by Sheraton. The playoff format will pit teams against each other in the following matchups: 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 the teams that advance to the semifinals. RSSB Tigers will therefore face FUS Rabat twice, with the aggregate winner securing a place in the last four. RSSB Tigers are the fourth Rwandan side to compete in the BAL after Patriots, REG, and APR. Rwanda now becomes the first and only country to have more than three different teams participate in the league. The Tigers head into the playoffs as the competition’s highest-scoring team, having amassed 483 points in just five games. They have also surpassed the 100-point mark in three of their five outings and lead the league in three-point shooting, sinking a combined 74 triples — 20 more than second-placed Dar City, who registered 54. Friday, May 22 fixtures Al Ahly Vs Ville de Dakar 5pm (Kigali-Times) RSSB Tigers Vs FUS Rabat 8pm Kigali-Times).
