Petro de Luanda will face RSSB Tigers in Sunday’s BAL final, while Al Ahly Ly will go up against Egypt’s Al Ahly SC in the Third-Place Game. Petro de Luanda staged a comeback in the fourth quarter to defeat Al Ahly Ly 94-88, securing their third straight and fourth appearance in the BAL Final in six seasons. The Angolan champions previously reached the final in 2022, 2024, 2025 and 2026. Childe Dundao, who came off the bench as the seventh option, changed the course of the game while his partner in crime, Gerson Gonçalves, put in a terrific offensive performance to deny Al Ahly Ly a place in the final. The Libyan champions dominated for most of the first three quarters, but after Cleusio Castro finished with a thunderous two-handed dunk to give Petro de Luanda a 75–73 lead with 7:13 minutes remaining, they never trailed again. This was a rematch of the 2024 BAL final, and for the third time in BAL history, Petro de Luanda overcame Al Ahly Ly. Dundao hit three consecutive three-pointers in the first quarter to bring Petro de Luanda back from a 10-point deficit. He went on to finish the game with 26 points, shooting 7 for 10 from the floor. Gonçalves was Petro’s primary playmaker, providing 10 assists and scoring 23 points. Petro de Luanda started with a different starting lineup for the third time in the 2026 BAL Playoffs. Even so, of the 10 Petro players who played, eight scored four points or more. The Benghazi-based team reached this semifinal fixture as the season’s highest-scoring team. They were on a five-game winning streak and had everything in their hands to return to the BAL for the first time since 2024. However, Petro de Luanda proved hard to overcome. Although Al Ahly Ly led by double digits at one point, Petro de Luanda’s defensive adjustments limited them to just 88 points, their lowest score of the season. Donovan Williams was a one-man show for Al Ahly Ly, shooting 9-for-16, including 4-for-9 from deep, to finish with a game-high 30 points. Charlie Moore added 20 points for the Libyan team, while Majok Deng was limited to 10. Petro de Luanda looked unrecognisable in the opening quarter, turning the ball over 10 times in the first half, mainly due to Al Ahly Libya’s aggressive, disciplined defence. They finished with 17 turnovers. Al Ahly won the rebounding battle (32–30) and led for 29:39 of the 40-minute regulation. However, their bench did little to change the course of the game and were outscored 49–15. Raphiael Putney came off the bench to contribute 14 points to the victors' total with a combination of lethal shots.
