The 2026 Basketball Africa League (BAL) will climax today with a fierce final clash between Angola's Petro de Luanda and Rwanda's RSSB Tigers. Since May 22, the BAL playoffs have been unfolding in Kigali, serving top basketball action to fans across the continent. Both Petro de Luanda and RSSB Tigers had a rough journey to the finals, having to beat Al Ahly (Libya) and Al Ahly (Egypt) respectively in tightly contested semifinal games. Their matchup on Sunday is the second meeting between them, having played against each other earlier in the BAL's Kalahari Conference in March. The Tigers secured a slim 82-78 victory that time. As the final game beckons, here are some key battles that are anticipated to characterise it: 1. Petro de Luanda's formidable frontcourt vs. the Tigers' towers. Petro is historically dominant in the paint, led by top players like Yanick Moreira averaging 11.0 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 1.5 assists per game. They were also recently boosted by the addition of Raphiael Putney ahead of the playoffs. Petro's frontcourt will square off against the Tigers' size, featuring Malian center Oumar Ballo who has averaged 9.3 points and 10 rebounds per game, as well as South Sudanese-Australian big man Mangok Mathiang who averaged 15.1 rebounds per game. The game's result will likely be affected by which team controls defensive rebounding and limits second-chance points. 2. Backcourt tempo and playmaking Petro de Luanda relies heavily on the lightning-fast, highly efficient point guard Childe Dundão to dictate the pace and create open perimeter shots. Conversely, the Tigers run their offence through Craig Randall II, who has shattered the BAL's single-game scoring record. Dundão's averaged 17.5 points, 5.7 assists, and 2.2 steals per game. The 5-foot-7 Petro point guard was a critical playmaker for his team as well. He will be up against the scoring explosion of Craig Randall II who has averaged 36.6 points, 4.6 assists, and 4 rebounds per game.
