As the Basketball Africa League (BAL) prepares to transition from a tournament-based qualification system to a semi-closed franchise model featuring 10 permanent teams and two annual qualifying slots, NBA Deputy Commissioner Mark Tatum has identified Kigali among the cities ready to host franchise teams. A franchise league is a closed sports system in which teams operate as permanent, privately owned entities. Clubs are granted exclusive rights to specific markets, are not subject to relegation, and share league-wide revenues and resources. In an interview with Andscape earlier this week, Tatum was asked which African cities are ready for the franchise model. “I would go to the BAL cities that we played in. Clearly Kigali. I’d say Kigali has the best arena on the continent. That’s why we’ve played all six seasons in Rwanda and Kigali, including five of the six playoffs and finals. So, Kigali is ready,” he noted. Tatum also highlighted Pretoria in South Africa, Dakar in Senegal, Rabat in Morocco, Cairo in Egypt, Nairobi in Kenya and Lagos in Nigeria as markets that may have what is required to support franchise teams. He said the model would help establish long-term, locally rooted clubs, deepen fan engagement and unlock new commercial opportunities across key markets. The league's plans were discussed during the BAL Investor Summit and Innovation Summit, held on the sidelines of the 2026 BAL playoffs in Kigali from May 22-26. According to Tatum, bids for franchise slots are being considered from across the continent, with suitable arena infrastructure a key requirement. He added that permanent franchises could be introduced as early as the 2027 or 2028 season. “We are in the process now of transitioning the BAL from a completely open league and model where every year, 12 different teams could participate in the league,” he said. “In order to qualify now, you have to win your national championship. So, we basically take 12 national champions. And of course, those national champions can change every single year. So, after the first six seasons, we’ve decided that now is the right time to transition the BAL from an open model to more of a franchise model and a semi-closed model,” he added. “We think that is a reflection of the success of the league over its first six seasons and the enormous growth opportunities that we see going forward for the league by having the addition of permanent franchises. So, what permanent franchises will do is they will create partners of ours who are going to invest in developmental opportunities in basketball in particular cities.” Asked about reports valuing BAL franchises between $50 million and $75 million, Tatum said market forces would ultimately determine their worth. “We certainly think that the value of these franchises is in that range. In some markets it could be higher. In big markets like Lagos or Johannesburg, Cairo these are huge markets. Ultimately, the market will decide on what the right price is and what it depends on,” he noted. He described the franchise ownership as a rare opportunity given the limited number of teams expected to be made available in the league’s early years.
