City, South Africa — Basketball Africa League to Commence Sixth Season on March 27 The Basketball Africa League (BAL) has announced the kick-off of its sixth season, set to begin on Friday, March 27, at the SunBet Arena in Pretoria, South Africa.
The tournament will culminate with the 2026 BAL Finals on Sunday, May 31, at the BK Arena in Kigali, Rwanda.
The 2026 BAL season will feature the top 12 club teams from 12 African countries, participating in 42 games across Pretoria, Rabat, Morocco, and Kigali.
The teams will be divided into two conferences of six each, with a 15-game group phase where each team faces the others in its conference once.
According to official statements, the Kalahari Conference group phase will take place from March 27 to April 5 in Pretoria, while the Sahara Conference group phase will be held from April 24 to May 3 at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Sports Complex in Rabat.
The Playoffs will then be hosted in Kigali from May 22 to May 31.
The BAL’s President, Amadou Gallo Fall, expressed excitement about the upcoming season, noting the strong sporting cultures and rapidly growing basketball ecosystems in South Africa, Morocco, and Rwanda. “
The BAL continues to inspire fans across the continent and drive opportunities and global recognition for African talent, “Fall. FIBA Africa President Anibal Manave also commented on the league’s impact, stating, “We can celebrate the league’s growing impact and the way this competition continues to elevate the game across the region.”.
In addition to the games, the BAL will celebrate the convergence of basketball and African culture through music, fashion, lifestyle, and entertainment.
The league will also host basketball development and social impact programming in the host countries and other African nations.
The Rwanda Development Board will serve as the BAL’s Foundational Partner, with additional support from Afreximbank, Air Senegal, Amazon Web Services, Castle Lite, the French Embassy in Senegal, and RwandAir.
The 2025 BAL season was marked by significant achievements, including reaching fans in 214 countries and territories in 17 languages, setting an attendance record of over 140,000 fans, and generating more than 1. 2 billion impressions across NBA and BAL social media channels. Further details about the participating teams and the 2026 BAL season will be announced at a later date.
Source: Basketball Africa League to tip off sixth season on March 27 in South Africa — fiba.
*Additional reporting by ImNews | Sources consulted: 5*
