WHAT’S ON? Fast breaks and fierce rivalries as Basketball Africa League storms Sunbet Arena
Written by: Melissa Dos Reis Goncalves Save to InstapaperSeason six bigger and better than ever, with more talent and unforgettable moments
Season six of the Basketball Africa League tips off soon, and it’s set to be bigger than ever with more talent and more unforgettable moments.
The Basketball Africa League (BAL), a partnership between the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) and NBA Africa, is a professional league featuring 12 club teams from across Africa that will begin its sixth season on Friday, March 27 2026 at the Sunbet Arena in Pretoria, South Africa, and culminate with 2026 BAL finals on Sunday, May 31 2026 at BK Arena in Kigali, Rwanda. The 2026 BAL season will feature the top 12 club teams from 12 African countries playing 42 games in Pretoria, Rabat, Morocco; and Kigali.
This season, the 12 teams will be divided into two conferences of six teams each. Each conference will play a 15-game group phase during which each team will face the other five teams in its conference once. The Kalahari Conference group phase will take place in Pretoria. The Sahara Conference group phase will be from Friday, April 24 2026 – Sunday, May 3 2026 at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Sports Complex in Rabat. Eight teams from across the two conferences will qualify for the playoffs in Kigali from Friday, May 22 2026 – Sunday, May 31 2026.
“Returning to South Africa, Morocco and Rwanda for our sixth season speaks to the strong sporting cultures and rapidly growing basketball ecosystems in those countries,” said BAL president Amadou Gallo Fall. “The BAL continues to inspire fans across the continent and drive opportunities and global recognition for African talent. We look forward to welcoming fans to BAL games in all three markets and to showcasing incredible competition and energy on and off the court to a global audience when the season tips off.”
FIBA Africa President Anibal Manave said, “As we approach the tip off of the sixth Basketball Africa League season, we can celebrate the league’s growing impact and the way this competition continues to elevate the game across the region. We also continue to see the importance of the Road to the BAL as a pathway that expands access and strengthens competition across the continent. Entering the sixth season with such momentum is a testament to the BAL’s influence on players, clubs and communities, and we look forward to another year of exceptional basketball.”
In addition to the games, the BAL will celebrate the convergence of basketball and African culture through the music, fashion, lifestyle and entertainment that surrounds today’s game, highlighted by appearances from leading celebrities and influencers. The league will also collaborate with its partners to host basketball development and social impact programming in the three host markets as well as Egypt, Kenya, Nigeria and Senegal, including youth, coach and referee clinics, children’s literacy and educational initiatives, media networking, and a series of camps and workshops for young women as part of BAL4HER, the league’s platform for advancing gender equality in the African sports ecosystem.
Rwanda Development Board will return as BAL Foundational Partner. Additional BAL partners include Afreximbank, Air Senegal, Amazon Web Services, Castle Lite, the French Embassy in Senegal, and RwandAir.
On June 14, 2025, Libya’s Alahli Tripoli became the first Libyan team to win the BAL finals after previous champions from Angola, Egypt and Tunisia. The 2025 BAL season reached fans in 214 countries and territories in 17 languages, set an attendance record of more than 140 000 fans, and generated more than 1.2 billion impressions across NBA and BAL social media channels.
The 12 participating teams and additional information about the 2026 BAL season will be announced at a later date.
EVENT DETAILS
DATE:Friday, 27 March 2026 at 16h00Saturday, 28 March 2026 at 15h00Sunday, 29 March 2026 at 15h00Tuesday, 31 March 2026 at 19h00Wednesday, 1 April 2026 at 16h00Thursday, 2 April 2026 at 16h00Saturday, 4 April 2026 at 15h00Sunday, 5 April 2026 at 15h00
COST:R75 per person via Ticketmaster
VENUE:Sunbet Arena, Time Square
Menlyn Maine, Aramist Avenue 209, Menlyn, Pretoria
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