Date | R | Home vs Away | - |
---|---|---|---|
11/10 19:00 | - | Stade Malien vs Al Ahly Tripoli | 68-71 |
11/10 16:30 | - | KSA vs Abidjan Fighters | 53-92 |
11/09 19:00 | - | Al Ahly Tripoli vs Abidjan Fighters | 80-76 |
11/09 16:30 | - | Stade Malien vs KSA | 80-59 |
11/07 19:30 | - | Chaux Sport vs Abidjan Fighters | 88-85 |
11/07 17:00 | - | KSA vs Al Ahly Tripoli | 91-96 |
11/07 14:30 | - | MDA Basket vs Stade Malien | 53-79 |
11/07 12:00 | - | Spintex Knights vs Mighty Barrolle | 68-79 |
11/06 19:30 | - | Abidjan Fighters vs MDA Basket | 90-51 |
11/06 17:00 | - | Mighty Barrolle vs KSA | 75-81 |
11/06 14:30 | - | Stade Malien vs Chaux Sport | 72-65 |
11/06 12:00 | - | Al Ahly Tripoli vs Spintex Knights | 101-69 |
The Basketball Africa League (BAL) is the premier men's basketball league in Africa. Founded in 2019, the league was established and is co-organized by NBA Africa and the International Basketball Federation (FIBA).
Each season typically runs from March to May, and in the current format the league consists of twelve teams. Each of the teams qualify through their performance in their domestic competition, a meritocratic system similar to the format of the UEFA Champions League. Six teams qualify directly, while six others have to play in the Road to BAL. The season exists out of three conferences and uses playoffs to determine the champions. The BAL champions of each season automatically qualify for the FIBA Intercontinental Cup.
The first season was held in 2021 and thus far, three champions have won the competition.
On 16 February 2019 the National Basketball Association and FIBA announced plans to establish a continental professional basketball league. During a press conference at the 2019 NBA All-Star weekend, NBA commissioner Adam Silver elaborated on plans to establish the league. He stated that the league will feature 12 teams after qualification tournaments in late 2019. The countries that could possibly host a team include; Angola, Egypt, Kenya, Morocco, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, South Africa and Tunisia. Silver also hinted at the involvement of former U.S. president Barack Obama in an unspecified role. In May 2019, Amadou Gallo Fall was assigned by the NBA as the first president of the BAL. In September 2019, BAL announced the venues and cities for the inaugural season, which included a Final Four played in Kigali Arena in Kigali, Rwanda.
On 15 October 2019, the qualifying tournaments for the inaugural season began, with teams from 32 African countries participating. The start of the BAL was eventually postponed twice due to the disruptive COVID-19 pandemic. The first BAL game was played on 16 May 2021, in the Kigali Arena in Kigali, Rwanda, which hosted the entire tournament. The season was held in a bio-secure bubble with only limited attendance allowed. On 30 May, Zamalek from Egypt won the first-ever BAL championship after beating US Monastir in the inaugural final.
The following season, the league expanded it format with five-team conferences (the Sahara and Nile Conference), which were held in Dakar and Cairo. The playoffs were held in Kigali.
The fourth league season, in 2024, saw an expansion to three conference with the Kalahari Conference, as well as Petro de Luanda becoming the first team from Sub-Saharan Africa to win the championship. After the season, Ulrich Chomche from Cameroon became the first former BAL player to be drafted in the National Basketball Association (NBA), as he was picked in the second round of the 2024 NBA draft.