BAL 2026 Set For March Tip-Off

BAL 2026 Set For March Tip-Off

Sampson Adedeji

The Basketball Africa League (BAL) has confirmed that its sixth season will begin on March 27, 2026, at the SunBet Arena in Pretoria, South Africa, with the campaign concluding at the 2026 BAL Finals on May 31 at the BK Arena in Kigali, Rwanda, BSNSports.com.ng reports.

The 2026 season will feature 12 elite club teams drawn from 12 African countries, competing in a total of 42 games across three host cities — Pretoria (South Africa), Rabat (Morocco), and Kigali (Rwanda).

The teams will be split into two conferences of six sides each, with each conference playing a 15-game group phase format in which every team faces the other five teams once.

The Kalahari Conference group phase will run from March 27 to April 5 in Pretoria, while the Sahara Conference group phase is scheduled for April 24 to May 3 at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Sports Complex in Rabat.

At the end of the group stages, the top eight teams across both conferences will qualify for the playoffs, which will be held in Kigali from May 22 to May 31, culminating in the 2026 BAL Finals.