Organising body | FIBA Africa |
---|---|
Founded | 2019 |
First season | 2021 |
Confederation | FIBA Africa |
Number of teams | 26 (2023 season) |
Current champions | West Division: Cape Town Tigers (2nd title) East Division: Bangui Sporting Club (1st title) (2024) |
Most championships | Cape Town Tigers (2 titles) |
TV partners | YouTube Courtside 1891 |
Website | Link |
2024 BAL qualification |
The Road to BAL, also known as the BAL Qualifying Tournaments, are the qualifying tournaments of the Basketball Africa League (BAL). While the main tournament is co-organised by FIBA and the NBA, the organization of the qualifiers is completely done by FIBA. The first qualifying rounds were held on 16 October 2019 during the 2021 BAL qualification.
The qualifiers are geographically divided into the West and East Division, with three teams qualifying out of each division. Semi-finals and finals are played to determine the winners of the qualifying tournaments.
The national champions of each national federation (associated with FIBA Africa) can sign up for the BAL qualifiers.
In the inaugural edition, a total of 31 teams [1] from 31 countries participate in the qualifying tournaments to determine which six teams will play in the 2020 BAL regular season, along with six directly placed six teams.
The qualifying tournaments are divided into the first round and the Elite 16; teams are also divided into the East Division and the West Division. Out of each division, three teams advance to the main tournament.
The qualifying rounds are usually played in groups of 4 to 6 teams that play each other once in a venue in a predetermined location. 13 arenas in 12 different countries have hosted a stage of the BAL qualifiers. The following arenas have hosted at least one group stage:
Venue | City | Country | Seasons hosted |
---|---|---|---|
Ellis Park Arena | Johannesburg | South Africa | 1 (2023) |
Wembley Stadium | 2 (2021, 2022) | ||
Palais des Sports de Treichville | Abidjan | Ivory Coast | 1 (2023) |
Palais du 29 Juillet | Niamey | Niger | 1 (2023) |
Palais des Sports Mahamasina | Antananarivo | Madagascar | 2 (2021, 2023) |
Palais des Sports du 28 Septembre | Conakry | Guinea | 1 (2022) |
National Indoor Stadium | Dar es Salaam | Tanzania | 2 (2022, 2023) |
Kigali Arena | Kigali | Rwanda | 1 (2021) |
Yaoundé Multipurpose Sports Complex | Yaoundé | Cameroon | 3 (2021–2023) |
Palais des Sports Salamatou Maïga | Bamako | Mali | 1 (2021) |
Palais des Sports de Cotonou | Cotonou | Benin | 1 (2021) |
Palais des Sports de Libreville | Libreville | Gabon | 1 (2021) |
Ed. | Year | Finals host | First place game | Third place game | Num. teams | Ref. | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Winners | Score | Runners-up | Third place | Score | Fourth place | |||||
1 | 2021 | Kigali | Patriots BBC | 94–63 | GNBC | Ferroviário de Maputo | 74–57 | City Oilers | 16 | [2] [3] |
2 | 2022 | Johannesburg | Ferroviário da Beira | 91–65 | Cobra Sport | Cape Town Tigers | 20–0 [lower-alpha 1] | New Star | 10 [lower-alpha 2] | [4] |
3 | 2023 | Cape Town Tigers | 81–71 | Ferroviário da Beira | City Oilers | 71–62 | Urunani | 10 [lower-alpha 3] | [5] [6] | |
4 | 2024 | Cape Town Tigers | 70–68 | City Oilers | Dynamo | 79–78 | COSPN | 14 | [7] [8] |
Ed. | Year | Finals host | First place game | Third place game | Num. teams | Ref. | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Winners | Score | Runners-up | Third place | Score | Fourth place | |||||
1 | 2021 | Yaoundé | GS Pétroliers | 92–88 | FAP | AS Police | 71–69 | ABC Fighters | 13 | [9] [10] |
2 | 2022 | FAP | 81–34 | SLAC | Espoir Fukash | 93–87 (OT) | AS Police | 8 [lower-alpha 4] | [11] | |
3 | 2023 | Abidjan | ABC Fighters | 81–70 | SLAC | Stade Malien | 62–59 | Bangui Sporting Club | 10 [lower-alpha 5] | [12] |
4 | 2024 | Yaoundé | Bangui Sporting Club | 93–90 | FUS Rabat | Al Ahly Benghazi | 93–84 | FAP | 9 | [13] [14] |
Thus far, 12 different clubs from 12 different country have successfully qualified for the BAL. As of the 2023 season, Nigeria, Rwanda, Egypt, Senegal and Tunisia are given a bye for the qualifiers as they qualify directly for the BAL. [5] In 2021, Morocco was also given an automatic spot.
Rank | Nation | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | South Africa | 2 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
2 | Mozambique | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
3 | Cameroon | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
4 | Algeria | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Central African Republic | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
Ivory Coast | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
Rwanda | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
8 | Guinea | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
9 | Morocco | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
Uganda | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
11 | Madagascar | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
South Sudan | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
13 | Mali | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
14 | Burundi | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
DR Congo | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
Libya | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
Totals (16 entries) | 8 | 8 | 9 | 25 |
The following is a list of clubs who have played in the BAL Qualifying Tournaments at any time since its formation in 2019, or will play in the upcoming season.
Defunct | Defunct teams | |||||
1st | Champions | |||||
2nd | Runners-up | |||||
3rd | Third place | |||||
SF | Semi-finalists | |||||
E16 | Elite 16 | |||||
R1 | First round | |||||
W | Withdrew |
Club | Years | Pld | W | L | 4th | 3rd | RU | W |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
FAP | 3 | 17 | 13 | 4 | – | – | 1 | 1 |
ABC | 3 | 17 | 11 | 6 | 1 | – | – | 1 |
Patriots | 1 | 9 | 9 | 0 | – | – | – | 1 |
Ferroviário de Maputo | 1 | 10 | 8 | 2 | – | 1 | – | – |
AS Police | 2 | 14 | 7 | 7 | 1 | 1 | – | – |
City Oilers | 2 | 11 | 7 | 4 | 1 | – | – | – |
SLAC | 3 | 14 | 6 | 8 | – | – | 2 | – |
GNBC | 1 | 9 | 6 | 3 | – | – | 1 | – |
GS Pétroliers | 1 | 8 | 6 | 2 | – | – | – | 1 |
Stade Malien | 1 | 8 | 6 | 2 | – | 1 | – | – |
KPA | 1 | 7 | 6 | 1 | – | – | – | – |
Ferroviário da Beira | 1 | 7 | 6 | 1 | – | – | – | 1 |
Nigelec | 3 | 17 | 5 | 12 | – | – | – | – |
UNZA Pacers | 1 | 8 | 5 | 3 | – | – | – | – |
Cape Town Tigers | 1 | 7 | 5 | 2 | – | 1 | – | – |
Bangui Sporting Club | 1 | 6 | 5 | 1 | 1 | – | – | – |
Cobra Sport | 2 | 13 | 4 | 9 | – | – | 1 | – |
New Star | 1 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 1 | – | – | – |
Manga BB | 1 | 6 | 4 | 2 | – | – | – | – |
Espoir Fukash | 1 | 6 | 3 | 3 | – | 1 | – | – |
Al-Nasr Benghazi | 1 | 3 | 3 | 3 | – | – | – | – |
Mercenaries | 1 | 5 | 3 | 2 | – | – | – | – |
Elan Coton | 1 | 6 | 2 | 4 | – | – | – | – |
JKT | 1 | 7 | 2 | 5 | – | – | – | – |
ASPAC | 2 | 6 | 2 | 4 | – | – | – | – |
SOA | 1 | 4 | 2 | 2 | – | – | – | – |
Matero Magic | 3 | 8 | 1 | 7 | – | – | – | – |
Mazembe | 1 | 6 | 1 | 5 | – | – | – | – |
Nueva Era | 1 | 5 | 1 | 4 | – | – | – | – |
Tondema | 1 | 5 | 1 | 4 | – | – | – | – |
Jozi Nuggets | 1 | 5 | 1 | 4 | – | – | – | – |
Lions | 1 | 5 | 1 | 4 | – | – | – | – |
Dolphins | 1 | 5 | 1 | 4 | – | – | – | – |
Dynamo | 1 | 4 | 1 | 3 | – | – | – | – |
Braves of Customs | 1 | 4 | 1 | 3 | – | – | – | – |
Ulinzi Warriors | 1 | 4 | 1 | 3 | – | – | – | – |
NPA Pythons | 1 | 4 | 1 | 3 | – | – | – | – |
Beau Vallon Heat | 1 | 4 | 1 | 3 | – | – | – | – |
AS Salé | 1 | 3 | 1 | 2 | – | – | – | – |
ABC | 1 | 3 | 1 | 2 | – | – | – | – |
Hawassa City | 1 | 4 | 0 | 4 | – | – | – | – |
Usoni | 1 | 4 | 0 | 4 | – | – | – | – |
Virgen María de África | 1 | 3 | 0 | 3 | – | – | – | – |
Roche-Bois Warriors | 1 | 3 | 0 | 3 | – | – | – | – |
Tondema | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | – | – | – | – |
Brave Hearts | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | – | – | – | – |
Djabal Iconi | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | – | – | – | – |
Espoir | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | – | – | – | – |
Al-Ahly Sports Cultural & Social Club, also known as simply Al-Ahly or Al-Ahly Benghazi, is a Libyan basketball club that is based in Benghazi. Founded in 1950, the club competes in the Libyan Division I Basketball League and has won three championships, in 2010, 2011 and 2023.
Kenneth Gasana is a Rwandan professional basketball player who currently plays for Bangui Sporting Club of the Road to BAL. Born in the United States, he represents Rwanda internationally.
Forces Armées et Police Basketball, commonly known as simply FAP or FAP Yaoundé, is a basketball team based in Yaoundé, Cameroon. It is the basketball team of the Cameroonian armed forces and police. The team previously played in the Basketball Africa League (BAL) and domestically plays the Elite Messieurs. FAP has won the national championship three times, the Cameroon Cup once, and the Central Region League Championship three times.
City Oilers is a basketball club based in Lugogo, Kampala, Uganda. The team competes in the Ugandan National Basketball League (NBL), where it has won nine championships, the most in league history. The Oilers currently also play in the Basketball Africa League (BAL).
The 2021 BAL season, also known as BAL Season 1, was the inaugural season of the Basketball Africa League (BAL). Established as a joint effort between the National Basketball Association (NBA) and FIBA, the BAL is the highest tier continental league of Africa, replacing the FIBA Africa Basketball League. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the BAL held its inaugural season one year later as planned, with the season beginning in 2021. Initially the league planned to play in six venues in six countries; however, due to the pandemic the season was held in a bio-secure bubble in Kigali, Rwanda. The season began on 16 May 2021 and ended on 30 May 2021.
The 2020 BAL Qualifying Tournaments were the inaugural qualifying tournaments of the Basketball Africa League (BAL), the newly launched premier basketball league of Africa jointly organized by the NBA and FIBA. While the NBA will co-organise from the regular season, the qualifiers are completely organised by FIBA Africa.
Kenya Ports Authority, commonly known as KPA, is a basketball club based in Mombasa, Kenya. Owned by the Kenya Ports Authority corporation, the team has competed in the KBF Premier League since first qualifying in 2008.
Association Sportive Nigelec Basket Club, commonly known as Nigelec, is a basketball team based in Niamey, Niger. The team is owned by NIGELEC, a state-owned electric power generator company in the country. The team is nicknamed Électriciens (Electricians).
Cobra Sports Club, commonly known as Cobra Sport, are a South Sudanese basketball team based in Juba, South Sudan. The team was established in 2017 and plays in the Central Equatoria State Basketball Association (CESBA). Cobra has won three national championships.
The Elite Messieurs, also known as Cameroon Basketball League, is the premier basketball league for clubs in Cameroon. The league consisted out of 8 teams in the 2022–23 season.
Clube Ferroviário da Beira is a basketball club from Beira, Mozambique. The team plays in the national Mozambican Basketball League (LMB) and has won the national championship five times.
The 2022 BAL season, also known as BAL Season 2, was the second season of the Basketball Africa League (BAL). The season began on 2 March 2022 and ended with the Finals on 28 May 2022. The group phase was played in the Dakar Arena in Dakar and the Hassan Moustafa Sports Hall in Cairo. The playoffs and finals were played in the BK Arena in Kigali for a second year in a row.
Abdoulaye Harouna Amadou is a Nigerien basketball player who plays for ABC Fighters and the Niger national team. He played college basketball for Miami RedHawks.
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Roche-Bois Warriors is a Mauritian basketball club based in the Roche-Bois, a suburb of Port Louis. The team plays in the MBBF Super League, the highest level of basketball in Mauritius. The Warriors have won league championships in 2020 and 2023 and has represented Mauritius in the Road to BAL twice.
Brice Dieudonne Eyaga Bidias is a Cameroonian basketball player who plays for FAP and the Cameroon national basketball team.
The 2023 BAL season, also known as BAL Season 3, was the third season of the Basketball Africa League (BAL). The season began on 11 March 2023 and ended on 27 May 2023. The playoffs were played in the BK Arena in Kigali, which hosted the final stage for a third season in a row. The regular season was played in Dakar, Senega and Cairo, Egypt, both venues hosted a conference for a second year in a row.
The NBA Academy Africa is a basketball team and academy operated by the National Basketball Association (NBA), located in Saly, Senegal. Opened in 2017, the academy offers both education and basketball trainings. Several alumni of the program have played in professional leagues. The academy is a shared program between the NBA and SEED Academy. The academy has two indoor training courts, as well as dormitories and educational facilities.
Aliou Fadiala Diarra is a Malian professional basketball player for FUS Rabat. Diarra was recruited on outside courts by Stade Malien and was an unknown in professional basketball circles until he gained attention in 2023 for his performance in the Basketball Africa League (BAL). In his rookie season, he was named the BAL Defensive Player of the Year and was named to the All-BAL First Team.
The qualification for the 2024 BAL season, also known as Road to BAL 2024, was the 4th edition of the qualifying tournaments for the Basketball Africa League (BAL). The tournaments were organised by FIBA Africa and are held from 3 October to 26 November 2023. The format was the same as to the previous seasons, with the competition divided in the group phase and the elite 16.