2023 Nile Conference - PREVIEW

The race for the remaining four spots for the 2023 BAL Playoffs gets underway on Wednesday, April 26 with the Nile Conference taking place in the Egyptian capital Cairo.

Hosts Al Ahly, Ferroviario da Beira (Mozambique), Cape Town Tigers (South Africa), City Oilers (Uganda), Petro de Luanda (Angola) and Guinea’s Seydou Legacy Athletique Club (SLAC) will aim to extend their BAL campaigns beyond Saturday, May 6.

But to reach the eight-team BAL Playoffs in May in Kigali, teams will need to finish on the top four places of the Nile Conference.

All six teams will face each other over the 15-game schedule, which will be broadcast across 214 countries and territories through free-to-air and subscriptions channels.

The Nile Conference will start with debutant Al Ahly taking on Ferroviario da Beira in the only game of the day Wednesday.

On April 27, SLAC will face Cape Town Tigers while City Oilers we’ll go up against Petro de Luanda.

Here are things that you should know about the 2023 Nile Conference.

TICKETS SALES

There won’t be fan restrictions to attend games at Hassan Mosta Indoor Complex.

Tickets are on sale on bal.nba.com as well as various retailers across Cairo.

According to FIBA Africa Zone 5 President Hesham ElHariri the organization “is expecting a full house not only for Al Ahly games, but also in games involving other teams. There are large migrant communities in Cairo, and some of whom may come to support of their teams in the Nile Conference.”

PETRO DE LUANDA

Petro de Luanda, a two-time winner of the FIBA Africa Champions Cup - are the only team that hasn’t missed out a BAL season since its inception in 2021.

The Angolan champions finished third in 2021 before claiming a second place last year after losing to US Monastir in the final.

AGUSTI JULBE

Among the six head coaches in the current Nile Conference, Al Ahly’s Agusti Julbe is the only BAL champion.

The Spaniard led Zamalek to the BAL title thanks to a 6-0 mark in 2021, a success that makes him the only coach without defeat in the history of the BAL.

ELEVATE PROGRAM

The BAL Elevate Program, an initiative that aims to give NBA Academy Africa players an opportunity of experiencing professional basketball, is in its second year.

The six top prospects have been drafted as follows: Dramane Sayon Camara (Al Ahly), Parby Kabamba Musongela (Cape Town Tigers), Segun Ezekiel Obe (City Oilers), Paul Kabenga Mbiya (Ferroviario da Beira), Seifeldin Hendaway (Petro de Luanda), and Mabilmawut Kon Mabil (SLAC).

TEAMS’ BAL HISTORY

Al Ahly and City Oilers are the only two teams making their BAL debut while Cape Town Tigers, Ferroviario da Beira, and SLAC are appearing in the competition for the second straight time.

Winners of the 2015 and 2016 editions of the FIBA Africa Champions Cup, Petro de Luanda and Al Ahly are the only former continental champions in the current Nile Conference campaign.