Al Ahly LY or Petro? Which team will face the Tigers in the 2026 BAL final?

Two years have passed since Al Ahly and Petro de Luanda faced off in the 2024 BAL Final.

On Thursday 28 May, the two teams will meet again at the BK Arena in Kigali for a chance to reach the 2026 BAL Final.

The winner of Thursday's match will play the RSSB Tigers in the Championship Game on Sunday.

Al Ahly Ly and Petro de Luanda have faced off more recently, on 28 March during the Kalahari Conference in Pretoria, where the Angolan giants prevailed 104–90.

Since then, both teams have made adjustments to their rosters, but have reached the semi-finals with a similar 5–2 win–loss record.

Al Ahly Ly's Egyptian head coach, Ahmed Soliman, was replaced by Greek Fotios Katsikaris, and playmaker Charlie Moore joined the Libyan champions, replacing the highly skilled guard Damion De’von Baugh.

Petro de Luanda hit the transfer market, signing the experienced BAL players Chasson Randle and Raphael Putney in exchange for Javon Blake and Chinemelu Elonu.

Historically, Petro de Luanda has a 2–0 head-to-head advantage over Al Ahly Libyan Stars dating back to the 2024 BAL season. 

Nevertheless, the stats reveal some stark differences between the two teams.

For example, Al Ahly Ly top the rankings with an average of 101 points scored per game, compared to Petro’s 93 — the third-highest scoring team as of 28 May. 

Conversely, Petro de Luanda seem to be more disciplined defensively, allowing an average of 76 points (the same as FUS Rabat), the lowest by any team to have played seven games. Al Ahly Ly allowed an average of 89 points per game. 

In terms of assists, Al Ahly Ly and Petro de Luanda appear evenly matched, with the former averaging 23 assists per game, one fewer than Petro. 

Al Ahly Ly also recorded one of the highest rebounding performances on average, with 42 boards per game compared to Petro’s 37.

Setting aside stats, new signings and historical facts, there is a lot more to take note of in this match-up.

Moore has proven to be a valuable addition to the Libyan team, averaging a team-high 23 points in 37 minutes per game. He also creates the most shooting opportunities with his 10.5 assists per game.

Meanwhile, 2024 BAL MVP Jo Lual Acuil leads Al Ahly Ly with 10.5 rebounds per game, while scoring 19.5 points per game. 

Al Ahly Ly is also stacked with scorers, including Majok Deng (19 ppg) and Donovan Williams (20.4 ppg). 

It remains to be seen how Petro de Luanda will respond to Al Ahly Ly’s offensive weapons.

Petro de Luanda’s strongest asset, however, is their collective strength. While one player may stand out on any given night, Childe Dundao has emerged as one of Petro’s key performers off the bench.

In the two previous meetings between Al Ahly Ly and Petro de Luanda, there were significant disparities in the performance of the two teams' benches, with Petro outscoring Al Ahly Ly 51–27 in the 2024 BAL final and 47–26 during the Kalahari Conference meeting. 

Al Ahly Ly’s bench will need to perform better this time.

Expect coaching masterclasses when these two teams take to the BK Arena on Thursday.

BAL