BASKETBALL AFRICA LEAGUE TO TIP OFF EXPANDED SECOND SEASON MARCH 5

CAIRO, EGYPT AND DAKAR, SENEGAL, Dec. 9, 2021 – The Basketball Africa League (BAL) today announced that the league’s second season will tip off Saturday, March 5, 2022 in Dakar, Senegal and will include stops in Cairo, Egypt and Kigali, Rwanda. The BAL will once again feature the top 12 club teams from 12 African countries and will expand to a total of 38 games taking place in three cities over three months in 2022. 

The second BAL season will include 15 games at the Dakar Arena in Dakar from March 5-15, 15 games at Hassan Mostafa Indoor Sports Complex in Cairo from April 9-19, and an eight-game Playoffs and Finals at the Kigali Arena in Kigali from May 21-28. Fans can register their interest in tickets and in receiving more information at bal.nba.com. Tickets will go on sale in early 2022.

The announcement was made today at Hassan Mostafa Indoor Sports Complex by BAL President Amadou Gallo Fall and FIBA Africa Youth Council President Ambrose Tashobya, with inaugural BAL Champion Zamalek (Egypt) in attendance.

“After a successful and historic launch last spring, we are thrilled to be able to grow the BAL’s footprint in our second season,” said Fall. “Through this expanded competition format, we will bring more games to more countries across the continent, allowing new and returning fans to experience the excitement of this world-class league up close and in person.”

“After such a memorable and historic first season, we are looking forward to the BAL tipping off next year in March,” said BAL Board President Anibal Manave.  “This season will no doubt be even more exciting with the expansion of the number of games and also additional host cities – in particular here in Cairo where the FIBA Intercontinental Cup 2022 will also take place in February, featuring for the first time the inaugural BAL Champions Zamalek SC.”

During the second BAL season, the 12 teams will be divided into two conferences of six teams each. Each conference will play a 15-game group phase during which each team will face the other five teams in its conference once. The top eight teams from the group phase will qualify for the BAL Playoffs, which will be single elimination in all three rounds.

National league champions from 12 African countries will once again qualify for the second BAL season, including through the Road to BAL qualifying tournaments conducted by FIBA Regional Office Africa across the continent from October to December 2021.

New Fortress Energy (NFE), Rwanda Development Board (RDB), NIKE, Jordan Brand and Wilson will return as BAL Foundational Partners. The league’s roster of world-class marketing partners also includes Flutterwave and Hennessy.

On May 30, Zamalek defeated US Monastir (Tunisia) 76-63 to win the inaugural BAL Championship, which took place at the Kigali Arena and was broadcast to fans in 215 countries and territories in 15 languages. 

The BAL teams, conferences and additional details about the league’s second season will be announced at a later date.

About the BAL

The BAL, a partnership between the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) and the NBA, is a new professional league featuring 12 club teams from across Africa. The BAL, which is headquartered in Dakar, Senegal, builds on the foundation of club competitions FIBA Regional Office Africa has organized in Africa and marks the NBA’s first collaboration to operate a league outside North America. Fans can follow the BAL @theBAL on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube and register their interest in receiving more information at bal.nba.com.