Beijing, new host of the FIBA Intercontinental Cup

FIBA confirmed that the Chinese capital city of Beijing will host the next three editions of the FIBA Intercontinental Cup, starting in September 2026.

Beijing is taking over from Singapore, which hosted the event from 2023 to 2025.

The annual tournament brings together the winners of the top-tier FIBA competitions from different regions.

Having won the 2026 Basketball Africa League (BAL), the RSSB Tigers will represent Africa at the event in Beijing in September 2026.

Previous BAL representatives at the FIBA Intercontinental Cup include Zamalek (2022) and US Monastir (February 2023), before the competition changed its schedule to September, with Egypt’s Al Ahly SC becoming the third African representative.

The winner of the 2024 BAL season, Petro de Luanda, represented Africa in that year's FIBA International edition, finishing with a 1–2 record.

Four years later, Libya’s Alahli Tripolis finally put Africa on the podium of the FIBA Intercontinental Cup when they defeated South American giants Flamengo 95–85 in the Third-Place Game. 

FIBA Secretary General Andreas Zagklis reflected on the impact of Beijing hosting the Intercontinental Cup, saying: "With the roots of this event set back in 1965, it was one of our key missions to give the FIBA Intercontinental Cup a new life in the 2020s. What started as a competition between just two teams has evolved into a truly global tournament."

"Together with our valued partners from the Chinese Basketball Association, the Beijing Municipality; the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Sports and our long-standing partner the Beijing Enterprise Group, we are confident that the event will continue to grow over the next three years. This journey will also uniquely position Beijing as the host of FIBA's flagship competitions for both club and national teams, after hosting the FIBA Basketball World Cup in 2019."

The winners of the 2026 editions of the Basketball Champions League Europe (Rytas Vilnius, Lithuania), the Basketball Champions League Americas (Boca Juniors, Argentina) and the Basketball Africa League (RSSB Tigers, Rwanda) have secured their place in the competition. The full line-up of teams will be confirmed at a later stage.

BAL