April 17, 2026

Could FUS Rabat be the first Moroccan team to reach the BAL semi-finals?

FUS Rabat are entering their third consecutive season in the Basketball Africa League (BAL), looking to progress further. Opening their campaign in front of their home fans could not be more encouraging.

In fact, FUS Rabat did launch their 2025 BAL campaign at home. Despite facing ups and downs, they secured the final playoff spot and finished eighth.

The question in everyone’s lips is: Can FUS Rabat become the first Moroccan team to reach the BAL semi-finals, or even go further? Can they do better this time?

*Ayoub Nouhi #7 and Abdelkarim El Haoua #5 of FUS de Rabat celebrates during the 2025 Basketball Africa Kalahari Conference game against the Stade Malien on April 8, 2025, Rabat, Morocco.*

Judging by the way FUS Rabat have built their 2026 BAL squad, things are looking promising. With some of the league’s most lethal shooters and a group of experienced veterans, FUS Rabat look ready to cause some damage this season.

FUS Rabat has long been synonymous with success in Moroccan basketball.

The team, usually known as FUS, has won a record twenty Moroccan league titles.

AS Sale represented the Kingdom of Morocco in the first two BAL seasons, in 2021 and 2022. However, FUS Rabat have become the country's flag bearers in recent times. 2026 will mark their third consecutive appearance in the league, which is a record for any Moroccan team.

*FUS de Rabat after the 2025 Basketball Africa Kalahari Conference game against the Stade Malien on April 8, 2025 Rabat, Morocco.*

In both of their first two seasons, FUS reached the BAL playoffs.

They made a statement with their BAL debut in Pretoria, winning the 2024 BAL Kalahari Conference with a 3–1 record and finishing ahead of the eventual champions, Petro de Luanda.

Following a promising start to the 2024 season, FUS Rabat crumbled in the quarter-finals, unexpectedly falling to Cape Town Tigers in Kigali.

Having finished third in the conference last year, they will be looking to secure their third consecutive playoff spot in May.

Players:

*Will Perry #12 of ASC Ville de Dakar handles the ball during the game against U.S. Monastir during the Sahara Conference Group on April 24, 2025 at Dakar Arena in Diamniadia, Senegal.*

The sharpshooting duo of Will Perry and Abdoulaye Harouna are among the main scoring weapons of FUS Rabat.

In his second season in the Basketball Africa League (BAL) with Ferroviario da Beira, Perry equalled the league's scoring record with 41 points in the 109–97 win over SLAC. During this historic performance, Perry shot 9 for 14 from beyond the arc.

Meanwhile, Harouna is one of the few players to have played in every BAL season since its inception in 2021.

Perry and Harouna last played together in the BAL in the 2025 season, representing ASC Ville de Dakar.

Moroccan champions FUS Rabat can also count on veteran power forward Abdelhakim Zouita, who won the 2017 FIBA Africa Champions Cup MVP award while playing for AS Sale.

FUS Rabat also signed the Senegalese centre Mahamadou Diagne and the South Sudanese international Kwany Ater Kwany, as well as the NBA G League veteran Anthony Pritchard.

Head coach:

Said El Bouzidi will be managing FUS Rabat from the sidelines. The 58-year-old tactician has plenty of experience in the BAL, having previously coached in the league in 2021, 2024 and 2025.

Having led his former Moroccan team AS Sale to victory in the 2017 FIBA Africa Champions Cup, Said El Bouzidi's masterful coaching style could be pivotal for FUS Rabat this time around.