Is winning three games enough to qualify for the BAL play-offs?

With two undefeated teams and two others without a win, what comes next for the 2026 Kalahari Conference as it enters its fourth gameday?

Is winning three games in a six-team conference enough to reach the playoffs?

History books suggest that three wins could be enough to reach the postseason, but they could also fall short.

As it stands some teams face must-win scenarios for the next three games in Pretoria.

On Tuesday 31 March, Al Ahly (0–2) will play Dar City (2–0). The following day, Petro de Luanda (1–1) will play the Nairobi City Thunder (1–1), while the Johannesburg Giants (0–3) will play the RSSB Tigers (2–0).

Dar City and RSSB Tigers currently top the Kalahari Conference standings, but are they closer to reaching Kigali than the other four teams?

In the 2022 BAL season, teams were split into two conferences (Nile and Sahara), each with six teams, just like in the current season. The same scenario occurred in the 2023 season.

In 2022, SLAC and FAP both finished with a 2–3 record, which was enough to reach the playoffs.

However, in the 2023 season, five teams from the Sahara Conference finished with a 3–2 record, including the then defending champions, US Monastir, who were eliminated.

The Tunisian club missed out on a playoff spot due to their -7-point differential compared to ABC's -1 point differential.

In the 2023 Nile Conference, however, both the Cape Town Tigers and Ferroviario da Beira secured the final two playoff spots, despite also finishing with a 2–3 record. 

Therefore, while three wins can sometimes be enough to advance to the BAL postseason, point differentials can also play a part.

The way things are looking in the 2026 Kalahari Conference, anything could happen. Losing by large margins could prove costly later in the season.