PREVIEW - One title contender and three debutants set to open 2026 season

The 2026 Basketball Africa League (BAL) season will begin on Friday 27 March, with the first two of 42 games taking place at the SunBet Arena in Pretoria, South Africa, featuring three debutants.

In the first game of the season, 2024 finalists and self-proclaimed title contenders Al Ahly of Libya will face Rwandan side RSSB Tigers at 16:00 local time. Then, at 18:00, South African champions Johannesburg Giants will take on Dar City of Tanzania in a clash between two teams making their debut. 

Al Ahly Ly vs RSSB Tigers 

Al Ahly Ly are approaching this season with the aim of rectifying their mistakes from 2024, when they missed a great opportunity to become the first Libyan team to win the BAL trophy. This feat was achieved by their domestic rivals, Al Alhali Tripoli, at SunBet Arena last year.

Al Ahly Ly's first opponents, the RSSB Tigers, have also set their sights high for the season, as evidenced by their recruitment and squad building.

Al Ahly Ly and RSSB Tigers have never played each other before.

While Al Ahly Ly secured their BAL spot with an impressive 7-0 finish in the Road to BAL campaign, RSSB Tigers earned theirs by winning the 2025 Rwanda Super League Cup.

The 2026 BAL opening could not offer a more intriguing matchup.

With two players boasting BAL MVP credentials (Jo Lual Acuil and Jean Jacques Boissy), Al Ahly Ly appear to be favourites, but the Tigers' squad is not to be underestimated.

Teafal Lenard Jr., one of the RSSB Tigers' new signings, stopped by to shed light on the team's approach to the 2026 BAL season. 

Lenard Jr. said: “My goal as a player is to lead my team to the finals and hopefully win the championship. We want to win.”

He continued: “Teams in this conference are really good. I have been watching them, but we have a great team. It’s going to be hard to stop us, and we play good defence.”

Johannesburg Giants vs Dar City

This is the third season that the Basketball Africa League (BAL) has hosted games at the SunBet Arena, and everyone is asking whether the Giants will be able to protect their home court.

During the 2024 Kalahari Conference, the Cape Town Tigers, former South African champions, won two of their four games at the same venue, securing a spot in the playoffs.

Beating Dar City is not only a morale boost for the Giants, but also a must-do task.

The last time the Johannesburg Giants and Dar City faced off was in November during the Road to BAL in Nairobi, Kenya. The Giants won 71–69, securing automatic qualification for the 2026 BAL season.

One of the most experienced Johannesburg Giants players, Nathi Sibanyoni, shared his thoughts on the task ahead.

Sibanyoni, who holds the BAL record for the most rebounds in a game (25), said: “It's a great feeling playing at home. It’s great to see fans supporting you. I have experienced that with the Tigers. We are doing this for South Africa, in front of South Africans. We want to inspire future generations to achieve even greater things.”

“I don’t feel we are under pressure; I just feel we have the full support of the crowd, and we’ll make sure to play our best game. We want to show that we can do this with more local players than any other team.”

Meanwhile, former NBA player Hasheem Thabeet told the BAL.NBA.com website that being part of the BAL is “big for Tanzanian basketball. We have been dreaming of an international competition; now we have a chance. It’s a great feeling to be here. It’s great for me to be here because I can inspire a lot of people who have been watching me throughout my career.”

After their opening games, the Johannesburg Giants and RSSB Tigers will enjoy a rest day, while Dar City and Al Ahly will return to action on Saturday, taking on the Nairobi City Thunder and Petro de Luanda respectively.