The magic of African basketball is back with the sixth season of the BAL!

It’s all set now! The Basketball Africa League (BAL) is returning for its sixth season, with 12 teams from across the continent doing battle in two cities for the regular season with the aim of reaching the 2026 BAL Playoffs in June.

Here’s everything you need to know about the 2026 BAL season:

Competition Format

Unlike in the 2024 and 2025 seasons, when the 12 teams were split into three conferences of four teams each, the 2026 BAL season consists of two conferences (Kalahari and Sahara), with six teams in each. 

The top four teams in each conference will advance to the BAL Playoffs, where they will compete in two rounds of quarter-final series, with the winners advancing to the semi-finals. The winners of the semi-finals will advance to the final, while the losing teams will compete for third place.

Overall, there will be more games than ever before in a BAL season, with teams playing a total of 42 games.

Meet the twelve teams competing in the 2026 BAL season!

Competing in the Kalahari Conference are Al Ahly Ly (Libya), APR (Rwanda), Dar City (Tanzania), Johannesburg Giants (South Africa), Nairobi City Thunder (Kenya) and Petro de Luanda (Angola).

The Sahara Conference comprises Al Ahly (Egypt), ASC Ville de Dakar (Senegal), Club Africain (Tunisia), FUS Rabat (Morocco), Jeunesse Club d’Abidjan (Côte d'Ivoire) and Maktown Flyers (Nigeria).

Regular season schedule

The 2026 BAL Kalahari Conference is scheduled for the South African city of Pretoria from Friday, March 27 to Sunday, April 5 at SunBet Arena.

The Sahara Conference will run from Friday, April 24 to Sunday, May 3 at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Sports Complex in Rabat in Morocco.

How to watch the 2026 BAL season

You can watch the 2026 BAL season live and on-demand through official NBA digital platforms, including the NBA App, NBA.com, the BAL YouTube channel, TheBAL.com and the league’s business partners.

BAL Playoffs return to Kigali

The Playoffs are returning to the Rwandan capital for the first time since 2024, following Al Ahly Tripoli's trophy win in Pretoria in June 2025.

The Final Phase of the season will take place from Friday 22 to Sunday 31 May at the BK Arena in Kigali.

No defending champions

Although two former BAL champions, Al Ahly of Egypt and Petro de Luanda, will be present, Al Ahly Tripoli, the winner of the last BAL season, will not be defending its title after finishing second in the Libyan league in the 2025 season.

Newcomers to the BAL

Of the twelve teams competing in the 2026 BAL season, five will be making their debut in the competition. 

Club Africain, Jeunesse Club d’Abidjan, Maktown Flyers, Dar City and Johannesburg Giants will all be making their mark on the league for the first time.

Teams returning to the BAL

The six teams returning to the BAL include Al Ahly Ly, who were runners-up in 2024; APR, who finished third last season and are now the only Rwandan team ever to finish in the top three; Nairobi City, who missed out on the playoffs last year; FUS Rabat, who will be competing in the BAL for the third consecutive season; ASC Ville de Dakar, who debuted in the league last year; and Petro de Luanda.

Petro de Luanda

Of the 12 teams competing this season, Petro de Luanda of Angola — the 2024 BAL champions — are the only team to have participated in all five seasons, playing a total of 40 games and achieving a 27–13 win–loss record.

East Africa’s growing presence

The game continues to grow in popularity in East Africa, and the 2026 season will see teams from the region – APR, Dar City and Nairobi City – join the league.

Former MVPs on sight?

If the latest news is anything to go by, then at least two former BAL MVPs, Jean-Jacques Boissy and Michael Dixon, are expected to feature in the 2026 season. Boissy, the Senegalese star, will play for Al Ahly Ly, while Dixon, the American, will play for Club Africain.