Things to know about the 2026 BAL Playoffs

It’s that time of the season when teams are expected to make the fewest possible errors and missteps.

As the eight contenders are aiming for flawless performances to secure their place in the final, we bring you some key facts about the 2026 BAL Playoffs (22-31 May).

Playoffs return to Kigali

Kigali is set to host the BAL Playoffs for the first time since 2024. This is in line with the BAL’s agreement with the Rwanda Development Board (RDB) to host the playoffs every two years. The 2025 BAL Playoffs were held in Pretoria, South Africa.

No defending champions in sight

For the second time in BAL history, the defending champions will not be taking part in the Playoffs. This follows the 2023 post-season, when US Monastir were eliminated in the Sahara Conference, before Alahli Tripoli — the 2025 champions — failed to qualify for the 2026 BAL season.

Al Ahly and Petro de Luanda are the only former champions

Of the eight teams competing for the 2026 BAL title, only two – Al Ahly of Egypt and Petro de Luanda of Angola – have progressed further in the league's history, winning the trophy in 2023 and 2024 respectively.

The other teams to have made their mark in previous seasons were Al Ahly Ly, who finished second in the 2024 season, and FUS Rabat, who reached the quarterfinals twice, in the 2024 and 2025 seasons respectively.

Four of the eight teams are new to the BAL Playoffs

While Al Ahly of Egypt, Al Ahly of Libya, FUS Rabat of Morocco and Petro de Luanda of Angola have previously reached the BAL Playoffs, the other four contenders – BAL debutant trio of Dar City of Tanzania, Club Africain of Tunisia and RSSB Tigers of Rwanda and ASC Ville de Dakar of Senegal are new to this stage of the season.

No reigning MVP 

With the exception of the 2025 BAL season, when Jo Lual Acuil returned for his second season after winning the prestigious MVP award the previous season, no other MVP has returned for the playoffs. This season will be no different.

Jean Jacques Boissy helped Alahli Tripoli win the 2025 BAL title before being named MVP. He played for Alahly Ly in the 2026 Kalahari Conference in Pretoria, but a foot injury has ruled him out of this season's Playoffs.  

Gueye (Dar City) and El Bouzadi (FUS Rabat) 

Of the eight head coaches in the 2026 BAL Playoffs, only Mamadou Gueye and Said El Bouzadi have reached this stage of the competition before. 

Mamadou Gueye, a Senegalese coach who won the 2023 BAL Coach of the Year award after helping AS Douanes to second place, is now in charge of Tanzanian team Dar City.

Moroccan Said El Bouzadi is in his third consecutive season with FUS Rabat and coached AS Sale in the inaugural 2021 season. He has taken both teams to the quarterfinals in his four BAL seasons.  

Diabate is the only player to have won the BAL twice

Solo Diabate (ASC Ville de Dakar) of the Ivory Coast is the only player in the current BAL season to have won the league title twice: in 2021 with Zamalek and in 2022 with the Tunisian side US Monastir. Michael Fakuade is the other player in BAL history to have won the title twice, last featuring in the league in 2023.

Two-game series in the quarterfinals

In a first for BAL, the quarter-finals will consist of a two-game series, with the team with the highest score advancing to the semi-finals.

From the Road to BAL to the Playoffs

Dar City have not only become one of the two teams – alongside Al Ahly Ly – to reach the 2026 Basketball Africa League (BAL) season after a successful campaign in the FIBA-run Road to BAL qualifiers, but they are also the only team to reach this stage of the competition in 2026 with a negative win-loss record (2–3).

 BAL