What we learned from the first three GameDays in Rabat

Six games into the 2026 Sahara Conference, which is taking place in Rabat, Morocco until Sunday 3 May, and there hasn’t been a shortage of incredible moments.

From sold-out crowds and a unique atmosphere created by the fans of Club Africain to nail-biting games and stellar individual performances, this Sahara Conference has lived up to expectations.

This article highlights what we have learned from the first three Gamedays so far in Rabat.

Historic game-changing 

Whatever the outcome, the story of the 2026 Sahara Conference cannot be told without reference to the Al Ahly vs Club Africain game. 

Some have branded it one of the best games in BAL history because of its intensity and uncertainty, and because it was decided right at the end. Things looked done and dusted for Al Ahly, who were leading by seven, but then Club Africain went on an 8-0 scoring run in the final 15 seconds and won 69-68.

Despite squandering a 17-point lead and trailing by seven with 15 seconds remaining, Club Africain demonstrated an incredible winning mentality, and the Tunisian club rightly added their name to the BAL annals.

2022 BAL champion with US Monastir, Oussama Marnaoui reminded everyone of what he is made of by hitting a three-pointer that gave Club Africain the memorable win.

Moroccan fans embracing conference

If the 2025 Kalahari Conference in Rabat is anything to go by, local fans have once again reaffirmed their passion for the BAL by filling most of the seats at the Moulay Abdellah Arena whenever FUS Rabat take to the floor. 

 FUS Rabat guard Soufiane, a three-time BAL participant, is the perfect person to explain what the fans' presence means for the team and the BAL.

“We can feel the energy of our fans — it’s an amazing feeling! It’s not just FUS Rabat fans who have come to support us; we have fans from all over Morocco, and that gives us huge encouragement to keep fighting and moving forward,” the 34-year-old shooting acknowledged.

Club Africain fans

They travelled from Tunisia and other parts of the world to support their heroes. Club Africain fans brought a new dimension to the BAL. 

From the tip-off to the final whistle, Les Clubistes, also known as Le Peuple Africain (The African People), made their presence felt with chants, clapping and messages of encouragement for their players. Les Clubistes have helped their team achieve a perfect 2–0 record with two games remaining.  

Harouna taking his game to another level

Nigerian shooting guard Abdoulaye Harouna entered the 2026 Sahara as the second all-time leading scorer (behind Chris Crawford), having scored 490 points across his first five BAL seasons. 

However, just two games into the season, the FUS Rabat shooting guard has taken his scoring prowess to another level, becoming the league’s all-time leading scorer with 532 points over 31 BAL games. Harouna is the first BAL player to reach 500 points.  

Undefeated teams

Although each team has three more games to play until the end of the conference on 3 May, Kigali, the venue for the 2026 BAL Playoffs, is now closer to Club Africain and FUS Rabat. These are the only two undefeated teams in the Sahara Conference.

It’s not over until it’s over

One of the main lessons from the opening games of the 2026 BAL season is that anything can happen until the very end. 

As it stands, two teams – ASC Ville de Dakar and JCA Kings – have not yet won a game, while Maktown Flyers and Al Ahly have each won and lost one game. 

Just like these four teams, four others found themselves in a similar situation during the Kalahari Conference in Pretoria, with Al Ahly Libya being the prime example. The Libyan champions had lost two games and had three left to play before winning three in a row to secure one of the four playoff spots.

No double-double performances yet

After six games of the conference, not a single player has achieved a double-double, although a few have come close.

For example, Club African star player Omar Abada finished with 25 points and 8 assists in the 69-68 nail-biting win over Al Ahly. 

Al Ahly's Zack Lofton scored 11 points and dished out 9 assists in their nerve-racking loss to Club Africain. 

Solo Diabaté finished with 11 points and 8 assists in ASC Ville de Dakar’s 76-72 loss to Al Ahly. 

Jon Jordan came up with 12 points and 8 rebounds in Al Ahly’s 76-72 win against ASC Ville de Dakar. 

Finally, Will Perry almost recorded the league's second-ever triple-double, achieving 24 points, 8 rebounds and 8 assists to help FUS Rabat to a 97-72 win over Maktown Flyers.   

Leading the stats charts

When it comes to the key stats of the game — such as scoring, creating shots for others, protecting the rim, rebounding, and disrupting opponents' plays — a select few players have reached another level.

The following players are leading the stats charts:

Points per game
- Omar Abada (Club Africain) – 23 ppg
- Abdoulaye Harouna (FUS Rabat) – 21 ppg
- Kevin Murphy (Al Ahly) – 20 ppg

Assists per game
- Omar Abada (Club Africain) – 7.0 apg
- Solo Diabate (ASC Ville de Dakar) – 6.5 apg
- Tyrell Corbin (Maktown Flyers) – 6.0 apg
- Anthony Pritchard (FUS Rabat) – 6.0

Rebounds per game
- Peter Olisemeka (Maktown Flyers) – 12.0 rpg
- Mouhamadou Diagne (FUS Rabat) – 9.5 rpg
- Drew Kalil Cisse (Club Africain) – 9.0 rpg

Block shots per game
- Mouhamadou Diagne (FUS Rabat) 2.0

Steals per game
- Abdoulaye Harouna (FUS Rabat) – 4.5 spg
- Will Perry (FUS Rabat) – 3.0 spg
- Tyrell Corbin (Maktown Flyers) 3.0
- Peter Olisemeka (Maktown Flyers) – 3.0

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