The BAL announced on Sunday that its sixth season will tip off on Friday, 27 March, at the SunBet Arena in Pretoria, South Africa, and conclude with the 2026 BAL Finals on Sunday, 31 May, at BK Arena in Kigali, Rwanda.
This season, the 12 teams will be split into two conferences of six teams each.
Each conference will play a 15-game group phase, where each team faces the other five teams in its conference once.
The Kalahari Conference group phase will run from 27 March to 5 April in Pretoria, while the Sahara Conference group phase will take place from 24 April to 3 May at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Sports Complex in Rabat.
Eight teams from across the two conferences will advance to the Playoffs in Kigali, from 22 to 31 May.
“Returning to South Africa, Morocco, and Rwanda for our sixth season speaks to the strong sporting cultures and rapidly growing basketball ecosystems in those countries,” said BAL President Amadou Gallo Fall.
“The BAL continues to inspire fans across the continent and drive opportunities and global recognition for African talent.
We look forward to welcoming fans to BAL games in all three markets and showcasing incredible competition both on and off the court to a global audience when the season tips off.”
“As we approach the tip-off of the sixth Basketball Africa League season, we can celebrate the league’s growing impact and the way this competition continues to elevate the game across the region,” said FIBA Africa President Anibal Manave.
“We also continue to see the importance of the Road to the BAL as a pathway that expands access and strengthens competition across the continent.
Entering the sixth season with such momentum is a testament to the BAL’s influence on players, clubs, and communities, and we look forward to another year of exceptional basketball.”
In 2025, Libya’s Alahli Tripoli became the first Libyan team to win the BAL Finals, following previous champions from Angola, Egypt, and Tunisia.
The 2025 season reached fans in 214 countries and territories in 17 languages, set an attendance record of more than 140,000, and generated over 1.2 billion impressions across NBA and BAL social media channels.
The 12 participating teams and additional details about the 2026 BAL season will be announced at a later date.
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