Basketball Africa League: Twelve teams announced for inaugural season

The inaugural season of the Basketball Africa League (BAL) will begin on March 13 at the Dakar Arena in Senegal, while Kigali in Rwanda will host the finals.

Representatives from the NBA and FIBA following the announcement of the 12 teams that will compete in the inaugural Basketball Africa League (BAL) season.

On Sunday, the Basketball Africa League (BAL) announced the list of teams from 12 African countries that will compete in the competition's inaugural season, which will begin on March 13, Friday, at the Dakar Arena in Senegal.

The announcement was made by BAL President Amadou Gallo Fall at the NBA All-Star 2020 Africa Luncheon in Chicago, in the presence of FIBA secretary general Andreas Zagklis, NBPA executive director Michele Roberts, retired general Martin E. Dempsey and NBA commissioner Adam Silver to name a few.

The BAL is a partnership between the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) and the National Basketball Association (NBA). This will also mark the NBA’s first collaboration to operate a league outside North America. 

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“This is a historic moment as we welcome the 12 teams that will participate in our inaugural season,” said Amadou.  “These teams have earned the opportunity to represent their respective countries and will establish the BAL as a world-class product that entertains fans of all ages when the season tips off March 13.”

Champions from national leagues in six countries – Angola, Egypt, Morocco, Nigeria, Senegal and Tunisia – were guaranteed representation in the inaugural BAL season.  The remaining six teams, which come from Algeria, Cameroon, Madagascar, Mali, Mozambique and Rwanda, secured their participation through BAL qualifying tournaments conducted by FIBA Africa across the continent during late 2019.

The first-ever BAL regular season will take place in Cairo (Egypt), Dakar (Senegal), Lagos (Nigeria), Luanda (Angola), Monastir (Tunisia) and Salé (Morocco), with the playoffs and final taking place in Kigali (Rwanda).

BAL will debut with 12 clubs across Africa divided into two conferences, with each conference playing in three cities. Each team will play five games in the regular season, facing every team in its conference once. The top four teams in each conference will qualify for the single-elimination playoffs at the Kigali Arena in Rwanda.

Find below the list of teams which will be involved in Basketball Africa League season one: