With the Basketball Africa League (BAL) 2024 playoffs on the horizon, several competing teams have begun to touchdown in Kigali, setting the stage for the highly anticipated basketball showcase scheduled from May 24 to June 1.
The playoffs will witness eight African basketball clubs converging at the BK Arena to vie for the coveted championship title.
Nigeria’s Rivers Hoopers and South Africa’s Cape Town Tigers have already landed in the country, with Angola’s Petro de Luanda, US Monastir from Tunisia, Egypt’s Al Ahly SC, Al Ahly Ly from Libya, FUS Rabat from Morocco, and AS Douanes from Senegal expected to arrive on Monday evening.
The teams will be accommodated at the Four Points by Sheraton and Radisson Blu hotels.
In a single-elimination playoffs and finals format, the victorious team will emerge as the BAL champions. No team has clinched the BAL title more than once.
Kicking off the playoffs, Libya’s Al Ahly Ly will face South Africa’s Cape Town Tigers, followed by defending champions Al Ahly (Egypt) taking on FUS Rabat (Morocco), who topped the inaugural Kalahari Conference.
The BAL finals return to Kigali following the conclusion of the Sahara Conference games in Dakar, Senegal. Three out of four teams secured tickets to the playoffs and finals, which will unfold in Kigali from May 24 to June 1.
For the first time, the playoffs will proceed without a representative from Rwanda, despite the country hosting the competition for the fourth consecutive year. APR failed to secure a playoff berth after finishing at the bottom of the Sahara Conference group phase.
Ahead of the playoffs, here’s how the eight teams rank:
1 – Al Ahly SC (5-1)
2 – FUS Rabat (3-1)
3 – Rivers Hoopers (4-2)
4 – AS Douanes (3-3)
5 – Petro de Luanda (2-2)
6 – US Monastir (3-3)
7 – Al Ahly Ly (3-3)
8 – Cape Town Tigers (1-3)
