The 2026 Basketball Africa League (BAL Playoffs tipped off on Friday, May 22 at BK Arena in Kigali, Rwanda, and will culminate with the 2026 BAL Finals on Sunday, May 31 at 6:00 p.m. CAT. For the complete schedule, click here (https://apo-opa.co/4dL0rt5).
Eight teams have qualified for the Playoffs: Al Ahly (Egypt), Al Ahly Ly (Libya), ASC Ville de Dakar (Senegal), Club Africain (Tunisia), Dar City (Tanzania), FUS Rabat (Morocco), 2024 BAL champion Petro de Luanda (Angola) and the RSSB Tigers (Rwanda), with the top four teams advancing to the single-game semifinals and Finals.
The Playoffs and Finals are livestreaming to fans around the world on www.NBA.com, the NBA App, and www.BAL.NBA.com. Tickets are on sale now at www.BAL.NBA.com.
Below are facts and figures about the 2026 BAL season:
- 722,000,000 – Heading into the Playoffs, the BAL’s social media channels had generated more than 722 million views this season, a record for group phase play.
- 1,073 – On April 5, Petro de Luanda’s Childe Dundão became the all-time BAL record holder for minutes played with 1,073 minutes across all six BAL seasons.
- 75,000 – Nearly 75,000 fans attended the Kalahari Conference and Sahara Conference group phases in South Africa and Morocco, respectively, a record for group phase play in those countries.
- 1,000 – BAL games have generated a 1,000% year-over-year increase in total watch time on BAL.NBA.com and the NBA App.
- 215 – Al Ahly Ly and Dar City combined to score a BAL record 215 points in Al Ahly Ly’s 118-97 victory on March 31.
- 214 – BAL games reach fans in 214 countries and territories, including all 54 countries in Africa.
- 200 – The BAL celebrated its 200th game on April 1 when Petro de Luanda defeated Nairobi City Thunder 97-70.
- 54 – RSSB Tigers guard Craig Randall II scored a BAL-record 54 points in a loss to Dar City on April 4.
- 30 – Thirty players who competed at FIBA AfroBasket 2025 are participating in the Playoffs.
- 22 – A record 22 marketing, merchandising and institutional partners have supported the BAL this season: AB InBev; Afreximbank; Air Senegal; Amazon Web Services; Bank of Kigali; Fédération Royale Marocaine de BasketBall; FLEXX; the French Embassy of Senegal; Greenride Africa; Hyundai; the Moroccan Ministry of National Education, Preschool and Sport; Office National Marocain du Tourisme; PUMA; Qatar Foundation; QAVS; Rwanda Development Board; RwandAir; Rwanda Events; ServiceNow; South African Tourism; Wave; and Wilson.
- 11 – Eleven of the 16 teams that competed at FIBA AfroBasket 2025 have at least one player in the Playoffs.
- 8 – A record eight former NBA players have competed in the BAL this season: Damion Baugh and Donovan Williams (Al Ahly Ly), Michael Foster Jr. (Dar City), Mangok Mathiang (RSSB Tigers), Kevin Murphy (Al Ahly), Chasson Randle (Petro de Luanda), Hasheem Thabeet (Dar City) and Axel Toupane (ASC Ville de Dakar). Toupane is the first NBA champion to play in the BAL, having won the 2021 NBA title with the Milwaukee Bucks.
- 5 – Five players have competed in all six BAL seasons: Abdoulaye Harouna (FUS Rabat), Ater Majok (ASC Ville de Dakar), Gerson Domingos (Petro de Luanda), Dundão and Solo Diabate (ASC Ville de Dakar).
- 3 – Baugh became the first player in BAL history to record a triple-double in his first BAL season, finishing with 11 points, 10 assists and 11 rebounds in a 110-72 win over Dar City on April 4.
- 2 – On May 3, Al Ahly defeated FUS Rabat 77-71 in the second double-overtime game in BAL history.
Africa Fact: Africans pioneered basic arithmetic 25,000 years ago. The Ishango bone is a tool handle with notches carved into it found in the Ishango region of Zaïre (now called Congo) near Lake Edward. The bone tool was originally thought to have been over 8,000 years old, but a more sensitive recent dating has given dates of 25,000 years old. On the tool are 3 rows of notches. Row 1 shows three notches carved next to six, four carved next to eight, ten carved next to two fives and finally a seven. The 3 and 6, 4 and 8, and 10 and 5, represent the process of doubling. Row 2 shows eleven notches carved next to twenty-one notches, and nineteen notches carved next to nine notches. This represents 10 + 1, 20 + 1, 20 – 1 and 10 – 1. Finally, Row 3 shows eleven notches, thirteen notches, seventeen notches and nineteen notches. 11, 13, 17 and 19 are the prime numbers between 10 and 20.
Steel Cut Toe
The dubious honor of being called the worst Test batsman belongs to New Zealand’s Chris Martin. He has a poor batting average and only ever achieved double figures once. He was so bad that he even starred in an ad for Pulp Sport spoofing his (lack of) batting skills.
Boost Princess
1900 was the one and only time that cricket was played at the Paris Olympics. The game was participated in by only two teams – one from England and one from France. According to fans, the length of a match and the limited number of countries that participate in the sport may be to blame. There is some talk that cricket may return to the Games in 2028.