The Definitive Guide to Living in the Capital , Cairo , Egypt

The BAL (African Basketball League) announced its fourth season will kick off in March 2024 in South Africa. The tournament will see the top 12 club teams from 12 African countries playing 48 games across four African nations, South Africa, Egypt, Senegal, and Rwanda, across four months. This event marks the first BAL tournament in South Africa and the first time for the league to play in four different countries.

In the coming weeks, the BAL will announce the host cities, venues, dates, and information on ticket purchases for the 2024 BAL season. In the meantime, you can register your interest in tickets to upcoming matches through their website.

The BAL has divided the 12 teams into three conferences of four teams each, with each conference playing a 12-game group phase during which teams will face the other three teams in their conference twice. The Kalahari conference group phase is set to kick start the tournament in March, the Nile conference group phase will follow in April, and the Sahara conference group phase will play in May. The top two teams from each conference and the top two third-place teams from across the three conferences will travel to Rwanda for four seeding games, followed by an eight-game single-elimination playoff and finals from May to June.

National league champions from 12 African countries will qualify for the BAL through the “Road to the BAL” qualifying tournaments conducted by FIBA Africa across the continent between October and November this year.

Additionally, for the third consecutive season, the “BAL Elevate” programme will see one NBA Academy Africa player join each of the 12 BAL teams. BAL Elevate will once again provide an opportunity for the next generation of African prospects to participate in a professional league, showcase their talent on a global stage, and help their respective teams compete for the 2024 BAL Championship. Over the past two BAL seasons, nine BAL Elevate players contributed to their team’s success, going on to qualify for their respective national teams, commit to NCAA Division I schools (the highest level of university football in the U.S.), or sign professional contracts including with NBA G League Ignite.

In addition to the tournament, BAL will host a series of youth development and social impact programmes that will engage fans, players, coaches, referees, as well as local communities. Those are set to include camps and workshops for young women as part of BAL4HER, the league’s platform for gender equality in African sports. In conjunction with the playoffs and finals, BAL will also host its third Innovation Summit, an annual gathering of African leaders from business, technology, sports, and entertainment, to discuss trends and opportunities for the continued development of basketball on the continent.

BAL President Amadou Gallo Fall stated, “We are thrilled to expand our footprint in the BAL’s fourth season and allow more fans to experience the excitement of this historic league, including the first BAL games in South Africa where there is already strong affinity for the game.” “We look forward to building on the momentum of our first three seasons and to continuing to deliver a world-class basketball and entertainment product that represents Africa proudly on the global stage.”

Meanwhile, FIBA Africa President Anibal Manave stated, “We are really pleased that the fourth season of the BAL is coming soon, and that it has been extended to more African countries in all four corners of the continent.” “The BAL has had a very positive impact on players and the sport of basketball in Africa. The upcoming season promises to deliver even more exciting basketball action for fans to enjoy. As we witness great performances during the Road to BAL qualifying tournament and see more African nations participating, we can eagerly anticipate the thrilling moments that the upcoming BAL season will bring.”
BAL has also announced Afreximbank as an official partner of the 2024 BAL season. The two will collaborate on “BAL Advance,” a new programme that aims to support the holistic development of BAL players and teams based on their specific needs, goals, projects, and interests. The programme will offer players professional development opportunities within the broader sports industry, including event management, broadcasting, analytics, technology, and more.

Rwanda Development Board, NIKE, Jordan Brand, and Wilson will return as BAL foundational partners. The league’s marketing partners also include AB InBev, Afreximbank, Envol City, Hennessy, and RwandAir.

On May 27, 2023, Egypt’s Al Ahly defeated Senegal’s AS Douanes with a score of 80-65 to win the 2023 BAL Finals, which took place at the BK Arena in Rwanda. The match reached 214 countries in 17 languages. During the 2023 season, BAL welcomed more than 70,000 fans, guests, league and team personnel, and other stakeholders from around the world to experience the tournament and surrounding activities.

Book your spot for the next BAL season by visiting the NBA’s website through this link.