March 2024 will mark the start of the Basketball Africa League season at a new site in Johannesburg.
The Basketball Africa League’s fourth season slated for March 2024 will be extended to South Africa.
In four months, 12 club teams from 12 African nations will play 48 games across four countries: South Africa, Egypt, Senegal, and Rwanda.
“We are thrilled to expand our footprint in the BAL’s fourth season and let more fans experience the excitement of this historic league, including the first BAL games in South Africa, where there is already a strong affinity for the game,” said BAL president Amadou Gallo Fall.
“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,” he added.
The 12 BAL teams will be divided into three four-team conferences. The Kalahari Conference group phase will be held in South Africa in March, followed by the Nile Conference group phase in Egypt in April and the Sahara Conference group phase in Senegal in May.
Each conference’s top two teams and the top two third-place teams from across the four conferences will travel to Rwanda for four seeding games followed by an eight-game single-elimination playoff and Finals in May and June in Kigali.
Dates for all games will be determined when teams are finalized.
The 12 teams qualified for the BAL in the Road to the BAL qualifying tournaments led by FIBA Africa across the continent in October and November.
For the third consecutive season, the BAL Elevate program will see one NBA Academy Africa prospect join each of the 12 BAL teams.
Egypt’s Al Ahly defeated Senegal’s AS Douanes 80-65 to win the 2023 BAL Finals in Kigali.
“We are really pleased that season 4 of the BAL is coming soon, and it has been extended to more African countries in all four corners of the continent,” FIBA Africa President Anibal Manave said in a statement.
“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,” he pointed out.
