By Olawale Olaniyan
The 2026 Basketball Africa League (BAL) Playoffs will tip off on Friday at the BK Arena in Kigali, Rwanda, with eight top teams across the continent battling for the coveted continental title.
The playoffs, which began on May 22, will culminate in the BAL finals scheduled for Sunday, May 31, at 6:00 p.m.
Teams that qualified for the playoffs include Al Ahly of Egypt, Al Ahly Ly of Libya, ASC Ville de Dakar of Senegal, Club Africain of Tunisia, Dar City of Tanzania, FUS Rabat of Morocco, defending champions Petro de Luanda of Angola and hosts RSSB Tigers of Rwanda.
The top four teams from the playoffs will advance to the single-game semifinals and final.
Ahead of the knockout stage, the BAL announced several milestones and records achieved during the 2026 season, highlighting the rapid growth of the competition across Africa and globally.
According to the league, BAL social media platforms generated more than 722 million views during the group phase, setting a new record. Games also recorded a 1,000 per cent year-over-year increase in total watch time on BAL.NBA.com and the NBA App.
The BAL revealed that games are now reaching fans in 214 countries and territories, including all 54 African nations.
A major milestone was reached on April 1 when Petro de Luanda defeated Nairobi City Thunder 97-70 in the league’s 200th game since its inception.
On the court, several records were broken during the regular season. Petro de Luanda’s Childe Dundão became the all-time BAL leader in minutes played with 1,073 minutes across six seasons.
RSSB Tigers guard Craig Randall II also set a new scoring record after dropping 54 points against Dar City on April 4, while Al Ahly Ly and Dar City combined for a BAL record 215 points in a high-scoring encounter that ended 118-97 in favour of the Libyan side.
The BAL also continues to attract elite talent, with a record eight former NBA players participating this season. Among them is ASC Ville de Dakar forward Axel Toupane, who became the first NBA champion to feature in the BAL after winning the 2021 NBA title with the Milwaukee Bucks.
Additionally, 30 players who featured at the 2025 FIBA AfroBasket are competing in the playoffs, while 11 of the 16 national teams from the tournament are represented in Kigali.
