BOITUMELO RANTAO
THE inaugural edition of the Basketball Africa League (BAL) will take place from May 16-30 in Kigali, Rwanda.
BAL was initially set to start in March 2020, yet was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The league will carry on with BAL implementing health and safety protocols in line with the World Health Organization and the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
BAL is the NBA’s first partnership with another organization to organize a basketball league outside North America. The league announced an adjusted schedule for the inaugural edition of the competition – with 26 games all taking place at the Kigali Arena.
The competition will feature a group phase with the 12 teams divided into three groups of four. The top 8 teams from the group phase will enter a single-game elimination playoff tournament.
The 12 participating teams are: Groupement Sportif des Petroliers (Algeria), Clube Atletico Peruleos de Luanda (Angola), Forces Armies et Police Basketball (Cameroon), Zamalek (Egypt), Gendarmerie Nationale Basketball Club (Madagascar), AS Police (Mali), AS Sale (Morocco), Ferroviario de Maputo (Mozambique), Rivers Hoopers Basketball Club (Nigeria), Patriots Basketball Club (Rwanda), AS Douanes (Senegal), US Monastir (Tunisia)