Here's everything you need to know before the third BAL season tips off in Dakar on March 11.
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Loading... - Ismaila Sy
- 05 Apr 2023
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This Saturday marks the start of the BAL season, as AS Douanes host ABC Fighters at 11:00 a.m. ET.
Before the season gets underway, here is everything you need to know about the league as it enters its third year.
What is the BAL?
Basketball Africa League is a joint venture between the NBA and FIBA, as the game continues to grow on a global stage. The league features 12 teams from across the continent, competing over a three-month span to be crowned BAL champion. Out of those 12 teams, the champions of domestic leagues in Angola, Egypt, Rwanda, Senegal and Tunisia automatically qualified for competition, while the remaining seven bids were determined through the FIBA-run Road to BAL Qualifiers held from Oct. 12 to Nov. 22.
Until this point, 16 African nations have been represented at the BAL, with the total rising to 18 as Côte d’Ivoire and Uganda punched their tickets for the first time. The teams are split into two conferences: the Nile Conference and the Sahara Conference. Each conference will take part in a 15-game group stage, where each team is scheduled take on the other five squads in their respective conference once.
The Sahara Conference will play their games at Dakar Arena in Senegal’s capital, Diamniadio, from March 11-21. The Nile Conference will commence on April 26 and run through May 6 at Hassan Mostafa Indoor Sports Complex in Cairo, Egypt.
The top four teams from each conference will qualify for the BAL playoffs, a three-round single-elimination tournament held at BK Arena in Kigali, Rwanda. Read More…
