- Kenya’s Nairobi City Thunder learn dates & host cities for BAL 2026 season.
- The league will tip off on Friday, March 27, at the SunBet Arena in Pretoria, South Africa, and conclude with the Finals on Sunday, May 31, at BK Arena in Kigali, Rwanda.
- Nairobi City Thunder will be among 12 elite clubs from across Africa competing in 42 games across three host cities: Pretoria, Rabat in Morocco, and Kigali, Rwanda.
Kenya National Basketball champions Nairobi City Thunder have learned the dates and venues for the upcoming 2026 Basketball Africa League (BAL) season.
On Thursday, January 30, the BAL announced its sixth season will tip off on Friday, March 27 at the SunBet Arena in Pretoria, South Africa, and conclude with the Finals on Sunday, May 31 at BK Arena in Kigali, Rwanda.
Nairobi City Thunder will be among the 12 elite clubs from across Africa competing in 42 total games across three host cities: Pretoria, Rabat in Morocco, and Kigali, Rwanda.
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Nairobi City Thunder learn dates & host cities for BAL 2026 season
Unlike previous editions which featured three conferences, this season’s dozen teams will be split into two conferences of six.
Each conference will play a 15-game group phase, with every team facing the other five in its conference once.
With the Nile Conference – which NCT participated in last year now discontinued, the Kalahari Conference group stage will run from March 27 to April 5 in Pretoria.
The Sahara Conference group phase will follow from April 24 to May 3 at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Sports Complex in Rabat.
Following the group stages, eight teams from across both conferences will advance to the Playoffs in Kigali from May 22–31.
Returning to South Africa, Morocco, and Rwanda for our sixth season speaks to the strong sporting cultures and rapidly growing basketball ecosystems in those countries,” said BAL President Amadou Gallo Fall.
The BAL continues to inspire fans across the continent and drive opportunities and global recognition for African talent.
We look forward to welcoming fans to BAL games in all three markets and to showcasing incredible competition and energy on and off the court to a global audience when the season tips off.”
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Under coach Bradley Ibs, Nairobi City Thunder will make their second appearance in the continental showcase, having made history in 2025 as the first and only Kenyan side to ever compete.
They secured back-to-back BAL qualification after a commanding 109-70 victory over Mozambique’s Ferroviario da Beira in the 2026 Road to BAL Elite 16 East Division semifinal last November at Nairobi’s Kasarani Indoor Arena.
They went on to defeat the Johannesburg Giants in the finals to retain the East Division title.
Now returning for a second campaign, the team will be seeking redemption after failing to advance past the group phase last season in the Nile Conference, where they lost five of their six matches, their sole win coming against South Africa’s MBB Blue Soldiers.
The previous BAL season saw Libya’s Al Ahly Tripoli crowned champions on June 14, 2025 the first Libyan team to win the title, following past champions from Angola, Egypt, and Tunisia.
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The 2025 season reached fans in 214 countries and territories in 17 languages, set an attendance record of over 140,000 fans, and generated more than 1.2 billion impressions across NBA and BAL social media channels.
Dates and host cities for Basketball Africa League 2026
- Kalahari Conference: March 27 – April 5 | SunBet Arena, Pretoria
- Sahara Conference: April 24 – May 3 | Prince Moulay Abdellah Sports Complex, Rabat
- Playoffs & Finals: May 22 – May 31 | BK Arena, Kigali, Rwanda