- Nairobi City Thunder have discovered their opponents and fixtures for the upcoming Basketball Africa League (BAL) 2026 group phase.
- NCT have been placed in the Kalahari Conference set to run from March 27 to April 5 in Pretoria, South Africa.
- They will take on Dar City, APR, Al Ahly Ly, Johannesburg Giants and Petroleos de Luanda.
Kenya’s national basketball champions Nairobi City Thunder have learned their conference, opponents, fixtures and dates for the upcoming Basketball Africa League (BAL 2026) group phase.
On Thursday, February 26, the Basketball Africa League unveiled the 12 teams and group phase schedule for the season, which is set to tip off on Friday, March 27 at the SunBet Arena in Pretoria, South Africa.
Nairobi City Thunder, among the 12 teams competing in this sixth edition of the continental showpiece, have been placed in the Kalahari Conference group phase.
The action is scheduled to run from March 27 to April 5 in Pretoria, South Africa where they will face five other giants from across Africa.
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In the Kalahari Conference, the Bradley Ibs charges won’t be facing unfamiliar opposition.
They have been drawn against teams they encountered either this season in the Elite 16 East Division or during their BAL debut last year, when they competed in the Nile Conference in Rwanda.
They are grouped alongside Angolan heavyweights and 2024 champions Petro de Luanda, who were also finalists in 2025 and will be chasing a historic second title.
Also in the mix are 2024 runners-upAl Ahly Ly from Libya who are returning after missing last season’s edition.
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Having faced them in the Nile Conference last year, NCT will once again lock horns with Rwanda’s Armee Patriotique Rwandaise Basketball Club (APR) who made history last season by advancing all the way to the semifinals.
The two-time East Division championscwill also square off against two debutants who are hardly strangers in Tanzania’s Dar City Basketball Club and South Africa’s Johannesburg Giants who are eager to make a strong impression on home soil.
Dar City earned a wild card from the East Division, competing alongside Joburg and NCT.
They will be eager to avenge their narrow semifinal loss to Joburg in Kenya.
Meanwhile, Joburg will be out for revenge against Nairobi City Thunder after falling to them in the East Division finals at Kasarani Indoor Arena last year.
The two-time reigning Kenyan basketball champions will begin their campaign with a clash against neighbors Dar City on Saturday, March 28 at 3 PM local time.
They will then face hosts Johannesburg Giants Basketball Club on Sunday, March 29 at 6 PM, aiming to improve on last season’s solitary group phase victory and push for the playoffs this time around.
Each conference will play a 15-game group phase, where every team faces the other five in its conference once.
Eight teams from across the two conferences will qualify for the playoffs in Kigali, Rwanda, at BK Arena.
This follows the Sahara Conference group phase, scheduled from Friday, April 24 to Sunday, May 3 at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Sports Complex in Rabat, Morocco.
Nairobi City Thunder BAL 2026 Group Phase Fixture Schedule and Tip-Off Times
- 3/28/26 – 3pm: Nairobi City Thunder vs Dar City Basketball Club (H)
- 3/29/26 – 6pm: Nairobi City Thunder vs Johannesburg Giants Basketball Club (H)
- 4/1/26 – 4pm: Nairobi City Thunder vs Petroleos de Luanda (A)
- 4/3/26 – 4pm: Nairobi City Thunder vs Al Ahly Ly Sporting Club (A)
- 4/5/26 – 6pm: Nairobi City Thunder vs Armee Patriotique Rwandaise (H)