Qualification Tournament for Basketball Africa League 2027 Announced

ABIDJAN (Cote d'Ivoire) - The qualification tournament for the seventh edition of the Basketball Africa League (BAL) is set to take place from October 21 to November 22, featuring four weeks of competitive basketball across multiple locations on the continent. More than twenty teams have confirmed their participation, with eight returning from last year's tournament.

The teams will be divided into East and West Divisions before the decisive Elite 16 round. The groups for the tournament are organized as follows:

**Group A (West Division)** - October 21-25, Tripoli, Libya:

- Al Ittihad (Libya)

- Stade Malie (Mali)

- Nadi Staouedi (Algeria)

- Nabaya (Guinea)

- Kriol Star (Cape Verde)

*The top two teams will qualify for the Elite 16 West Division.

**Group B (West Division)** - October 21-25, Tripoli, Libya:

- Energie BC (Benin)

- AS Douanes (Burkina Faso)

- Spintex Knights (Ghana)

- NPA Pythons (Liberia)

- Red Flames (Sierra Leone)

*The top two teams will qualify for the Elite 16 West Division.

**Group C (West Division)** - October 24-28, Brazzaville, Republic of Congo:

- ASB Onatra (DR Congo)

- FAP (Cameroon)

- Espoir Basketball (Gabon)

- Avenir du Rail (Republic of Congo)

*The top two teams will qualify for the Elite 16 West Division.

**Group D (East Division)** - October 21-25, Hoima, Uganda:

- Urunani (Burundi)

- Patriots Basketball Club (South Sudan)

- Namuwongo Blazers (Uganda)

- COSPN (Madagascar)

- Ushundzi Basket (Comoros)

*The top two teams will qualify for the Elite 16 East Division.

**Group E (East Division)** - October 27-31, Lusaka, Zambia:

- Munali Suns (Zambia)

- Bravehearts (Malawi)

- Ferroviario da Beira (Mozambique)

- Harare Kings (Zimbabwe)

- TBD (South Africa)

*The top two teams will qualify for the Elite 16 East Division.

The final Elite 16 tournament will be hosted by Abidjan (Côte d'Ivoire) and Nairobi (Kenya), with Nairobi hosting the East Division Elite 16 from November 17-22, and Abidjan hosting the West Division Elite 16 from November 10-15. The top two teams from each conference will secure spots in the 2027 BAL season. The JCA Kings will host the West Division Elite 16, and wild cards may be used to complete the 16-team Elite 16 Round.