Kenya’s basketball giants, Nairobi City Thunder, are set to make history as they debut in the prestigious Basketball Africa League (BAL) under its newly expanded three-conference format.

The tournament, tipping off with the Kalahari Conference in Rabat, Morocco, on April 5, 2025, will mark Kenya’s first-ever appearance in the continental league, alongside Cape Verde’s Kriol Star Basketball.

This milestone signals a new era for Kenyan basketball, as Thunder joins Africa’s elite clubs in the race for the championship.

The Kalahari Conference will be the third and newest BAL conference, added to the existing Sahara and Nile Conferences.

The Conferences

BAL’s inaugural Kalahari Conference, set to take place at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Sports Complex in Rabat, Morocco, will feature four teams, including Fus Rabat, the host country’s team, which won the Royal Moroccan Basketball Federation (FRMBB)-organised 2023–2024 league.

The conference will be followed by the two existing BAL conferences: Nile Conference, featuring Rwanda Patriotic Army (APR) BBC, Egypt’s Ahli Tripoli as well as South Africa’s MBB basketball team, will run from May 17 to 25 at BK Arena in Kigali, Rwanda, whereas Sahara Conference will tip off at Dakar Arena in Senegal from April 26 to May 4.

These three conferences will mark the 2025 BAL Season 5.

BAL Season 4 concluded in 2024 with Angola’s Petro de Luanda winning the championship. Among previous champions are national league-winning teams from Egypt and Tunisia.

International Basketball Federation (FIBA) Africa president Anibal Manave confirmed the new continental competition format through a BAL communication obtained by People Sport.

“The Kalahari Conference marks another expansion of BAL into a new country on our continent, and we are more than satisfied. Year after year, this competition grows, giving exposure to our sport and helping to elevate the level of basketball in Africa by making the league more and more competitive,” Manave said.

On his part, BAL president Amadou Gallo Fall also concurred with Manave, stating that the BAL competition has expanded and grown over the last four seasons.

Headquartered in Dakar, Senegal, BAL is a partnership between FIBA and the USA-based National Basketball Association (NBA), which established the professional league featuring 12 national champion clubs from across Africa.

“We have seen tremendous growth over BAL’s first four seasons; in the level of on-court competition, attendance, and engagement from fans and partners in Africa and globally,” Fall said.

Fall further disclosed, “Our milestone fifth season will build on that momentum and further showcase the level of talent and passion for basketball in Africa, including through the first BAL games in Morocco and the first finals in South Africa.”

Teams in BAL

During the upcoming conferences, eight teams from across the three conferences will qualify for the maiden playoffs in Pretoria, South Africa, on June 6, 2025.

The competition will culminate in the 2025 BAL final at Pretoria’s SunBet Arena on June 14, marking the end of BAL Season 5.

The winners will earn a spot in the 2025 FIBA Intercontinental Cup, with the venue yet to be announced. The 2024 edition in Singapore featured all continental champions, with Oceania competing as a continent for the first time in history.

Twelve teams from 12 African countries, including Kenya’s representatives, Nairobi City Thunder, will feature in BAL’s three conferences.

Each conference will feature four teams playing a 12-game group phase, with each team playing the other three teams in its conference twice (home and away).

The 12 teams set to compete in BAL comprise national league champions from seven African countries (Angola, Egypt, Morocco, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal and Tunisia) along with four additional teams.

Road to continental league

Kenya’s Nairobi City Thunder and Cape Verde’s Kriol Star qualified through the Road to BAL Elite 16 East Division, with Thunder defeating Kriol Star 99-86 in the final at Kasarani in Nairobi.

In the Road to BAL Elite 16 West Division, Egypt’s Al Ahli Tripoli Sport Club defeated Mali’s Stade Malien 71-68 in the final, securing both teams’ qualification for BAL. The East and West Division qualifiers on the Road to BAL are managed by FIBA.

Earlier, teams competing in the West and East Divisions participated in group-stage qualifiers.

In the East Division group qualifiers, held in Tanzania’s Kibaha region, Burundi’s Urunani BBC and Thunder finished first and second, respectively, qualifying for the Elite 16 Stage in Nairobi.

Kriol Star received a BAL wild card to also compete in Nairobi.