The teams secured qualification through the Kalahari Conference held in South Africa and the Sahara Conference staged in Morocco. The playoffs are scheduled to run from May 21 to May 31, 2026.
Rwanda will be represented by RSSB Tigers, who delivered an impressive performance in the Kalahari Conference by finishing top of the standings with four wins in five games.
Here are six key things to know before the BAL Playoffs begin:
1. Quarterfinals will use a new format
For the first time in BAL history, the quarterfinals will be played over two legs between each pair of teams. The team with the better aggregate score across both games will qualify for the semifinals.
2. The defending champions will not participate
This marks only the second time in BAL history that the reigning champions have failed to reach the playoffs.
The last time it happened was in 2023, when US Monastir were eliminated early during the Sahara Conference.
This year, 2025 champions Al Ahli Tripoli failed to qualify for the 2026 BAL season altogether.
3. The reigning MVP will miss the playoffs
Jean Jacques Boissy, who won the MVP award in BAL 2025 after helping Al Ahli Tripoli lift the title, will not feature in this year’s playoffs due to an ankle injury.
Boissy had played for Alahly Ly during the Kalahari Conference in Pretoria, but the injury ruled him out of the knockout stage.
4. Few coaches have playoff experience
Among the eight head coaches participating in the playoffs, only two have previously reached this stage of the competition.
They are Mamadou Gueye of Dar City and Said El Bouzadi of FUS Rabat.
Gueye was named BAL Coach of the Year in 2023 after guiding AS Douanes to the finals.
5. Solo Diabate is the only player with two BAL titles
Solo Diabate of ASC Ville de Dakar is the only player in this year’s playoffs to have won the BAL title twice.
He won the championship with Zamalek in 2021 and with US Monastir in 2022.
6. Dar City have emerged as surprise contenders
Dar City have been one of the surprise stories of this year’s competition.
Together with Alahly Ly, they qualified for the BAL through the Road to BAL qualifiers.
Despite entering the playoffs with only two wins and three defeats, Dar City became the first team in BAL history to reach the playoffs with more losses than victories — a sign of just how competitive this year’s tournament has been.
