Kenyan champions Nairobi City Thunder will once again fly the country’s flag on the continental stage after being confirmed among the 12 teams set to compete in the 2026 Basketball Africa League (BAL) season starting March 27 in Pretoria, South Africa.
Thunder secured their place in Africa’s premier club basketball competition through the Road to BAL qualifying tournaments held between October and December 2025, earning Kenya continued representation in the elite competition.
The Nairobi-based side will be making their second appearance in the BAL as they seek to build on their previous campaign and test themselves against some of the continent’s strongest clubs.
The sixth BAL season will feature 12 teams from 12 different African countries competing in a total of 42 games across three host cities — Pretoria in South Africa, Rabat in Morocco and Kigali in Rwanda.
The competition will begin with the Kalahari Conference group phase scheduled for March 27 to April 5 at SunBet Arena in Pretoria.
The Sahara Conference matches will follow from April 24 to May 3 at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Sports Complex in Rabat, before the playoffs and finals are staged from May 22 to May 31 at BK Arena in Kigali.
Thunder will face stiff competition from established continental sides, including Angolan champions Petro de Luanda, the only team to feature in all six BAL seasons, and Egyptian giants Al Ahly, winners of the 2023 title. Other participating clubs include APR of Rwanda, ASC Ville de Dakar of Senegal, FUS Rabat of Morocco and Al Ahly Ly of Libya.
The 2026 edition will also feature several debutants, including Johannesburg Giants (South Africa), Dar City (Tanzania), JCA Kings (Côte d’Ivoire), Maktown Flyers (Nigeria) and Club Africain (Tunisia), highlighting the growing reach of the BAL across Africa.
Seven teams earned automatic qualification as national league champions from Angola, Egypt, Morocco, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal and Tunisia, while five sides — including Thunder — booked their slots through the qualification tournaments organised by FIBA Africa.
Each conference will play a round-robin format during the group phase, with teams facing every opponent once in a 15-game schedule. The top eight teams overall will advance to the playoffs in Kigali.
The tournament presents Thunder with another opportunity to showcase Kenyan basketball on the continental stage while gaining valuable experience against Africa’s elite clubs as the sport continues to grow locally.
