# 2025 BAL qualification

The qualification for the 2025 BAL season, also known as "Road to BAL 2025", were the qualifying tournaments for the 5th season of the Basketball Africa League (BAL). The tournaments were organised by FIBA Africa and began on 8 October and finished on 4 December 2024.
A total of 26 teams played in this season's qualifying system, The format was slightly altered, as this season only five teams qualified from the qualifying system, opposed to four in all previous years.

## Format changes

The format was changed from the previous four tournaments, as this season only four teams qualified through the Road to BAL, a decrease from the six teams in previous years. The national champions from Morocco and South Africa received direct qualification. In the first round, five groups in two divisions were played, with the top teams advancing to the elite 16. In the Elite 16 phase, the teams will be placed in two groups of eight teams each. After a round-robin tournament, the top two teams in each group will advance to the 2025 BAL season.

## Teams

The first list of teams was announced by FIBA on 9 October 2024.
† denotes that a team withdrew.

### West Division

| Association | Team | Date of qualification | Qualification method | Participation |
| Entered in first round ||||||
| Benin | Elan Coton | 27 April 2024 | 2023–24 Benin Basketball Super League champions | 3rd |
| Burkina Faso | USFA † | 23 September 2024 | 2024 Burkinabé Men's Basketball Championship champions | 1st |
| Cameroon | KSA | 22 May 2024 | 2023–24 Elite Messieurs champions | 1st |
| Cape Verde | Kriol Star | – | Representative of the FCBB | 1st |
| Central African Republic | Abeilles | 29 September 2024 | 2024 Bangui Basketball League champions | 1st |
| DR Congo | Chaux Sport | 7 September 2024 | 2024 Coupe du Congo winners | 1st |
| Ivory Coast | ABC Fighters | 24 June 2024 | 2024 Ligue d'Or season champions | 4th |
| Gabon | MDA | 3 April 2024 | 2024 Gabonese Basketball Cupchampions | 1st |
| Ghana | Spintex Knights | 14 December 2023 | 2023 Accra Basketball League champions | 1st |
| Mali | Stade Malien | | 2024 Ligue 1 champions | 2nd |
| Liberia | Mighty Barrolle | 24 September 2024 | 2024 Liberia Basketball Association Division 1 champions | 1st |
| Libya | Al Ahli Tripoli | 14 July 2024 | 2023–24 Libyan Division I Basketball League champions | 1st |

### East Division

| Association | Team | Date of qualification | Qualification method | Participation | Ref. |
| Entered in Elite 16 ||||||
| Uganda | City Oilers | 4 September 2024 | 2024 NBL Uganda season champions | 4th | |
| South Africa | MBB | – | 2024 South African National Basketball Championship winners | 1st | |
| Entered in first round ||||||
| Botswana | BDF V | [data missing] | | 1st | |
| Burundi | Urunani | 29 September 2024 | 2024 Viva Basketball League champions | 2nd | |
| Comoros | Ushindzi | 15 September 2023 | 2023 Comoros Basketball Championship winners | 2nd | |
| Ethiopia | Hawassa City † | [data missing] | | 2nd | |
| Kenya | Nairobi City Thunder | 20 July 2024 | 2023–24 KBF Premier League champions | 1st | |
| Mozambique | Costa do Sol | 20 December 2023 | 2023 LMB season champions | 1st | |
| Madagascar | GNBC | 30 October 2023 | 2024 N1A champions | 2nd | |
| Malawi | Bravehearts | [data missing] | 2023–24 BASMAL National Championship winners | 2nd | [data missing] |
| South Sudan | Fox | 20 October 2024 | SSBF BAL qualifying tournament winners | 1st | |
| Seychelles | Beau Vallon Heat | [data missing] | | 3rd | |
| Tanzania | JKT Stars | [data missing] | 2023 National Basketball Leaguechampions | 2nd | |
| Zambia | Matero Magic | 6 January 2024 | 2023–24 Zambia Basketball Leaguechampions | 3rd | |
| Zimbabwe | Basket Hounds | 9 June 2024 | 2024 BUZ National Championshipwinners | 1st | |

## First round
### West Division

The West Division will begin with a group in Tripoli, Libya, from 8 to 13 October 2024.

#### Group A

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | PF | PA | PD | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | Al Ahli Tripoli (H) | 2 | 2 | 0 | 185 | 143 | +42 | 4 | Advance to Elite 16 |
| 2 | Stade Malien | 2 | 1 | 1 | 147 | 161 | −14 | 3 | Advance to Elite 16 |
| 3 | Kriol Star (W) | 2 | 0 | 2 | 153 | 181 | −28 | 2 | Advance to Elite 16 |

#### Group B

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | PF | PA | PD | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | ABC Fighters | 3 | 3 | 0 | 281 | 216 | +65 | 6 | Advance to Elite 16 |
| 2 | Spintex Knights | 3 | 1 | 2 | 232 | 241 | −9 | 4 | Advance to Elite 16 |
| 3 | Mighty Barrolle (W) | 3 | 1 | 2 | 211 | 231 | −20 | 4 | Advance to Elite 16 |
| 4 | Elan Coton | 3 | 1 | 2 | 209 | 245 | −36 | 4 | |
* 1 2 3 Head-to-head point differential: 1) Spintex Knights, 1–1 (+9); 2) Mighty Barrolle, 1–1 (–1); 3) Elan Coton, 1–1 (–8).

#### Group C

The Group C games were played in Douala, Cameroon, from 27 October to 1 November 2024.
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | PF | PA | PD | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | Chaux Sport | 4 | 4 | 0 | 331 | 279 | +52 | 8 | Advance to Elite 16 |
| 2 | KSA (H) | 4 | 3 | 1 | 302 | 236 | +66 | 7 | Advance to Elite 16 |
| 3 | MDA (W) | 4 | 1 | 3 | 279 | 289 | −10 | 5 | Advance to Elite 16 |
| 4 | Abeilles | 4 | 1 | 3 | 257 | 296 | −39 | 5 | |
| 5 | King Africa | 4 | 1 | 3 | 230 | 299 | −69 | 5 | |
* 1 2 3 Head-to-head record tie-breaker: 1) MDA, 1–1 (+8); 2) Abeilles, 1–1 (0); 3) King Africa, 1–1 (–8).

### East Division

The East Division will be hosted in Kibaha, Tanzania from 15 to 20 October 2024. The other group will be held in Harare, Zimbabwe, from 22 to 27 October 2024.

#### Group A

Venue: City Sports Center, Harare, Zimbabwe
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | PF | PA | PD | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | Matero Magic | 5 | 5 | 0 | 408 | 238 | +170 | 10 | Advance to Elite 16 |
| 2 | Bravehearts | 5 | 3 | 2 | 339 | 349 | −10 | 8 | Advance to Elite 16 |
| 3 | Fox (W) | 5 | 3 | 2 | 368 | 316 | +52 | 8 | Advance to Elite 16 |
| 4 | Costa do Sol | 5 | 3 | 2 | 352 | 321 | +31 | 8 | |
| 5 | Basket Hounds (H) | 5 | 2 | 3 | 333 | 355 | −22 | 7 | |
| 6 | BDF V | 5 | 0 | 5 | 302 | 477 | −175 | 5 | |
* 1 2 3 Head-to-head record: 1) Bravehearts, 2–0; 2) Fox, 1–1; 3) Costa do Sol, 0–2.

#### Group B

   Times are in GMT+3.
Venue: The Filbert Bayi Olympafrica Centre, Kibaha, Tanzania
Hawassa City from Ethiopia and Ushindzi Club from the Comoros were also initially announced to be in the group, before they withdrew.
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | PF | PA | PD | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | Urunani | 4 | 4 | 0 | 247 | 149 | +98 | 8 | Advance to Elite 16 |
| 2 | Nairobi City Thunder | 4 | 3 | 1 | 359 | 270 | +89 | 7 | Advance to Elite 16 |
| 3 | GNBC | 4 | 2 | 2 | 303 | 352 | −49 | 6 | |
| 4 | JKT (H) | 4 | 1 | 3 | 260 | 317 | −57 | 5 | |
| 5 | Beau Vallon Heat | 4 | 0 | 4 | 232 | 364 | −132 | 4 | |

## Elite 16

The top eight teams from each division qualify for the Elite 16, in which teams in each division are split up in two groups. Here, they are joined by teams that already played in the 2024 BAL season and were national champions, as well as by the NBA Academy Africa.

### West Division

The West Division will be played from 5 to 10 November 2024 in Abidjan, Ivory Coast. Moanda and Mighty Barrolle were given wild cards.

#### Draw

The draw was held on 3 November 2024 at the FIBA Africa headquarters in Abidjan.

#### Group A

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | PF | PA | PD | Pts | Qualification | SMAL | ABC | CHS | MDA |
| 1 | Stade Malien | 3 | 3 | 0 | 241 | 198 | +43 | 6 | Advance to final round | — | 90–80 | 72–65 | 79–53 |
| 2 | ABC Fighters | 3 | 1 | 2 | 255 | 229 | +26 | 4 | Advance to final round | 80–90 | — | 85–88 | 90–51 |
| 3 | Chaux Sport | 3 | 1 | 2 | 218 | 229 | −11 | 4 | | 65–72 | 88–85 | — | 65–72 |
| 4 | MDA Basket | 3 | 1 | 2 | 176 | 234 | −58 | 4 | | 53–79 | 51–90 | 72–65 | — |

#### Group B

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | PF | PA | PD | Pts | Qualification | AHT | KSA | MIG | SPI |
| 1 | Al Ahli Tripoli | 3 | 3 | 0 | 296 | 235 | +61 | 6 | Advance to final round | — | 96–91 | 99–75 | 101–69 |
| 2 | KSA | 3 | 2 | 1 | 256 | 242 | +14 | 5 | Advance to final round | 91–96 | — | 81–75 | 84–71 |
| 3 | Mighty Barrolle | 3 | 1 | 2 | 229 | 248 | −19 | 4 | | 75–99 | 75–81 | — | 79–68 |
| 4 | Spintex Knights | 3 | 0 | 3 | 208 | 264 | −56 | 3 | | 69–101 | 71–84 | 68–79 | — |

#### Final round
##### Final
### East Division

The East Division will be held in the Kasarani Indoor Arena in Nairobi, Kenya, from 28 November to 3 December 2025. Kriol Star from Cape Verde and Fox from South Sudan received wild cards.

#### Draw

The draw was held on 24 November 2024 in Abidjan.

#### Group A

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | PF | PA | PD | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | Nairobi City Thunder (H) | 3 | 3 | 0 | 297 | 198 | +99 | 6 | Advance to final round |
| 2 | Kriol Star | 3 | 2 | 1 | 223 | 220 | +3 | 5 | Advance to final round |
| 3 | MBB | 3 | 1 | 2 | 207 | 226 | −19 | 4 | |
| 4 | Bravehearts | 3 | 0 | 3 | 187 | 270 | −83 | 3 | |
* 28 November 2024 18:30
* Boxscore
| Kriol Star | 89–58 | Bravehearts |
| Scoring by quarter: Not published |||
* Kasarani Indoor Arena, Nairobi Referees: Jerome Oliver Denis (MRI), Didier Shema (RWA)
* 28 November 2024 20:00
* Boxscore
| MBB | 59–102 | Nairobi City Thunder |
| Scoring by quarter: 19–17, 18–31, 17–22, 5–32 |||
| Pts: Mothiba 14 Rebs: Mokwena 12 Asts: Pfachi 6 | | Pts: Harouna 18 Rebs: Koranga 8 Asts: Iroegbu 7 |
* Kasarani Indoor Arena, Nairobi Attendance: 2,000 Referees: Michel Djeugoue (CMR), Amr Zahed (EGY), Shabani Shabani (TAN)
* 29 November 2024 18:30
| Bravehearts | 61–90 | MBB |
| Scoring by quarter: 22–24, 17–20, 9–28, 13–18 |||
| Pts: Banda, Lele 10 Rebs: Banda 12 Asts: Limbe 3 | | Pts: Pfachi 32 Rebs: Mothiba 10 Asts: Pfachi 6 |
* Kasarani Indoor Arena, Nairobi Attendance: 200 Referees: Didier Gaga (RWA), Michel Djeugoue (CMR), David João Domingos (ANG)
* 29 November 2024 20:00
* Boxscore
| Nairobi City Thunder | 104–71 | Kriol Star |
| Scoring by quarter: 24–16, 27–15, 21–17, 32–23 |||
| Pts: Odero 15 Rebs: Okoth 11 Asts: Adera 4 | | Pts: McGlynn 17 Rebs: Enoh 11 Asts: Almeida, Richardson 3 |
* Kasarani Indoor Arena, Nairobi Attendance: 1,500 Referees: Tonton Banza Kalume (COD), Mahamadou Diallo (MLI), Amr Zahed (EGY)
* 30 November 2024 17:00
* Boxscore
| MBB | 58–63 | Kriol Star |
| Scoring by quarter: 15–17, 11–21, 13–7, 19–18 |||
| Pts: Mothiba 20 Rebs: Mokwena 15 Asts: Pfachi 4 | | Pts: McGlynn 20 Rebs: Mendes 13 Asts: Three players 4 |
* Kasarani Indoor Arena, Nairobi Attendance: 300 Referees: Walelign Fikadu Gebeto (ETH), Mahamadou Diallo (MLI), Jerome Denis (MRI)
* 30 November 2024 20:00
* Boxscore
| Bravehearts | 68–91 | Nairobi City Thunder |
| Scoring by quarter: 13–20, 20–21, 14–27, 21–23 |||
| Pts: Williams 25 Rebs: Banda 15 Asts: Banda 2 | | Pts: Ogechi 18 Rebs: Diing 10 Asts: Iroegbu 4 |
* Kasarani Indoor Arena, Nairobi Attendance: 500 Referees: Shabani Shabani (TAN), Francisco Tando (ANG), Didier Shema (RWA)

#### Group B

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | PF | PA | PD | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | Urunani | 3 | 3 | 0 | 235 | 170 | +65 | 6 | Advance to final round |
| 2 | City Oilers | 3 | 2 | 1 | 245 | 198 | +47 | 5 | Advance to final round |
| 3 | Fox | 3 | 1 | 2 | 191 | 228 | −37 | 4 | |
| 4 | Matero Magic | 3 | 0 | 3 | 188 | 263 | −75 | 3 | |