# 2021 BAL qualification

The 2020 BAL Qualifying Tournaments were the inaugural qualifying tournaments of the Basketball Africa League (BAL), the newly launched premier basketball league of Africa jointly organized by the NBA and FIBA. While the NBA will co-organise from the regular season, the qualifiers are completely organised by FIBA Africa.
A total of 31 teams from 31 countries participate in the qualifying tournaments in order to determine which six teams will play in the 2020 BAL regular season, along with six directly placed six teams. The qualifying tournaments are divided into the First round and Second round, which run from 16 October until 21 December 2019.

## Team allocation

A total of 31 teams from 31 countries played in the qualifying tournaments. League positions after eventual playoffs of the previous season shown in parentheses. On 9 October 2019, the official list of participating teams in the qualifying rounds was announced by FIBA.
First round :
| West Division | West Division | East Division | East Division |
| GS Pétroliers (1st) | Al-Nasr (1st) | Patriots (1st) | Hawassa City (1st) |
| ABC (1st) | ASPAC (1st) | Dynamo (1st) | Cobra Sport |
| NPA Pythons (1st) | FAP (2nd) | Mercenaries (1st) | UNZA Pacers (1st) |
| Mazembe (1st) | Virgen María de África | KPA (1st) | GNBC (1st) |
| Braves of Customs (1st) | Nigelec (1st) | Usoni (1st) | Dolphins (1st) |
| SLAC (1st) | AS Police (1st) | City Oilers (1st) | JKT (1st) |
| Manga (1st) | Abeilles (1st) | Ferroviário de Maputo (1st) | Jozi Nuggets (1st) |
| | | Lions (1st) | Beau Vallon Heat (1st) |
| | | Brave Hearts (1st) | |

### Notes

* ^ Cameroon (CMR): FAP, runners-up of the Cameroon Basketball League, replaced national champions Condor.
* ^ FIBA: Brave Hearts from Malawi and Abeilles from the Central African Republic were announced by FIBA on the team list released on 9 October 2019. However, eventually the teams did not participate in their respective allocated groups.
* ^ South Sudan (SSD): Cobra of South Sudan was not listed on the official team list released on 9 October 2019. They were placed in Group F.

## First round

In the first round, thirtytwo teams participate in six groups divided over two geographical divisions (West and East). Groups were selected by geographical criteria. The winners and runners-up of each group qualify for the second round while four other teams were invited with wild cards, chosen by FIBA.
The first games were played at 15 October and the last on 3 November 2019.

### West Division
#### Group A

Venue: Bamako, Mali
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | PF | PA | PD | Pts | Qualification | POL | GSP | ALN | SLAC |
| 1 | Police (H) | 3 | 2 | 1 | 231 | 222 | +9 | 5 | Advance to second round | — | | 79–71 | 69–75 |
| 2 | GS Pétroliers | 3 | 2 | 1 | 278 | 213 | +65 | 5 | Advance to second round | 76–83 | — | 106–80 | |
| 3 | Al Naser (W) | 3 | 1 | 2 | 227 | 257 | −30 | 4 | Advance to second round | | | — | 76–72 |
| 4 | SLAC | 3 | 1 | 2 | 197 | 241 | −44 | 4 | | | 50–96 | | — |
* 1 2 Head to head: Police 83, GS Pétroliers 76.
* 1 2 Head to head: Al Naser 76, SLAC 72.

#### Group B

Venue: Cotonou, Benin
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | PF | PA | PD | Pts | Qualification | ABC | NIG | ASP | NPA | BRA |
| 1 | ABC | 4 | 3 | 1 | 286 | 241 | +45 | 7 | Advance to second round | — | 74–68 | | 76–62 | |
| 2 | Nigelec | 4 | 3 | 1 | 292 | 257 | +35 | 7 | Advance to second round | | — | 65–60 | | 64–46 |
| 3 | ASPAC (H) | 4 | 2 | 2 | 257 | 265 | −8 | 6 | | 55–83 | | — | | 82–59 |
| 4 | NPA Pythons | 4 | 1 | 3 | 271 | 301 | −30 | 5 | | | 77–95 | 58–60 | — | |
| 5 | Braves of Customs | 4 | 1 | 3 | 231 | 273 | −42 | 5 | | 56–53 | | | 70–74 | — |
* 1 2 Head-to-head: ABC 74, Nigelec 68.
* 1 2 Head-to-head: NPA Pythons 74, Braves of Customs 70.

#### Group C

Venue: Libreville, Gabon
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | PF | PA | PD | Pts | Qualification | FAP | MAN | MAZ | VMA |
| 1 | FAP | 3 | 3 | 0 | 236 | 176 | +60 | 6 | Advance to second round | — | 64–63 | | 101–46 |
| 2 | Manga (H) | 3 | 2 | 1 | 244 | 186 | +58 | 5 | Advance to second round | | — | 60–59 | 121–63 |
| 3 | ASB Mazembe (W) | 3 | 1 | 2 | 211 | 186 | +25 | 4 | Advance to second round | 67–71 | | — | |
| 4 | Virgen María de África | 3 | 0 | 3 | 164 | 307 | −143 | 3 | | | | 55–85 | — |

### Division West
#### Group D

Venue: Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | PF | PA | PD | Pts | Qualification | PAT | CIT | JKT | DYN | HAW |
| 1 | Patriots | 4 | 4 | 0 | 351 | 242 | +109 | 8 | Advance to second round | — | 74–63 | 79–65 | | 125–50 |
| 2 | City Oilers | 4 | 3 | 1 | 319 | 236 | +83 | 7 | Advance to second round | | — | 85–54 | 71–57 | |
| 3 | JKT (H, W) | 4 | 2 | 2 | 296 | 279 | +17 | 6 | Advance to second round | | | — | | 87–47 |
| 4 | Dynamo | 4 | 1 | 3 | 279 | 275 | +4 | 5 | | 64–73 | | 68–88 | — | |
| 5 | Hawassa City | 4 | 0 | 4 | 189 | 402 | −213 | 4 | | | 49–100 | | 43–90 | — |
| 16 October 2019 |
| City Oilers | 71–57 | Dynamo |
| JKT | 87–47 | Hawassa City |
| 17 October 2019 |
| Dynamo | 64–73 | Patriots |
| Hawassa City | 49–100 | City Oilers |
| 18 October 2019 |
| City Oilers | 85–54 | JKT |
| Patriots | 125–50 | Hawassa City |
| 19 October 2019 |
| Hawassa City | 43–90 | Dynamo |
| Patriots | 79–65 | JKT |
| 20 October 2019 |
| Patriots | 74–63 | City Oilers |
| Dynamo | 68–88 | JKT |

#### Group E

Venue: Johannesburg, South Africa
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | PF | PA | PD | Pts | Qualification | FER | UZP | MER | LIO | JZN | DOL |
| 1 | Ferroviário de Maputo | 5 | 5 | 0 | 467 | 335 | +132 | 10 | Advance to second round | — | 84–69 | | | | 94–64 |
| 2 | UNZA Pacers | 5 | 4 | 1 | 365 | 348 | +17 | 9 | Advance to second round | | — | 80–74 | | 72–54 | 72–54 |
| 3 | Mercenaries | 5 | 3 | 2 | 356 | 366 | −10 | 8 | | 72–100 | | — | 64–55 | | |
| 4 | Lions Club | 5 | 1 | 4 | 343 | 396 | −53 | 6 | | 60–102 | 66–70 | | — | | |
| 5 | Jozi Nuggets (H) | 5 | 1 | 4 | 338 | 361 | −23 | 6 | | 70–87 | | 63–66 | 67–74 | — | |
| 6 | Dolphins | 5 | 1 | 4 | 339 | 402 | −63 | 6 | | | | 68–80 | 93–88 | 60–68 | — |
* 1 2 3 Head-to-head point difference: Lions Club +2, Jozi Nuggets 1, Dolphins –3.
* 26 October 2019 15:30
* Box score
| Ferroviário de Maputo | 84–69 | UNZA Pacers |
| Scoring by quarter: 20–17, 21–18, 25–12, 18–22 |||
| Pts: Calvo Masa 22 Rebs: Calvo Masa 13 Asts: Novela 5 | | Pts: Banda 15 Rebs: Banda 8 Asts: Lubinda 4 |
* Wembley Stadium, Johannesburg, South Africa
* 26 October 2019 18:00 (GMT+2)
* Box score
| Jozi Nuggets | 66–63 | Mercenaries |
| Scoring by quarter: 21–8, 18–26, 12–18, 15–11 |||
| Pts: Mothiba 20 Rebs: Mthembu 9 Asts: Nyawo 3 | | Pts: Chitsinde 17 Rebs: Chivanganye 20 Asts: Five players 2 |
* Wembley Stadium, Johannesburg, South Africa

#### Group F

Venue: Antananarivo, Madagascar
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | PF | PA | PD | Pts | Qualification | KPA | GNBC | COB | BVH | USO |
| 1 | KPA | 4 | 4 | 0 | 431 | 290 | +141 | 8 | Advance to second round | — | 98–84 | 81–78 | | |
| 2 | GNBC (H) | 4 | 3 | 1 | 386 | 281 | +105 | 7 | Advance to second round | | — | | 92–67 | 124–53 |
| 3 | Cobra (W) | 4 | 2 | 2 | 359 | 259 | +100 | 6 | Advance to second round | | 63–86 | — | | 124–48 |
| 4 | Beau Vallon Heat | 4 | 1 | 3 | 185 | 317 | −132 | 5 | | 54–131 | | 44–94 | — | |
| 5 | Usoni | 4 | 0 | 4 | 175 | 389 | −214 | 4 | | 74–121 | | | 0–20 | — |

## Second round

In the Second Round (also referred to as "Elite 16" by FIBA), the sixteen teams that advanced from the first round teams play in four groups of four, divided over two geographical divisions. The top two teams of each group advance to the semi-finals. Winners of each semi-finals qualify for the regular season while the losers play in a third place game for the final regular season spot. On 7 November, FIBA announced the four wild card receivers.
The Division West tournament will be played at the Kigali Arena in the Rwandan city of Kigali. The Division East tournament is played in the Multipurpose Sports Complex in Yaoundé, Cameroon. The Elite 16 will start on 26 November and end 22 December 2019.

### Qualified teams

The draw was held on 21 November in Abidjan.
| Division | Group | Winners | Runners-up | Wild cards |
| West | A | Police | GS Pétroliers | Al Naser |
| West | B | ABC | Nigelec | |
| West | C | FAP | Manga | ASB Mazembe |
| East | D | Patriots | City Oilers | JKT |
| East | E | Ferroviário de Maputo | UNZA Pacers | |
| East | F | KPA | GNBC | Cobra |

### West Division – Group G
#### Group A

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | PF | PA | PD | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | GS Pétroliers | 3 | 2 | 1 | 286 | 257 | +29 | 5 | Advance to Semi-finals |
| 2 | FAP | 3 | 2 | 1 | 256 | 255 | +1 | 5 | Advance to Semi-finals |
| 3 | Al Naser | 3 | 2 | 1 | 261 | 245 | +16 | 5 | |
| 4 | Nigelec | 3 | 0 | 3 | 231 | 277 | −46 | 3 | |
* ↑ Usoni withdrew its game against Beau Vallon Heat on 31 October 2019, automatically losing 0–20.
* 1 2 3 Head-to-head point difference: GS Pétroliers +3, FAP –1, Al Naser –2.

#### Group B

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | PF | PA | PD | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | ABC | 3 | 2 | 1 | 249 | 231 | +18 | 5 | Advance to Semi-finals |
| 2 | Police | 3 | 2 | 1 | 229 | 220 | +9 | 5 | Advance to Semi-finals |
| 3 | Manga | 3 | 2 | 1 | 232 | 214 | +18 | 5 | |
| 4 | ASB Mazembe | 3 | 0 | 3 | 232 | 277 | −45 | 3 | |
* 1 2 3 Head-to-head point difference: ABC +12, AS Police –2, Manga –10.

#### Final round

Qualification finals
| Semi-finals | Semi-finals | Final | Final |
| 30 November | 30 November |
| GS Pétroliers | 76 |
| GS Pétroliers | 76 | 1 December | 1 December |
| Police | 61 | 1 December | 1 December |
| Police | 61 | GS Pétroliers | 92 |
| 30 November | 30 November | | GS Pétroliers | 92 |
| 30 November | 30 November | FAP | 88 |
| FAP | 77 | FAP | 88 |
| ABC | 64 | | |
| ABC | 64 | Third place game | Third place game |
| | | 1 December | 1 December |
| | | Police | 71 |
| | | ABC | 69 |

##### Final
### East Division – Group H
#### Group A

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | PF | PA | PD | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | Patriots | 3 | 3 | 0 | 283 | 205 | +78 | 6 | Advance to Semi-finals |
| 2 | GNBC | 3 | 2 | 1 | 253 | 232 | +21 | 5 | Advance to Semi-finals |
| 3 | UNZA Pacers | 3 | 1 | 2 | 197 | 209 | −12 | 4 | |
| 4 | JKT | 3 | 0 | 3 | 179 | 269 | −90 | 3 | |

#### Group B

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | PF | PA | PD | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | Ferroviário de Maputo | 3 | 2 | 1 | 233 | 225 | +8 | 5 | Advance to Semi-finals |
| 2 | City Oilers | 3 | 2 | 1 | 215 | 163 | +52 | 5 | Advance to Semi-finals |
| 3 | KPA | 3 | 2 | 1 | 162 | 140 | +22 | 5 | |
| 4 | Cobra | 3 | 0 | 3 | 183 | 265 | −82 | 3 | |

#### Final round

;Qualification finals
| Semi-final round | Semi-final round | Final round | Final round |
| 21 December | 21 December |
| Patriots | 81 |
| Patriots | 81 | 22 December | 22 December |
| City Oilers | 59 | 22 December | 22 December |
| City Oilers | 59 | Patriots | 94 |
| 21 December | 21 December | | Patriots | 94 |
| 21 December | 21 December | GNBC | 63 |
| Ferroviário de Maputo | 90 | GNBC | 63 |
| GNBC | 94 | | |
| GNBC | 94 | Third place | Third place |
| | | 22 December | 22 December |
| | | City Oilers | 57 |
| | | Ferroviário de Maputo | 74 |

##### Final
## Statistical leaders

    As retrieved from FIBA.