The 2025 Basketball Africa League (BAL) is set to make history as 156 players from 28 countries across five continents compete in the league’s milestone fifth season. The season will tip off on Saturday, April 5 at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Sports Complex in Rabat, Morocco.
The opening game will feature a thrilling matchup between Stade Malien from Mali, the 2023 third-place finisher, and Rivers Hoopers from Nigeria, the 2024 third-place finisher, at 4:00 p.m. GMT. Following that, the home team Fath Union Sport (FUS) from Morocco will face Al Ittihad from Egypt, marking their debut appearance in the BAL, at 7:00 p.m. GMT.
The 2025 BAL season will reach fans in 214 countries and territories, broadcasted in 17 languages through various TV and digital partnerships. These include Canal+, ESPN, NBA TV, FIBA’s Courtside 1891, and Tencent Sports, among others. Fans can also watch the games live on the NBA App, BAL’s YouTube Channel, and through BAL.NBA.com.
As a tribute to the late NBA legend Dikembe Mutombo, the league will feature the “DM55” patch on all player jerseys and warm-up gear throughout the season. Mutombo, who passed away recently, served as the NBA’s first global ambassador following his retirement and was a four-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year and Naismith Basketball Hall of Famer.
Single-game tickets for the games in Rabat are available at Guichet.com and BAL.NBA.com, with fans gaining access to the BAL Fan Zone at the arena.
Season Schedule:
-
Kalahari Conference Group Phase: April 5 – April 13, Rabat, Morocco
-
Sahara Conference Group Phase: April 26 – May 4, Dakar Arena, Senegal
-
Nile Conference Group Phase: May 17 – May 25, BK Arena, Kigali, Rwanda
After the group phase, the top teams from each conference will head to Pretoria, South Africa for the playoffs and finals from June 6 – June 14, where teams will compete in an eight-game, single-elimination format.
For full details on team rosters, visit the official link: 2025 BAL Rosters.
