The BAL 2025 Playoffs officially launched at SunBet Arena in Pretoria, South Africa, with two gripping matchups that lived up to the anticipation. Kriol Star (Cape Verde) edged FUS Rabat (Morocco) in a high-octane 91–88 win, while Al Ittihad (Egypt) handed Al Ahli Tripoli (Libya) their first loss of the season, 85–74.

Kriol Star pulls off narrow victory in BAL 2025 opener

Cape Verde’s Kriol Star kicked off the tournament in style behind a dynamic team effort. Joel Ntambwe paced the squad with 22 points, while veteran Ivan Almeida delivered a massive triple-double—18 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists. Jalan McCloud added 21 points to round out a balanced performance.

For FUS Rabat, Yacine Baeri put on a long-range clinic, knocking down 7-of-8 from deep en route to a team-high 22 points. Despite the loss, FUS remains alive with another opportunity in the quarterfinals.

Al Ittihad dominates clash of the undefeated

In a battle of unbeatens, Al Ittihad (Egypt) asserted their dominance with a statement win over Al Ahli Tripoli (Libya). Majok Deng led with 19 points, and Lual Acuil posted a double-double (16 points, 14 rebounds) to power the Egyptian club to victory. Al Ahli Tripoli’s Fabian White Jr. notched a game-high 24 points and 10 rebounds, while Jean Jacques Boissy and Naseim Badrush chipped in 17 and 16 points respectively.

Upcoming quarterfinals and seeding showdowns

Sunday’s quarterfinal matchups are now set:

• Al Ahli Tripoli vs Kriol Star at 4 p.m. CAT

• Al Ittihad vs FUS Rabat at 7 p.m. CAT

Before that, tomorrow’s final seeding games will shape the remaining brackets. Reigning champions Petro de Luanda (Angola) will face APR (Rwanda) at 4 p.m. CAT, followed by US Monastir (Tunisia) taking on Rivers Hoopers (Nigeria) at 7 p.m. CAT.

The Basketball Africa League 2025 season is being broadcast across 214 countries and territories in 17 languages, via platforms including Canal+, ESPN, FIBA’s Courtside 1891, and NBA App streaming, as well as NBA.com, BAL.NBA.com, and the BAL’s YouTube channel.