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 (Sahara Conference) AssociationTeamDate of qualificationQualification methodParticipationRef.Entered in first roundElan Coton2023–24 Benin Basketball Super League champions3rdUSFA 2024 Burkinabé Men's Basketball Championship champions1st CameroonKSA2023–24 Elite Messieurs champions1stKriol Star–Representative of the FCBB1stAbeilles29 September 20242024 Bangui Basketball League champions1st DR CongoChaux Sport2024 Coupe du Congo winners1stABC Fighters2024 Ligue d'Or season champions4thMoanda2024 Gabonese Basketball Cupchampions1stSpintex Knights2023 Accra Basketball League champions1stStade Malien2024 Ligue 1 champions2ndMighty Barrolle2024 Liberia Basketball Association Division 1 champions1stAl Ahli Tripoli2023–24 Libyan Division I Basketball League champions1st
East Division (Nile Conference) AssociationTeamDate of qualificationQualification methodParticipationRef.Entered in Elite 16City Oilers2024 NBL Uganda season champions4thMBB–2024 South African National Basketball Championship winners1stEntered in first roundBDF V1stUrunani2024 Viva Basketball League champions2ndUshindzi15 September 20232023 Comoros Basketball Championship winners2ndHawassa City 2nd KenyaNairobi City Thunder2023–24 KBF Premier League champions1stCosta do Sol20 December 20232023 LMB season champions1stGNBC30 October 20232024 N1A champions2ndBravehearts2023–24 BASMAL National Championship winners2ndFox20 October 2024SSBF BAL qualifying tournament winners1stBeau Vallon Heat3rdJKT Stars2023 National Basketball Leaguechampions2ndMatero Magic6 January 20242023–24 Zambia Basketball Leaguechampions3rdBasket Hounds2024 BUZ National Championshipwinners1st
First round
West Division The West Division will begin with a group in Tripoli, Libya, from 8 to 13 October 2024.
Group A
Group B
Group C The Group C games were played in Douala, Cameroon, from 27 October to 1 November 2024.
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
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.
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
Group B
Final round
Semi-finals
Third place game
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
Group B
Final round
Semifinals
Third place game
Final
References