2025 BAL season
5th season of the Basketball Africa League
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The 2025 BAL season, also known as BAL Season 5, was the 5th season of the Basketball Africa League (BAL). The season began on 5 April and ended on 14 June 2025 with the final.[1] The playoffs and finals will be held in Pretoria, South Africa, for the first time.[2]
6 – 14 June 2025 (playoffs)
| 2025 BAL season | |
|---|---|
| League | Basketball Africa League |
| Season | 2025 |
| Dates | 4 April – 25 May 2025 (group phase) 6 – 14 June 2025 (playoffs) |
| Number of games | 48 |
| Teams | 12 |
| Playoffs | |
| Champions |  Al Ahli Tripoli (1st title) |
| Runners-up |  Petro de Luanda |
| Third place |  APR |
| Fourth place |  Al Ittihad Alexandria |
| Awards | |
| MVP | Jean Jacques Boissy (Al Ahli) |
Petro de Luanda were the defending champions, having won the previous season, but lost in the final to Al Ahli Tripoli, who became the first Libyan team to win the BAL championship.[3] As winners, Al Ahli Tripoli earned the right to play in the 2025 FIBA Intercontinental Cup.
Venues
The Moroccan Royal Basketball Federation (FRMBB) announced on 12 November 2024 that Rabat would be one of the host cities of the first phase of the 2025 season.[4]
On 21 November 2024, the BAL announced that the group phase would be hosted in three countries, as the Nile Conference is hosted at the Salle Moulay Abdellah in Rabat, Morocco, the Sahara Conference in Dakar Arena, Dakar, Senegal, and the Kalahari Conference in the BK Arena in Kigali, Rwanda.[1] The playoffs and final will be played in the SunBet Arena in Pretoria, South Africa.[1]
Qualification
The number of directly qualified teams changed from the previous four seasons, as the BAL now allocated eight direct slots to designated leagues and markets. As such, the champions of Morocco were given a direct spot in the tournament, while only four[2] teams would qualify through the Road to BAL.[5] FIBA Africa had reported that the champions of South Africa received direct qualification,[6] and this was effectively honored when South African champions MBB were given a wild card spot.
Teams
Green: Nile Conference; 
Yellow: Sahara Conference; 
Red: Kalahari Conference.The defending champions Petro de Luanda were the first team to qualify, as they won the 2023–24 Angolan Basketball League on 12 May 2024 to qualify for a record-extending fifth season in a row.[7] Al Ittihad Alexandria will make its debut, becoming the third Egyptian club to play in the league and it is the greatest Egyptian basketball club in history.[8] ASCVD became the third Senegalese club to qualify following their Nationale 1 title.[9] MBB from South Africa was announced on 12 January 2025 as the last representative, after they were given a wild card.[10]
The season had six debuting teams, setting a new record.[11]
Method of qualification and statistics
| Team | Method of qualification | Date of qualification | App. | Previous year | Cons. | Best performance | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Petro de Luanda |
2023–24 Angolan Basketball League champions | 12 May 2024 | 5th | 2024 | 5 | Champions (2024) | [7] |
| Al Ittihad Alexandria |
2023–24 Egyptian Basketball Premier League champions | 13 June 2024 | 1st | N/a | 1 | N/a | [8] |
 US Monastir |
2023–24 Championnat Pro A champions | 27 June 2024 | 5th | 2024 | 5 | Champions (2022) | [12] |
 ASC Ville de Dakar |
2024 Nationale 1 champions | 27 June 2024 | 1st | N/a | 1 | N/a | [9] |
| APR |
2024 RBL season champions | 23 September 2024 | 2nd | 2024 | 2 | Group stage (2024) | [13] |
 Rivers Hoopers |
2024 NBBF Premier League champions | 19 November 2024 | 3rd | 2024 | 2 | Third Place (2024) | [14] |
 FUS Rabat |
2023–24 Division Excellence champions | 10 July 2024 | 2nd | 2024 | 2 | Quarterfinalist (2024) | [15] |
| Al Ahli Tripoli |
Road to BAL West Division winners | 9 November 2024 | 1st | N/a | 1 | N/a | [16] |
 Stade Malien |
Road to BAL West Division runners-up | 9 November 2024 | 2nd | 2023 | 2 | Third Place (2023) | [17] |
 Kriol Star |
Road to BAL East Division finalist | 2 December 2024 | 1st | N/a | 1 | N/a | [18] |
 Nairobi City Thunder |
Road to BAL East Division finalist | 2 December 2024 | 1st | N/a | 1 | N/a | [19] |
 MBB |
Wild card | 12 January 2025 | 1st | N/a | 1 | N/a | [10] |
Personnel
| Team | Head coach | Captain |
|---|---|---|
| Al Ahli Tripoli |  Fouad Abou Chakra[20] |
Mohamed Sadi |
| Al Ittihad Alexandria | Ahmed Omar |
Ahmed El Sabbagh |
| ASC Ville de Dakar | Libasse Faye |
Bara Ndiaye |
| APR |  James Maye[20] |
William Robeyns |
| FUS Rabat | Said El Bouzidi |
Abdelhakim Zouita |
| Kriol Star |  Hugo Salgado |
Joel Almeida |
| MBB | Sam Vincent[21] |
Lebesa Selepe |
| Nairobi City Thunder | Brad Ibs |
Tylor Ongwae |
| Petro de Luanda |  Sergio Valdeolmillos |
Childe Dundão |
| Rivers Hoopers | Ogoh Odaudu |
Onyebuchi Nwaiwu |
| Stade Malien | Boubacar Kanouté |
Mahamane Coulibaly |
| US Monastir | Vasco Curado |
Radhouane Slimane |
Pre-season
As the champions of the 2024 BAL season, Petro de Luanda played in the 2024 FIBA Intercontinental Cup in September 2024. They finished in fifth place.[22]
Schedule
The full schedule for the season was officially released on 21 November 2024.[1]
| Phase | Round | Games |
|---|---|---|
| Qualifying rounds | First Round | 8 October – 1 November 2024 |
| Elite 16 | 5 November – 3 December 2024 | |
| Group phase | Nile Conference | 5 – 13 April 2025 |
| Sahara Conference | 26 April – 5 May 2025 | |
| Kalahari Conference | 17 – 25 May 2025 | |
| Seeding games | 6 –14 June 2025 | |
| Playoffs | Quarter-finals | |
| Semi-finals | ||
| Final and third place | ||
Group phase
The group phase is played between 5 April and 25 May 2024. The twelve teams of the group phase are allocated into three conferences. The BAL announced the official schedule on 28 February 2025.[11]
Tiebreakers
The ranking of teams in the regular season was determined as follows:[23][24]
- Win-loss record;
- Head-to-head record;
- Point differential in the games between the respective teams;
- Number of points scored in the games between the respective teams;
- Average point differential in all games against other teams in the Conference;
- Average number of points scored in all games played against other teams in the Conference;
- Drawing.
Kalahari Conference
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | PF | PA | PD | PCT | Qualification | AIA | RIV | FUS | SMB | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Al Ittihad Alexandria |
6 | 6 | 0 | 526 | 428 | +98 | 1.000 | Advance to playoffs | — | 94–77 | 98–74 | 91–68 | |
| 2 | Rivers Hoopers |
6 | 4 | 2 | 484 | 466 | +18 | .667 | 80–100 | — | 88–82 | 79–59 | ||
| 3 | FUS Rabat (H) |
6 | 2 | 4 | 456 | 475 | −19 | .333 | 60–71 | 71–79 | — | 92–72 | ||
| 4 | Stade Malien |
6 | 0 | 6 | 395 | 492 | −97 | .000 | 69–72 | 60–81 | 67–77 | — |
Legend: Blue = home team win; Red = away team win.
Rules for classification: Tiebreakers
(H) Hosts
Sahara Conference
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | PF | PA | PD | PCT | Qualification | USM | APL | KRS | AVD | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | US Monastir |
6 | 4 | 2 | 478 | 444 | +34 | .667 | Advance to playoffs | — | 87–73 | 88–72 | 77–68 | |
| 2 | Petro de Luanda |
6 | 3 | 3 | 463 | 432 | +31 | .500[a] | 78–68 | — | 69–71 | 76–67 | ||
| 3 | Kriol Star |
6 | 3 | 3 | 461 | 506 | −45 | .500[a] | 83–91 | 74–103 | — | 66–63 | ||
| 4 | ASC Ville de Dakar (H) |
6 | 2 | 4 | 425 | 445 | −20 | .333 | 70–67 | 65–64 | 92–95 | — |
Legend: Blue = home team win; Red = away team win.
Rules for classification: Tiebreakers
(H) Hosts
Notes:
- Head-to-head: Petro de Luanda 1–1 Kriol Star, +26 point differential.
Nile Conference
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | PF | PA | PD | PCT | Qualification | AHT | APR | MBB | NCT | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Al Ahli Tripoli |
6 | 6 | 0 | 604 | 498 | +106 | 1.000 | Advance to playoffs | — | 106–102 | 102–73 | 104–91 | |
| 2 | APR (H) |
6 | 3 | 3 | 530 | 508 | +22 | .500 | 68–90 | — | 88–94 | 92–63 | ||
| 3 | MBB |
6 | 2 | 4 | 476 | 539 | −63 | .333 | 73–102 | 81–103 | — | 76–85 | ||
| 4 | Nairobi City Thunder |
6 | 1 | 5 | 474 | 539 | −65 | .167 | 87–115 | 74–77 | 74–75 | — |
Legend: Blue = home team win; Red = away team win.
Rules for classification: Tiebreakers
(H) Hosts
Ranking of third-placed teams
Playoffs
Rankings
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | GF | GA | GD | PCT | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Al Ahli Tripoli |
6 | 6 | 0 | 604 | 498 | +106 | 1.000 | Qualification to 1st-2nd seed game |
| 2 | Al Ittihad Alexandria |
6 | 6 | 0 | 526 | 428 | +98 | 1.000 | |
| 3 | US Monastir |
6 | 4 | 2 | 478 | 444 | +34 | .667 | Qualification to 3rd-4th seed game |
| 4 | Rivers Hoopers |
6 | 4 | 2 | 484 | 466 | +18 | .667 | |
| 5 | Petro de Luanda |
6 | 3 | 3 | 463 | 432 | +31 | .500 | Qualification to 5th-6th seed game |
| 6 | APR |
6 | 3 | 3 | 530 | 508 | +22 | .500 | |
| 7 | Kriol Star |
6 | 3 | 3 | 461 | 506 | −45 | .500 | Qualification to 7th-8th seed game |
| 8 | FUS Rabat |
6 | 2 | 4 | 456 | 475 | −19 | .333 |
Rules for classification: Teams ranked on 1) Win-loss record; 2) Head-to-head record; 3) Point differential in the games between the respective teams; 4) Number of points scored in the games between the respective teams; 5) Average point differential in all games against other teams in the Conference; 6) Average number of points scored in all games played against other teams in the Conference; 7) Drawing.
Seeding games
The seeding games between the eight teams that advanced from the group phase were played on 8 and 9 June 2025. The match-ups were determined based on an aggregate ranking of all teams, with four pairings to decide the final seeds. The numbers in brackets are the seeds of the teams.
| Team 1 | Score | Team 2 |
|---|---|---|
| (1) Al Ahli Tripoli |
74–85 | Al Ittihad Alexandria (2) |
| (3) US Monastir |
89–81 | Rivers Hoopers (4) |
| (5) Petro de Luanda |
57–75 | APR (6) |
| (7) Kriol Star |
91–88 | FUS Rabat (8) |
Bracket
| Quarterfinals | Semifinals | Final | ||||||||||||
| 1 | Al Ittihad Alexandria (OT)
| 86 | ||||||||||||
| 8 | FUS Rabat
| 83 | ||||||||||||
| 1 | Al Ittihad Alexandria
| 74 | ||||||||||||
| 6 | Petro de Luanda
| 96 | ||||||||||||
| 3 | US Monastir
| 84 | ||||||||||||
| 6 | Petro de Luanda
| 95 | ||||||||||||
| 6 | Petro de Luanda
| 67 | ||||||||||||
| 2 | Al Ahli Tripoli
| 88 | ||||||||||||
| 2 | Al Ahli Tripoli
| 107 | ||||||||||||
| 7 | Kriol Star
| 81 | ||||||||||||
| 2 | Al Ahli Tripoli
| 84 | Third place game | |||||||||||
| 5 | APR
| 71 | ||||||||||||
| 4 | Rivers Hoopers
| 73 | 1 | Al Ittihad Alexandria
| 90 | |||||||||
| 5 | APR
| 104 | 5 | APR
| 123 | |||||||||
Individual awards
The Coach of the Year award was announced on 14 June 2025, while the other awards were announced on 15 June 2025, before or after the final.[25] For the first time in league history, fans were allowed to vote for the winner of the MVP and the Defensive Player of the Year awards, having the option of picking between four finalists. The fan vote made up for 25% of the points, with the other 75% coming from the MVP panel.[26][27]
- MVP: Jean Jacques Boissy, Al Ahli Tripoli
- Finalists: Jaylen Adams (Al Ahli Tripoli), Patrick Gardner, Aboubakar Gakou (Petro de Luanda)[26]
- Defensive Player of the Year: Aliou Diarra, APR[28]
- Finalists: Anas Mahmoud (Al Ittihad Alexandria), Jean Jacques Boissy (Al Ahli Tripoli) and Childe Dundão (Petro de Luanda)[27]
- Coach of the Year: Fouad Abou Chakra, Al Ahli Tripoli[29]
- Sportsmanship Award: Solo Diabate, Petro de Luanda[25]
|
|
Statistics
Individual statistic leaders
| Category[34] | Player | Team(s) | Statistic |
|---|---|---|---|
| Points per game | Teafale Lenard | MBB | 22.7 |
| Rebounds per game | Assem Marei | Al Ahli Tripoli | 12.4 |
| Assists per game | Cameron Parker | Kriol Star | 7.8 |
| Steals per game | Teafale Lenard | MBB | 3.5 |
| Blocks per game | Aliou Diarra | APR | 3.4 |
| Minutes per game | Ivan Almeida | Kriol Star | 37.5 |
| FG% | Aliou Diarra | APR | 55.7% |
| 3P% | Madut Akec | Rivers Hoopers | 48.8% |
| FT% | Pieter Prinsloo | MBB | 100% |
Individual game highs
| Category[35] | Player | Team | Statistic |
|---|---|---|---|
| Points | Teafale Lenard | MBB | 39 |
| Rebounds | Assem Marei | Al Ahli Tripoli | 19 |
| Assists | Childe Dundão | Petro de Luanda | 11 |
| John Jordan | FUS Rabat | ||
| Steals | Madut Akec | Rivers Hoopers | 6 |
| Blocks | Aliou Diarra | APR | 8 (record) |
| Three pointers | Axel Mpoyo | APR | 10 (record) |
Team statistic leaders
| Category[36] | Team | Statistic |
|---|---|---|
| Points per game | Al Ahli Tripoli | 95.7 |
| Rebounds per game | ASC Ville de Dakar | 46.0 |
| Assists per game | APR | 22.7 |
| Steals per game | Al Ahli Tripoli | 11.5 |
| Blocks per game | MBB | 4.7 |
| Turnovers per game | 17.2 | |
| Fouls per game | 20.2 | |
| FG% | APR | 48.0% |
| FT% | Kriol Star | 76.1% |
| 3P% | FUS Rabat | 37.9% |
