Basketball: Kalahari Conference tips off the 2024 BAL

The ball is about to bounce, and the BAL (Basketball African League) is set to thrill basketball fans across the continent. The 2024 edition opens with the Kalahari Conference, which runs from 09 to 17 March in Pretoria, South Africa. It is the first time the country has hosted BAL games. The opening game pits Morocco's FUS Rabat, newcomers to the competition, against Petro de Luanda, who were finalists in 2022. Tip-off is at 14 GMT.

The other newcomers in this conference are Dynamo Basketball Club. However, the Burundians fully intend to play spoiler. They will also get the chance to shine in front of cameras around the world. The BAL 2024 will be broadcast in 214 countries, in 17 different languages. Coverage will be on free-to-air and pay channels, including the African Union of Broadcasting, the American Forces Network (AFN), Canal+, NBA TV, Tencent Video, TSN, TV5 Monde, Visionary TV and Voice of America (VOA), as well as on the NBA app (https://apo-opa.co/4a0Kzz0), NBA.com, BAL.NBA.com and the BAL's YouTube channel.

Elsewhere, the Nile Conference of this BAL 2024 will take place from 19 to Saturday 27 April at the Hassan Mostafa Sports Complex in Cairo (Egypt). The teams involved will be Al Ahly (Egypt), Al Ahly Benghazi (Libya), Bangui Sporting Club (Central African Republic) and City Oilers (Uganda). Finally, the Sahara Conference will be held from 4 to 12 May at the Dakar Arena (Senegal). Armée Patriotique Rwandaise Basketball (Rwanda), AS Douanes (Senegal), Rivers Hoopers (Nigeria) and US Monastir (Tunisia) will compete for qualification. The top two teams from each conference and the two best third-placed sides will travel to the BK Arena in Kigali (Rwanda) for four classification games, followed by eight playoff games and the finals, from 24 May to 1 June 2024.