Clubs from various countries across the continent are gearing up for the increasingly competitive Road to Basketball Africa League (BAL), reports fiba.com.

The qualification for the next 2025 Basketball Africa League (BAL), dubbed Road to BAL, is scheduled to run from October 17 to December 2020.

Already, bids to host regional Road to BAL tournaments are underway.

The teams vying for the championship are beginning to take shape with some newcomers likely to enter the fray.

While the Nigerian representative will be known after the ongoing national championship, it looks likely that Rivers Hoopers will participate in their third consecutive BAL going by their current standing in the league.

Also among the potential participants are Elan Coton, which in August secured their fourth consecutive Benin Republic championship. The club from the capital city of Benin, Cotonou, beat ASPAC to be crowned national champions. If they register, this will be their third appearance in the Road to BAL.

From Botswana are Dolphins Basketball Club, which just won its fifth Basketball League trophy, beating rivals Botswana Police 2–0 in the final of a best-of-three series.

This could be the Dolphins’ third appearance in the Road to BAL tournament, having previously competed in 2019 and 2023.

Burundi’s Dynamo earned the right to enter the Road to BAL for the second time after winning a fourth Viva League Basketball trophy. They overcame their rivals Urunani in a seven-game series, winning 4–3.

In Cameroon, BEAC, who are coached by former Indomitable Lions player, Kevin Ngwesse, have won their seventh national title. BEAC beat four-time champions FAP in the final of the national championship in September.

Côte d’Ivoire will be represented by JCA, who won the Ligue d’Or and the National Cup.

Under the guidance of the legendary Stéphane Konaté, JCA beat Société Omnisports des Armées (SOA) 2–0 in the best-of-three Ligue d’Or series.

Kenya’s Nairobi City Thunder finished their season by winning their second championship, achieving another unbeaten run. They beat Kenya Ports Authority 3–0 in the best-of-five series. Having successfully made their debut in the Basketball Africa League (BAL) last year and experienced the competition first-hand, the Thunder will be eager to return.

There is also Libya’s Al Ahli Benghazi, the 2024 BAL finalists, who are returning to the Road to BAL after triumphing in the Libyan Basketball League.

The Benghazi-based club secured a 3-0 victory against this year’s BAL champions, Al Ahli Tripoli, in the domestic league fiBasketball Africa League.

Another returning side is Madagascar’s Club de la Police Nationale (COSPN), heading to their third Basketball Africa League (BAL) after overcoming GNBC, the only Malagasy team to have made it to the BAL, in the N1 A Championship.