Road to BAL
The Road to BAL, also known as the BAL Qualifying Tournaments, are the qualifying tournaments of the Basketball Africa League. While the main tournament is co-organised by FIBA and the NBA, the organization of the qualifiers is completely done by FIBA. The first qualifying rounds began on 16 October 2019 during the 2021 BAL qualification.
The qualifiers are geographically divided into the West and East Division, with three teams qualifying out of each division. Semi-finals and finals are played to determine the winners of the qualifying tournaments.
History
The first BAL qualifying game was played on October 16, 2019, in the qualification for the 2021 season. The City Oilers from Uganda defeated Dynamo 71–57 in Dar es Salaam.During the second season, the name "Road to BAL" was used for the first time, which would later become the event name.
The following years, the competition was held in different venues in several countries, but held the same format which led to six teams qualifying for the main tournament.
Format
The national champions of each national federation can sign up for the BAL qualifiers.In the inaugural edition, a total of 31 teams from 31 countries participate in the qualifying tournaments to determine which six teams will play in the 2020 BAL regular season, along with six directly placed six teams.
The qualifying tournaments are divided into the first round and the Elite 16; teams are also divided into the East Division and the West Division. Out of each division, three teams advance to the main tournament.
Venues
The qualifying rounds are usually played in groups of four to six teams that play each other once in a venue in a pre-determined location. The following arenas have hosted at least one group in either the first round or elite 16:| Venue | City | Country | Seasons hosted |
| Ellis Park Arena | Johannesburg | 1 | |
| Wembley Stadium | Johannesburg | 2 | |
| Palais des Sports de Treichville | Abidjan | 3 | |
| Palais du 29 Juillet | Niamey | 1 | |
| Palais des Sports Mahamasina | Antananarivo | 2 | |
| Palais des Sports du 28 Septembre | Conakry | 1 | |
| National Indoor Stadium | Dar es Salaam | 3 | |
| The Filbert Bayi Olympafrica Centre | Kibaha | 1 | |
| Kigali Arena | Kigali | 1 | |
| Yaoundé Multipurpose Sports Complex | Yaoundé | 3 | |
| Palais des Sports Salamatou Maïga | Bamako | 2 | |
| Palais des Sports de Cotonou | Cotonou | 1 | |
| Palais des Sports de Libreville | Libreville | 1 | |
| Tripoli Great Hall | Tripoli | 1 | |
| Japoma Multisports Complex Gymnasium | Douala | 1 | |
| City Sports Center | Harare | 1 | |
| Kasarani Indoor Arena | Nairobi | 2 | |
| Gymnase Multisports de la Police Nationale C | Kinshasa | 1 | |
| NASDEC Sports Complex | Lusaka | 1 | |
| Pavilhão Desportivo Vavá Duarte | Praia | 1 |
Results
East Division
West Division
Performance by country
As of November 2024, 13 different clubs from 12 countries have qualified for the BAL's main tournament. As of the 2023 season, Nigeria, Rwanda, Egypt, Senegal and Tunisia are given a bye for the qualifiers as they qualify directly for the BAL. In 2021, Morocco was also given an automatic spot.All-time participants
The following is a list of clubs who have played in the BAL Qualifying Tournaments at any time since its formation in 2019, or will play in the upcoming season.All-time record by club
| Club | Years | 4th | 3rd | |||||
 RecordsTeam records
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