Cameroon: FAP Basketball Club Misses out on Basketball Africa League 2024

By Boris Esono Nwenfor

BUEA, December 1, 2023 – FAP Basketball Club of Yaoundé has missed out on the 2024 edition of the Basketball Africa League, BAL, for the second consecutive year running, after failing to qualify for the 2023 edition.

The team failed to pick the last available ticket from the West Division when they were beaten by Al Ahly Benghazi of Libya 84-93 on November 5. The win for Al Ahly was the second over FAP who had fallen 86-77 on Game 2 of the competition.

12 teams will be taking part in the 2024 edition of the Basketball Africa League, with five (5) teams making their first appearance in the premier basketball competition on the African continent, backed by the National Basketball Association, NBA, and FIBA. They include Burundi’s Dynamo Basketball Club, APR, Bangui Sporting Club, FUS Rabat and Al Ahly Benghazi.

Burundi's Dynamo Basketball Club secured the last of the three available places and joined Cape Town Tigers, who finished the qualifiers unbeaten and Uganda's City Oilers. Other teams that have qualified for the competition include; Angolan champions Petro de Luanda, Egypt's Al Ahly SC, Nigeria’s Rivers Hoopers, Senegal’s AS Douanes, and Tunisia’s US Monastir.

The 2024 edition of the Basketball Africa will feature an expanded tournament with a record 48 games played across four African countries; Egypt, Senegal, Rwanda and South Africa over four months. This will be the first time that the Basketball Africa League will be played across four countries and also the first time that South Africa will host matches of the Basketball Africa League.

Each conference will play a 12-game group phase during which each team will face the other three teams in its conference twice. The inaugural Kalahari Conference group phase will take place in March, followed by the Nile Conference group phase in April and the Sahara Conference group phase in May. The top two teams from each conference and the top two third-placed teams from across the three conferences will travel to Rwanda for four seeding games followed by an eight-game single-elimination playoffs and Finals from May to June, according to the Basketball Africa League.

“We are thrilled to expand our footprint in the BAL’s fourth season and allow more fans to experience the excitement of this historic league, including the first BAL games in South Africa where there is already strong affinity for the game,” Amadou Gallo Fall, President of the Basketball Africa League said.

“We look forward to building on the momentum of our first three seasons and to continuing to deliver a world-class basketball and entertainment product that represents Africa proudly on the global stage.”

Anibal Manave, FIBA Africa President said: "We are pleased that season 4 of the BAL is coming soon, and it has been extended to more African countries in all four corners of the continent. The BAL has had a very positive impact on players and the sport of basketball in Africa. The upcoming season promises to deliver even more exciting basketball action for fans to enjoy."