| 2024 BAL qualification | |
| Association: | FIBA Africa |
| League: | Road to BAL |
| Sport: | Basketball |
| Prevseason Year: | 2023 |
| Duration: | 3 October – 26 November 2023 |
| No Of Teams: | 29 registered 22 participated |
| Season: | West Division |
| Season Champ Name: | Division champions |
| Season Champs: |  Bangui Sporting Club |
| Top Scorer: | John Jordan (FUS Rabat) |
| Season2: | East Division |
| Season Champ2 Name: | Division champions |
| Season Champs2: | Cape Town Tigers |
| Top Scorer2: | Dhieu Deing (Pazi) |
| Prevseason Link: | 2023 BAL qualification |
| Nextseason Link: | 2025 BAL qualification |
| Nextseason Year: | 2025 |
The qualification for the 2024 BAL season, also known as Road to BAL 2024, was the 4th edition of the qualifying tournaments for the Basketball Africa League (BAL). The tournaments were organised by FIBA Africa and are held from 3 October to 26 November 2023.[1] The format was the same as to the previous seasons, with the competition divided in the group phase and the elite 16.
In the West Division, Bangui Sporting Club won the division and became the first team from the Central African Republic to qualify.[2] Runners-up were FUS Rabat and Al Ahly Benghazi finished third, and became the first team from Libya to qualify.[3] In the East Division, the Cape Town Tigers took their second division title, while runners-up City Oilers qualified for a second straight season.[4] Dynamo became the first team from Burundi to qualify.[5]
The representatives of Guinea, Uganda, Mali, Mozambique, Ivory Coast and South Africa were directly qualified for the Elite 16, as teams from those countries qualified in the 2023 tournaments.
The teams were allocated as follows:
The final list of teams was announced by FIBA Africa on 21 September 2023. On 30 September 2023, FIBA announced that Nigelec from Niger and Roche-Bois Warriors of Mauritius had pulled out of the tournament.[6] On 5 October, FIBA announced Elan Coton of Benin withdrew, causing the cancellation of Group A with the remaining two teams automatically advancing.[7]
| Entry stage | Association | Team | Qualification method | Head coach |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Elite 16 (2 teams) | Guinea | SLAC | Winner of FGBB-organised qualification tournament | Paolo Povia[8] |
| Ivory Coast | ABC Fighters | 2023 Ivorian Basketball Championship champions | Milutin Nikolić[9] | |
| Mali | 2022–23 Ligue 1 champions | — | ||
| Group phase (7 teams) | Benin | 2023 Benin Basketball Super League champions | — | |
| Cameroon | FAP | 2023 Elite Messieurs champions | Kevin Ngwese[10] | |
| Central African Republic | Bangui Sporting Club | 2023 Bangui Basketball League champions | Liz Mills[11] | |
| Chad | 2023 Ligue de Basketball de N'Djaména 1st place | — | ||
| DR Congo | Virunga | 2023 Coupe du Congo champions | Peter Mulolwa[12] | |
| Gabon | Espoir | 2023 Gabonese Cup champions | Michael Oganda Igoue[13] | |
| Libya | Al Ahly Benghazi | 2022–23 Libyan Division I Basketball League champions | Aoun Monaem[14] | |
| Morocco | FUS Rabat | 2022–23 Division Excellence champions | Said El Bouzidi[15] | |
| Niger | No national championship organised | — |
| Entry stage | Association | Team | Qualification method | Head coach |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Elite 16 (3+1 teams) | Mozambique | Ferroviário da Beira | 2023 Liga Moçambicana de Basquetebol champions | Luis Hernandez Lopez[16] |
| South Africa | 2023 BNL season champions | Florsheim Ngwenya[17] | ||
| Uganda | 2022 NBL Uganda season champions[18] | Mandy Juruni[19] | ||
| None | NBA Academy Africa | Wild card | Alfred Aboya[20] | |
| Group phase (10 teams) | Botswana | Dolphins | 2023 Botswana Basketball League champions | Trynos Moyo[21] |
| Burundi | Dynamo | 2023 Viva Basketball League champions | Olivier Ndayiragije[22] | |
| Comoros | Ushindzi | 2022–23 Comoros Basketball Championship champions | Ali Abdoulwahab[23] | |
| Ethiopia | 2023 Ethiopian Premier League champions | — | ||
| Kenya | KPA | 2023 KBF Premier League champions | Guy Arnaud[24] | |
| Tanzania | Pazi | 2023 National Basketball League champions | Henry Mwinuka[25] | |
| Madagascar | COSPN | 2022 N1A champions | Julien Chaignot[26] | |
| Malawi | 2023 BASMAL National Championship champions | — | ||
| Mauritius | 2023 MBBF Super League champions | — | ||
| Namibia | UNAM Wolves | 2022 Khomas Basketball Association League champions | Titus Mwahafa[27] | |
| Seychelles | Beau Vallon Heat | 2023 Seychelles Basketball League champions | Augustin Scholastique[28] | |
| Zambia | Munali Suns | 2022–23 Zambia Basketball League champions | Harry Chansa[29] | |
| Zimbabwe | JBC | 2023 BUZ National Championship champions | Addison Chiware[30] |
GhanaThe venues and schedule for the group phase were confirmed on 21 September 2023. The 20 teams were drawn into five groups, geographically divided into two divisions. The games will begin on 3 October 2023 and end 22 October 2023.[31]
Eleven teams, Al Ahly Benghazi, FUS Rabat, Lamantins, Virunga, Pazi, Sebeta City, UNAM Wolves, Munali Suns, JBC and Ushindzi will make their debut appearances in the Road to BAL competition. Lamantins were the first team from Chad to play in the Road to BAL.
On 30 September, Nigelec withdrew from the tournament. On 5 October, Elan Coton withdrew as well, which subsequently led to FIBA 's decision to cancel the group's games; the two remaining teams (Al Ahly Benghazi and FUS Rabat) automatically qualified for the Elite 16.
The games of Group A are expected to be played from 6 to 10 October in Benghazi, Libya.
The games of Group B were played from 6 to 10 October in Yaoundé, Cameroon. Lamantins refused to play the second half of their opening match against FAP, and were given a technical loss. Following another forfeited game, they were subsequently disqualified and the team's remaining matches were cancelled and scores were forgotten.
The games of Group C were initially scheduled for 10–15 October in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. The games were later moved to 19–21 October. Sebeta City from Ethiopia was drawn into the group, but withdrew later. Elan Coton from Benin, which was originally drawn into Group A, replaced the team.
The games of Group D were initially scheduled for 17–22 October in Gaborone, Botswana, but were eventually moved to 21–23 October. Bravehearts from Malawi were also drawn in the group but withdrew before the start of the tournament.
The games of Group E are expected to be played from 3 to 7 October in Antananarivo, Madagascar.
The Elite 16 is composed of sixteen teams that are geographically divided into Group E and Group F. The teams that finish in the top three places of their division qualify for the 2024 BAL season.
The West Division was initially supposed to be held in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, for a second consecutive season. However, on 12 October, FIBA Africa announced the Yaoundé Multipurpose Sports Complex in Yaoundé was the new host of the games, because the venue in Abidjan was unavailable.[32] The East Division will be hosted in Johannesburg, South Africa, for the third season in a row.[33]
The draw was held on 23 October 2023 in Gaborone. Teams that played in the same group in the first phase could not be drawn in the same group for the Elite 16.[34]
All indicated times are in GMT+2.
Note: Per the FIBA website, some boxscores of games are missing and have not been included in the averages.[35]
| Category | Player | Team(s) | Statistic | Played | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Efficiency per game | Aliou Diarra | FUS Rabat | 20.0 | 4 | |
| Points per game | Dhieu Deing | Pazi | 22.2 | 5 | |
| Rebounds per game | Israel Otobo | Dynamo | 13.1 | 8 | |
| Assists per game | Solo Diabate | Al Ahly Benghazi | 6.8 | 4 | |
| Steals per game | Perry Petty | City Oilers | 4.0 | 4 | |
| Blocks per game | Hasheem Thabeet | Pazi | 2.8 | 4 | |
| Turnovers per game | Noah Penduka | JBC | 4.5 | 4 | |
| Minutes per game | Dhieu Deing | Pazi | 39.3 | 5 | |
| FG% | Aliou Diarra | FUS Rabat | 71.9% | 4 | |
| 3P% | Jalone Friday | FAP | 62.5% | 4 | |
| FT% | Dhieu Deing | Pazi | 88.9% | 5 | |
| Double-doubles | Israel Otobo | Dynamo | 4 | 8 |
| Category | Player | Team | Statistic | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Efficiency | Aliou Diarra | FUS Rabat | 37 | |
| Points | Chris Crawford | Al Ahly Benghazi | 39 | |
| Rebounds | Aliou Diarra | FUS Rabat | 21 | |
| Assists | Solo Diabate | Al Ahly Benghazi | 12 | |
| Steals | Solo Diabate | Al Ahly Benghazi | 6 | |
| Perry Petty (2x) | City Oilers | |||
| Blocks | Frank Betoudji | Virunga | 9 |