The 2026 BAL season, also known as BAL Season 6, will be the 6th season of the Basketball Africa League (BAL). The playoffs and finals will be held in BK Arena in Kigali, Rwanda, for a fifth time, as a result of a long-term agreement with the country. The will begin on 27 March and end 31 May 2026 with the final.
The winners will earn the right to play in the 2026 FIBA Intercontinental Cup. Al Ahli Tripoli were the previous champions, but have not yet qualified for the competition.
Under a long-term agreement between the Rwanda Development Board and the BAL, the playoffs and finals will be held in the BK Arena in Kigali, Rwanda, for a record fifth time.
Petro de Luanda qualified for its sixth BAL season, a record for most appearances by any club. For the first time in league history, US Monastir did not represent Tunisia, as they lost to Club Africain in the Championnat Pro A finals.
For this season, eight teams qualified directly to the main stage, including the champions of Morocco and South Africa. Dar City from Tanzania was given a wild card after finishing third in the East Division of the Road to BAL.
On March 12, 2026, APR withdrew from the season, despite having earlier qualified as Rwandan national champions. The team is owned by the Rwandan Defence Force, which had been under American sanctions due to allegations of supporting armed groups in the DR Congo. As such, the team was not able to participate in the competition, as NBA Africa is an American entity. On Mar 20, FERWABA announced that the RSSB Tigers would replace APR.
The official schedule was announced on 30 January 2026.
The team allocation and schedule for the group phase were announced on 26 February 2026.
The Kalahari Conference will take place from 27 March to 5 April 2026 in the SunBet Arena in Pretoria, South Africa.
The Sahara Conference will take place from 24 April to 3 May 2026 in the Prince Moulay Abdellah Indoor Stadium in Rabat, Morocco.