Nigerian champions Rivers Hoopers have been placed in the Kalahari Conference for the 2025 Basketball Africa League (BAL), where they will face Egypt’s Al Ittihad, Morocco’s Fath Union Sport (FUS), and Mali’s Stade Malien in the group phase.
The 2025 BAL season is set to tip off on April 5 and will run through April 13, with teams in the Kalahari Conference competing for a chance to qualify for the playoffs and finals, scheduled to take place at the SunBet Arena in Pretoria, South Africa, in June.
The Kalahari Conference group phase will be held from Saturday, April 5, to Sunday, April 13, at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Sports Complex in Rabat, Morocco.
Rivers Hoopers will open their campaign on April 5 against Stade Malien, while Fath Union Sport will take on Al Ittihad later that day. The Hoopers will then face FUS Morocco and Al Ittihad in subsequent matchups.
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The Port Harcourt-based team will aim to finish in the top three of the Kalahari Conference to secure a playoff spot and a chance to contend for the title. In the 2024 edition, they finished third, defeating Cape Town Tigers 80-57 in the bronze medal game.
In a statement on Friday, BAL announced that the fifth edition of the competition will feature three conferences, with six teams making their tournament debut.
“The 2025 BAL season, which will include three regular-season group phases before culminating in the playoffs and finals at the SunBet Arena in Pretoria, South Africa, in June, will feature a record six first-time BAL participants, including the first-ever BAL teams from Cape Verde (Kriol Star Basketball) and Kenya (Nairobi City Thunder),” the statement read.
Rivers Hoopers will be looking to build on their strong 2024 performance and surpass their third-place finish in the upcoming edition.
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