The BAL qualification process was based on the one the Champions League uses for football teams. So, in other words, the BAL has qualifying rounds that decide the participants for every season.
The teams come from the official basketball competitions of African countries, i.e. those that are part of FIBA Africa.
For every BAL, six basketball teams enter the competition straight away, while the other six are decided through the Qualifying Tournament. The teams that qualify directly are nationwide winners in their respective domestic competitions, and they are usually from the highest-ranked FIBA countries and the hosts of the upcoming BAL.
In 2021, the BAL qualification competition had 31 teams, as we’ve already mentioned, while the 2022 BAL qualifications brought together 26 teams.
What Teams Participated in the BAL?
You’ve already learned how teams got to enter every BAL season. Now, let’s cover the teams that participated in the first two BAL seasons. This information, together with how they reached the tournament and what they achieved, will be one of the few precious basketball betting tips that will help you place better wagers on the Basketball Africa League.
The teams competing in the 2021 BAL, together with how they qualified and the win-loss ratio they eventually achieved, were:
1. Zamalek from Cairo, Egypt — 2018–19 Egyptian Super League (top-tier league of Egypt) winner — 6–0 win-loss ratio + Champions of BAL 2021
2. US Monastir from Monastir, Tunisia — 2018–19 Championnat National A (top-tier league of Tunisia) winner — 5–1 win-loss ratio + Runners-up of BAL 2021
3. Petro de Luanda from Luanda, Angola — 2018–19 Angolan Basketball League (top-tier league of Angola) winner — 5–1 win-loss ratio + Third place in BAL 2021
4. Patriots from Kigali, Rwanda — East Division winner — 3–3 win-loss ratio + Fourth place in BAL 2021
5. Ferroviário de Maputo from Maputo, Mozambique — East Division third place — 2–2 win-loss ratio
6. AS Salé from Salé, Morocco — 2018–19 Division Excellence (top-tier league of Morocco) winner — 2–2 win-loss ratio
7. FAP (Forces Armées et Police Basketball) from Yaoundé, Cameroon — West Division runners-up — 1–3 win-loss ratio
8. AS Douanes from Dakar, Senegal — 2019 Nationale 1 (top-tier league of Senegal) winner — 1–3 win-loss ratio
9. Rivers Hoopers from Port Harcourt, Nigeria — 2019 NBBF President Cup (national championship of Nigeria) winner — 1–2 win-loss ratio
10. AS Police from Bamako, Mali — West Division third-place — 0–3 win-loss ratio
11. GS Pétroliers from Algiers, Algeria — West Division winner — 0–3 win-loss ratio
12. GNBC from Antsirabe, Madagascar — East Division runners-up — 0–3 win-loss ratio
The teams were placed in groups, and eight reached the playoffs. These teams were US Monastir, AS Douanes, Patriots, Ferroviário de Maputo, Zamalek, FAP, Petro de Luanda, and AS Salé.
US Monastir and Zamalek played in the finals eventually, and Zamalek won 76–63. Petro de Luanda won third place after they defeated the Patriots with 97–68.
As for the BAL 2022, here are the teams that participated:
1. US Monastir — 2020–21 Championnat National A winner — 7–1 win-loss ratio + Champions of BAL 2022
2. Petro de Luanda — 2020–21 Angolan Basketball League winner — 6–2 win-loss ratio + Runners-up of BAL 2022
3. Zamalek — 2020–21 Egyptian Basketball Super League winner — 6–1 win-loss ratio + Third place in BAL 2022
4. FAP from Yaoundé, Cameroon — West Division winner — 3–5 win-loss ratio + Fourth place in BAL 2022
5. REG from Kigali, Rwanda — 2020–21 NBL Rwanda (top-tier league of Rwanda) winner — 4–2 win-loss ratio
6. AS Salé — 2020–21 Division Excellence winner — 3–3 win-loss ratio
7. Cape Town Tigers from Cape Town, South Africa — East Division third-place — 2–4 win-loss ratio
8. SLAC from Conakry, Guinea — West Division runners-up — 2–4 win-loss ratio
9. Ferroviário da Beira from Beira, Mozambique — East Division winner — 1–4 win-loss ratio
10. Espoir Fukash from Kinshasa, DR Congo — West Division third-place — 1–4 win-loss ratio
11. Cobra Sport from Juba, South Sudan — East Division runners-up — 1–4 win-loss ratio
12. DUC Dakar from Dakar, Senegal — 2021 Nationale 1 winner — 1–4 win-loss ratio
As you can see, as many as five of the same teams got to qualify again, now for the second season of the BAL, and the results were eventually quite similar to the inaugural season.
The teams that reached the playoffs were Petro de Luanda, AS Salé, REG, FAP, Zamalek, SLAC, US Monastir, and Cape Town Tigers. Half of those were teams that had their debut in this BAL.
However, the winner, in the end, was the previous year’s runner-up — US Monastir. They defeated Petro de Luanda with 83–72, the previous year’s third-placed team. As for this year’s third place, it went to the previous year’s champions — Zamalek, who defeated the newcomer FAP with 97–74.
Crucial Basketball Africa League Betting Tips
One of the most important basketball betting tips we can give you is to pay attention to the old names of the tournament. Even though there were only two seasons by now, it’s clear that the best teams are poised to repeat similar successes.
In BAL 2021, the top four teams were Zamalek, US Monastir, Petro de Luanda, and Patriots, in that order. And in BAL 2022, the top four teams were US Monastir, Petro de Luanda, Zamalek, and FAP. It’s safe to say that the best-performing teams on the continent are not so easily defeated.
On top of that, Petro de Luanda and US Monastir have already qualified for the 2023 BAL season. Zamalek is already out, as they’ve lost their country’s main tournament, and Al Ahly from Cairo qualified instead.
Naturally, you’ll still have to follow the odds and the latest performance of every team. You’ll also have to follow the qualification rounds, where you’ll get to place some interesting bets if the African Basketball League is your thing.
In the end, if you lack some good predictions to make your wagers, you can always check the best basketball prediction website that will provide you with the information you need to place the most lucrative and successful bets you can.
With these predictions and your newly-found knowledge, you’ll have everything you need to win big while betting on the exciting BAL tournament.
