Rwanda’s RSSB Tigers won the 2026 Basketball Africa League championship, beating Angola’s Petro de Luanda 90-88 in the final held in Kigali, marking the first time a Rwandan team has won the title on home soil, according to Andscape.
The league’s sixth season broke multiple engagement records, with more than 110,000 fans attending games and a 1,000 percent year-over-year increase in total watch time. The championship final reached audiences in more than 200 countries and territories, backed by a record 20 marketing and merchandise partners.
Individual milestones also fell throughout the season, according to FIBA. RSSB Tigers guard Craig Randall II set a league scoring record with 54 points in an April 4 loss to Dar City, while Damion Baugh became the first player in BAL history to record a triple-double in his debut season, and Childe Dundao became the league’s all-time minutes leader.
The season also produced a record combined 215 points between Al Ahly Ly and Dar City on March 31, the league’s 200th game on April 1, and only its second double-overtime game in history. Eight former NBA players featured this season, including Axel Toupane, the first NBA champion to play in the BAL.
NBA deputy commissioner Mark Tatum said the record season reflects “the success of the league over its first six seasons and the enormous growth opportunities that we see going forward,” as the BAL prepares to shift from a tournament format to a franchise model with ten permanent teams beginning as soon as 2027 or 2028. The growth mirrors a broader surge in African sport this year, including a record nine African teams reaching the World Cup knockout stage.
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