Al Ahly SC and RSSB Tigers set to battle it out for a place in the 2026 BAL Final

It's one of those games where every detail matters and minor errors could compromise the entire season. That's what the first semi-final of the 2026 BAL season is all about.

On the one hand, there is Al Ahly SC of Egypt, a club with a storied past in both the BAL and its predecessor, the FIBA Africa Champions Cup. 

On the other hand, there are the RSSB Tigers, who replaced their domestic rivals APR as Rwanda's representatives in the current BAL season just a few weeks before the start of the competition.

The game tips off at 19:00 (local time) at BK Arena in Kigali.

Established in 2019, the Tigers – otherwise known as the RSSB Tigers for sponsorship reasons – could make history if they beat the 2023 BAL champions, Al Ahly SC, on Wednesday, 27 May.

Meanwhile, Al Ahly SC, who won the 2016 FIBA African Champions Cup in Cairo, will enter the game against the RSSB Tigers looking to boost their chances of reaching the final, and therefore fighting to become the first club to win the BAL twice.

Both Al Ahly SC and the RSSB Tigers won four of their five games in the Kalahari and Sahara Conferences, respectively.

The BK Arena is expected to be full to capacity, mainly with local fans cheering on the Tigers, who are aiming to become the first Rwandan team to reach the BAL finals.

A look at the stats

Based on both teams’ seven games, the RSSB Tigers appear to be the more dominant team. However, as the saying goes, there are key factors in basketball that do not appear on the stat sheets. 

Nevertheless, here is what the stats show:

Points per game:
Al Ahly SC - 82
RSSB Tigers – 97

Field-Goals percentage per game:
Al Ahly SC – 42%
RSSB Tigers – 42%

Three-points made per game:
Al Ahly SC - 15
RSSB Tigers – 9

Assists per game:
Al Ahly SC - 18
RSSB Tigers – 21

Offensive Rebounds per game:
Al Ahly SC - 11
RSSB Tigers – 14

Rebounds per game:
Al Ahly SC - 40
RSSB Tigers – 41

Points in the pain per game:
Al Ahly SC - 33
RSSB Tigers – 31

Players to watch out in the semifinals

Aside from the collective effort, a number of individuals from both teams have stood out throughout the season.

Some of these have also been the go-to guys for their teams. 

Players to watch in this semi-final match include Craig Randall of the RSSB Tigers, who set a BAL scoring record with 54 points against Dar City in the Kalahari Conference, averaging 37 points across six games; Nuni Omot, the 2023 BAL MVP, who joined Al Ahly SC in the quarter-finals, averaging 24 points per game; Kevin Murphy of Al Ahly SC, who averaged 18 points across five games; and Teafale Lenard, who averaged 21 points across three games.

Lenard only played eight minutes in the quarterfinals and was sidelined with an injury for the second time this season, but he is expected to return for the semi-finals. 

The battle in the paint could also be decisive, considering the dominant inside players, such as Oumar Ballo and Mangok Mathiang of the RSSB Tigers, and the Al Ahly SC duo of Osayi Osifo and Mojamed Khalaf.

Who are the tacticians? 

Calling the plays from the sidelines at this semi-final will be two head coaches who have a profound knowledge of African basketball.

Cypriot Linos Gavriel may be making his BAL debut this season, but he coached on the continent in the 2010s. He enjoyed most of his African basketball coaching career with Tunisian teams Etoile Sportive du Sahel, Etoile Sportive de Rades and US Monastir.

He led his teams to second place in the FIBA Africa Champions Cup on two occasions: with Etoile Sportive du Sahel in 2013 and with Etoile Sportive de Rades in 2014. 

Meanwhile, Tanzanian Henry Mwinuka made his BAL debut as assistant to REG’s Robert Pack during the 2022 season. 

He led the Tigers to victory in the 2025 Rwandan Cup. 

Prior to joining the Tigers, Mwinuka had led both the Patriots and the REG to a combined total of five domestic league titles. He has been coaching in Rwandan basketball for over a decade.

This is his first season as head coach in the BAL. 

BAL