Mozambican club stands in Nairobi City Thunder’s way to 2026 Basketball Africa League

Kenyan champions Nairobi City Thunder are brimming with confidence ahead of their decisive Road to Basketball Africa League (BAL) Elite 16 (East Division) semi-final match against Mozambican giants Ferroviario da Beira on Saturday.

The match will start at 7pm at the Kasarani Indoor Arena. It will be preceded by the first semi-final encounter between Tanzania’s Dar City Basketball Team and South Africa’s Johannesburg Giants, which will throw off at 4:30pm.

Winners of the two semi-final fixtures will proceed to Sunday’s final to determine the East Division champions. Both finalists will automatically qualify for the 2026 Basketball Africa League. Losers of Saturday’s semi-final fixtures will meet in the bronze-medal match on Sunday, which will precede the final.

“We are going for the kill. We hope to qualify for the 2026 Basketball Africa League. We are positive of a win,” Nairobi City  Thunder’s team manager Bernet Ojay said on Friday, underscoring the charged mood in the camp.

The winner of the East Division qualifiers will join already-qualified Club Africain (Tunisia), Petro de Luanda (Angola), Al Ahly (Egypt), ASC Ville de Dakar (Senegal), FUS Rabat (Morocco), Jeunesse Club d’Abidjan (Côte d’Ivoire), hosts APR (Rwanda), and reigning champions Al Ahly Tripoli (Libya) in 2026 BAL.

Thunder, who became the first Kenyan club to reach BAL in the 2024–2025 season, are seeking a second consecutive appearance. The 2026 BAL champions will also earn a berth to the 2026 FIBA Intercontinental Cup.

Thunder booked their place in the semi-finals after surviving a dramatic late push to slay Johannesburg Giants 86–83 on Thursday in front of 1,798 fans at Kasarani. The Kenyans started strongly with a 24–14 first quarter, but were pushed to the limit after narrowly losing the next three periods, 20–21, 19–21 and 23–27.

USA-born small forward Albert Odero delivered a sterling performance, scoring 21 points, including the decisive game-winner. Kenyan star Tylor Ongwae added 18 points and six assists, while Lance Robert Thomas of the USA and Eugene Adera contributed 14 and 11 points, respectively.

Johannesburg’s Dhieu Abwok Deing led all scorers with 27 points, supported by Joshua Ozabor (25) and Nkosinathi Sibanyoni (15). Despite the loss, Johannesburg qualified for the semi-finals from Group “A”.

Dar City won Group “B” ahead of Ferroviario da Beira. Earlier in Group “B”, Zambia’s Matero Magic beat Malawi’s Bravehearts 78–71 before Dar City overcame Ferroviario 87–78 to top the group.

Seven teams competed in the Nairobi showpiece, with Thunder opening their campaign on November 18 with an 89–62 win over Namuwongo Blazers from Uganda. The Elite 16 format split teams into two pools, with the top two advancing to Saturday’s decisive semi-finals.

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