History-making Nairobi City Thunder will today face off with Uganda’s Namuwongo Blazers in their opening match of the 2026 Basketball Africa League (BAL) Elite 16 East Division qualifiers at the Kasarani Indoor Arena.
Thunder will be looking to qualify for Africa’s prestigious men’s tournament for a second year in a row having made history last year by becoming the first Kenyan side to achieve that feat.
They will also be out to secure their place at the 2026 BAL so they can improve on last year’s performance at the conference for a chance to play in the final.
Last year, they failed to make it to the final played in Pretoria, South Africa following a dismal show at the Nile Conference where they registered one victory only.
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Thunder captain Tylor Ongwae said that they are ready for the challenge and they are driven by the desire to improve on last year’s performance.
“Our biggest motivation this year is that we are trying to avenge what happened last year. At BAL we didn’t perform well, we had one for five, this year we are trying to change that and see if we can go a little bit further,” Ongwae said.
Appreciating the input of fans, Ongwae urged Kenyans to turn out in large numbers and cheer them on.
“We have really worked very hard since we started the training camp for Elite 16 and now, we urge fans to be there for us, cheers us on and we are not going to disappoint you,” he added.
Thunder begin their quest in Group A against Ugandan champions Namuwongo who qualified for Elite 16 after finishing second in first round East Division Group D qualifiers. Their second pool match will be against South Africa’s Johannesburg Giants who won the first round East Division Group E.
The Kenyan champions who successfully defended their title without losing a match made signings ahead of the contest. The Bradley Ibs-coached side have power forward Ater Majok who was instrumental in their last Elite 16 campaign in their fold.
Majok, who opted to play for ASC Ville de Dakar at the Sahara conference, reunited with his former teammates ahead of this contest.
Thunder also signed Americans Chase Adams (point guard) and Lance Thomas (power forward) to beef up the squad. Ibs will also bank on Kenya Morans stars Derrick Ogechi, Albert Odero and Ariel Okal as well as Bramwel Muchina who shifted his allegiance from local rivals Kenya Ports Authority (KPA).
In Group B, first round East Division Group E runners up Ferroviaro Da Beira from Mozambique will take on Bravehearts Basketball Club from Malawi in the first match of the championship.
Bravehearts who return to Kasarani after finishing at the bottom of their pool last year will be out for a better performance. Tanzania’s Dar City, the first round East Division Group D winners, will play Zambia’s Matero Magic in the second Group B encounter.