The Road to BAL 27 Elite 16 draws took place on Friday 8th November in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire. There were a lot of mixed reactions for the group in which Uganda’s champions, the Namuwongo Blazers were pitted.

Pool B

The Namuwongo Blazers are in group B with Tanzania’s Dar City, Botswana’s Dolphin’s basketball Club and Mozambique’s Ferroviario da Beira. To some, this is a much easier group when you compare to group A which has Nairobi City Thunder, Urunani and South Sudanese side, Patriots.

Path to Elite 16

Namuwongo Blazers qualified to the Elite 16 after finishing second in Road to BAL Division East Group D tournament that was hosted in Hoima. The Blazers won 3 of their 4 games.

Dar City qualified for the Elite 16 automatically given the fact that they had played in Basketball Africa League 26.

Ferroviario da Beira qualified for the Elite 16 after finishing second in Group E. they won 4 of their 5 games and only fell to Munali Suns who were unbeaten.

Dolphins Basketball Club won 3 of their 5 games and finished as the number 3 team in group E. That was enough for them to qualify for the Elite 16.

Nam Blazers chances?

Many believe that the Namuwongo Blazers are in an ‘easier’ group. They and Dar City are seen as the favorites to make it out of the group. The biggest question would then be, if they made it out, do they have enough to win in the semifinals. That is the most important game because a win guarantees a place in the Basketball Africa League 27.

However, before they even think about that, their aim should be to make it out of the group. That is a hurdle on which they fell short in 2025.

Potential changes

As teams prepare for the Elite 16, there are many changes that are made in the squads. The Namuwongo Blazers have yet to announce any new additions or omissions.

The Elite 16 Division East shall be played in Nairobi Kenya from 23-29 November at the Kasarani Indoor Arena.