Nairobi City Thunder, Kenya's representatives to the Road to BAL (Basketball Africa League) 2027, are set to host the final phase of the continental showpiece's qualifiers, the Elite 16 East Division, in Nairobi, with the dates now confirmed.Download our Mozzart Sport app for more newsAs in 2024, Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire and Nairobi, Kenya have been chosen to host the final Elite 16 tournament, with the Nairobi event scheduled from Monday, 23 to Sunday, 29 November at Kasarani Indoor Arena, while the latter hosts the West Division from Monday, 9 to Sunday, 15 November, with JCA Kings, who made their debut in the BAL season earlier this year, hosting in Abidjan.##NAJAVA_MECA_10075977##The top two teams in each Division will qualify for the 2027 BAL season seven, with opportunities to land wild cards from the qualifiers also on the cards.Thunder are playing in the Elite 16 for the third consecutive time, having qualified for the showpiece after yet another unbeaten season in the Kenya Basketball Federation (KBF) men's league to complete a three-peat, and receiving a bye in the Group Phase of the BAL qualifiers.Atlanta Dream in 7? Madina Okot one win away from lifting WNBA titleThunder on the Road to BALAfter capturing their first national championship in July 2024, Thunder entered their debut continental qualifying campaign with a packed roster that blitzed through the first round in Kibaha, Tanzania, falling only to Burundi's Urunani.During the Elite 16 hosted at home in December 2024, they faced regional powerhouses, but their decisive 72-62 win over Uganda's City Oilers in the semifinals saw them punch their ticket to the 2025 BAL Season 5, becoming the first Kenyan team to reach the premier continental competition. They went on to crush Cape Verde's Kriol Star 99–86 in the final to lift their first East Division trophy.##NAJAVA_MECA_10079456##Following another unbeaten domestic season, Thunder entered the 2025 qualifiers with a target on their backs and an intention to advance to the BAL and right their wrongs.They had a bye to the Elite 16 and were keen to prove themselves. In the crucial semifinal, they dismantled Mozambique's Ferroviário da Beira 109-70 to lock down their back-to-back BAL regular season qualification. The Bradley Ibs side also outlasted South Africa's Johannesburg Giants 94-84 in the tournament final, securing consecutive East Division titles.The side will be looking to repeat the feat for another three-peat on the continental stage when they host the competition later in November, while also looking to advance and fight for the elusive BAL playoff place.Preview: Inside Kenya's contingent to Sunday's New York City Marathon
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