Sahara Conference
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2024}}{{Short description|Conference of the Basketball Africa League}}
{{Infobox Sports conference
| title = Sahara Conference
| logo = Sahara Conference logo.png
| pixels = 150px
| sport = Basketball
| league = Basketball Africa League
| formerly =
| founded = 2022
| inaugural = 2022
| teams = 4
(2024–present)
6
(2022–2023)
| venue = Dakar Arena
| champion = {{flagicon|TUN}} US Monastir (1st title)
| champ_season = 2025
| most_champs =
| current = 2025 BAL season group phase#Sahara Conference
| color = red
| font_color = yellow
}}
The Sahara Conference is one of the three conferences that make up the Basketball Africa League (BAL), the other two being the Nile Conference and the Kalahari Conference. All conferences currently consist of four teams.
The conference alignment began in the 2022 season, although plans to have conferences were already set up before the inaugural season. Named after the Sahara, the conference has been played at a single venue thus far, the Dakar Arena in Dakar, Senegal for the past two seasons.
Venues
From 2022 to 2024, all games of the Sahara Conference were played at the Dakar Arena located in Dakar.{{Efn|Officially, the Dakar Arena is located in the town of Diamniadio.}}
Current standings
{{2025 BAL tables|Sahara Conference|show_matches=no}}
Conference winners
Although no official trophy or title is awarded, the team ending at the top of the standings in the conference is lauded as "Conference winners" by the BAL.
| class="wikitable"
|+Sahara Conference results !Season !Winners !Conference record !Playoffs result !Ref. |
| 2022 (Details)
| {{flagicon|RWA}} REG (RWA) |{{Ntsh|.800}} 4–1 (.800) |Lost in quarter-finals |
| 2023 (Details)
| {{flagicon|MLI}} Stade Malien (MLI) |{{Ntsh|.600}} 3–2 (.600) |Won third place game |
| 2024 (Details)
|{{flagicon|NGR}} Rivers Hoopers (NGR) |{{Ntsh|.667}} 4–2 (.667) |Won third place game | |
| 2025 (Details)
|{{flagicon|TUN}} US Monastir (TUN) |{{Ntsh|.667}} 4–2 (.667) |TBD |
= Titles by team =
| class="wikitable sortable"
!Team !Titles !Season(s) won |
| {{flagicon|RWA}} REG
|1 |2022 |
| {{flagicon|MLI}} Stade Malien
|1 |2023 |
| {{flagicon|NGR}} Rivers Hoopers
|1 |2024 |
| {{flagicon|TUN}} US Monastir
|1 |2025 |
Standings
| class="wikitable"
| width="10px" align="center" bgcolor="#FFCC00" |^ |Denotes team that won the BAL championship |
| width="10px" align="center" bgcolor="#C0C0C0" |+
|Denotes team that lost in the BAL finals |
| width="10px" align="center" bgcolor="#CCFFCC" |*
|Denotes team that qualified for the BAL playoffs |
| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center; font-size:90%"
!rowspan=2|Season !colspan=6|Positions (by team) |
| width=150px|1st
!width=150px|2nd !width=150px|3rd !width=150px|4th !width=150px|5th !width=150px|6th |
|---|
| 2022
| bgcolor="#CCFFCC" |REG* | bgcolor="#FFCC00" |Monastir^ | bgcolor="#CCFFCC" |AS Salé* (3–2) | bgcolor="#CCFFCC" |SLAC* |Ferroviário |DUC |
| 2023
| bgcolor="#CCFFCC" |Stade Malien* | bgcolor="silver" |AS Douanes+ | bgcolor="#CCFFCC" |REG* (3–2) | bgcolor="#CCFFCC" |ABC Fighters* |Monastir |Kwara Falcons |
| 2024
| bgcolor="#CCFFCC" |Rivers Hoopers* | bgcolor="#CCFFCC" |AS Douanes* | bgcolor="#CCFFCC" |US Monastir* | APR | colspan="2" |– |
| 2025
| bgcolor="#CCFFCC" |US Monastir* | bgcolor="#CCFFCC" |Rivers Hoopers* | bgcolor="#CCFFCC" |Kriol Star* | ASC Ville de Dakar | colspan="2" |– |
Notes
{{Notelist}}