Munali Suns edge Harare Kings 70-69 at NASDEC to stay unbeaten and all but book Nairobi place on Road to BAL

Munali Suns survived a scare to beat Harare Kings 70-69 at the NASDEC Sports Complex in Lusaka on Monday, staying unbeaten in Group E of the Road to Basketball Africa League (BAL) 2027 qualifiers. The one-point win took the Zambian club to four wins from four. It came a day after Munali's biggest result of the group, a 96-56 win over Botswana's Dolphins, in which Douglas Kandulu scored 28 points and Ofure Ujadughele had 19 points and 10 rebounds. Munali had opened with a 79-66 win over Malawi's Bravehearts and then beat Mozambique's Ferroviario da Beira 87-85. ## Where the group stands After Monday's games, Munali led the six-team group at 4-0. Beira and Dolphins were 3-1, Harare Kings and Bravehearts 1-3, and South Africa's Soweto Panthers 0-4. Beira and Dolphins were due to meet in the final round, so only one of them can reach four wins. That means Munali cannot finish lower than second, whatever happens in their own last game, against Soweto. The top two in each group go through to the Elite 16 of their division. For the East, that is in Nairobi, Kenya, from 23 to 29 November. The top two teams in each division then qualify for the 2027 BAL season. ## Background The Road to BAL is the qualifying route for the continent's top club basketball competition. Five group tournaments run across the West and East divisions, and Lusaka hosts Group E. That lets Lusaka supporters watch continental club basketball at home. ## Why it matters Most money and attention in Zambian sport go to football. A home club going unbeaten against sides from around the region gives basketball a result it can take to sponsors. Players in domestic leagues outside football often cover their own transport and hold other jobs, and only last week Copperbelt players were promised K675 per win under a new bonus scheme, after their association said it had struggled for years to attract sponsors. A run to Nairobi puts Zambian players in front of a much bigger audience. ## What happens next