RSSB Tigers are setting their sights on another major basketball title after becoming the first Rwandan club to win the Basketball Africa League (BAL).
Regis Rugemanshuro, Director General of the Rwanda Social Security Board (RSSB), said the club will travel to China for the FIBA Intercontinental Cup with the ambition of winning the trophy rather than simply making an appearance.
“We are preparing seriously, and we will do everything possible to give ourselves a chance to compete and win. We respect the level of this competition, but we are not going there just to participate or to celebrate having reached it. We are very confident. Our goal is to win the trophy,” Rugemanshuro told The New Times.
The Tigers earned Africa’s place at the Intercontinental Cup after their historic BAL triumph, when they defeated Angola’s Petro de Luanda 90-88 in Kigali to claim the 2026 title. FIBA confirmed that the victory made RSSB Tigers the first Rwandan team to win the BAL.
The Intercontinental Cup will take place in Beijing, China, from September 22 to 27 and will bring together six teams representing different basketball regions.
RSSB Tigers have been drawn in Group A alongside Lithuania’s Rytas Vilnius, winners of the Basketball Champions League Europe, and China’s Shanghai Sharks, champions of the Chinese Basketball Association.
The Rwandan champions will open their campaign against Rytas Vilnius on September 22 before facing Shanghai Sharks on September 24.
Group B features Argentina’s Boca Juniors, Beijing Royal Fighters and NBA G League United.
The top two teams from each group will advance to the semi-finals on September 26, with the championship game scheduled for September 27.
The Beijing tournament will mark RSSB Tigers’ debut in the FIBA Intercontinental Cup. The club will also be facing opponents with very different competitive backgrounds, including European and Chinese champions.
European clubs have dominated the competition in its current six-team format, with Spain’s Unicaja winning the last two editions. Brazil’s Sesi Franca are the only team from the Americas to have won the competition since the format was introduced in 2023.
The challenge therefore represents a significant step up for the Rwandan club, which only recently reached the top of African basketball.
But RSSB’s leadership is refusing to set participation as the objective.
“We are very confident. Our goal is to win the trophy,” Rugemanshuro said.
For the Tigers, the Beijing tournament offers an opportunity to turn their breakthrough on the African continent into a statement on the global stage.
Their first test will come against Rytas Vilnius on September 22, followed by Shanghai Sharks two days later.
