By Nnusi Gazi.
@NSA.
The Africa Netball Cup 2026 and Netball World Cup Sydney 2027 Qualifier Africa concluded at the Moi International Sports Centre, Kasarani, on Saturday, following eight days of continental competition.
The final day brought the championship and classification matches to a close after a tournament that brought together 11 countries in Nairobi.
It also confirmed Malawi and Namibia as Africa’s additional teams to be invited to the Netball World Cup Sydney 2027, joining South Africa and Uganda, who had already secured qualification through the World Netball Rankings of 01 December 2025.
Men’s Africa Netball Cup
South Africa completed their campaign by defeating Eswatini in the men’s final to secure a second consecutive Africa Netball Cup title.
The final was another competitive encounter between the two teams after South Africa had also defeated Eswatini 43 – 36 earlier in the tournament.
Eswatini made the defending champions work throughout the contest, but South Africa remained composed and produced a strong finish to close out the championship.
South Africa men’s assistant coach, Siyabonga Khuzwayo, praised his players for the discipline they showed under pressure, saying: “I’m super happy. I honestly don’t even know how to explain it. I’m just proud of the boys because they did a great job.”
Eswatini finished the competition as runners-up after a strong campaign that included victories over Malawi, Uganda and hosts Kenya.
Their head coach, Jabulani Vilane said the result brought mixed emotions but believed the team’s performances showed encouraging progress.
“It’s mixed emotions, but we accept the result. I’m very proud of the boys and the performance they gave throughout the tournament. It shows that we are on the right track, although there are still areas we need to improve. In particular, our midcourt was a little shaky and that is something we need to work on going forward.”
Uganda completed the men’s podium after defeating hosts Kenya 46 – 35 in Friday’s third-place play-off, while Malawi finished fifth.
Spar Proteas Falls Short
Uganda were crowned women’s Africa Netball Cup champions after defeating defending champions South Africa 56 – 53 in a closely contested final.
The She Cranes completed an unbeaten campaign in Nairobi, having topped Pool 2 before defeating Namibia 52 – 41 in the semifinal and then holding their nerve against the SPAR Proteas in the championship decider.
South Africa finished as runners-up, while Malawi secured third place with a 50 – 45 victory over Namibia. Hosts Kenya finished fifth after an intense 63 – 57 victory over Zimbabwe, while Zambia secured seventh position after defeating Botswana 51 – 47. Tanzania had already confirmed ninth place on Friday following their 53 – 49 victory over Nigeria.
Results
Men
Final: South Africa defeated Eswatini 49 – 45
Women
Play-off 7th/8th: Botswana 47 – 51 Zambia
Play-off 5th/6th: Zimbabwe 57 – 63 Kenya
Play-off 3rd/4th: Malawi 50 – 45 Namibia
Final: South Africa 53 – 56 Uganda.