Uganda Hold Nerves to Beat South Africa and Lift 2026 Africa Netball Crown

Uganda’s She Cranes have been crowned the 2026 Africa Netball Champions after edging South Africa’s SPAR Proteas 56–53 in a gripping final at the Kasarani Indoor Arena in Nairobi.

With Uganda and South Africa entering the final as two of Africa’s leading netball nations, a closely fought contest was always expected, and the two sides delivered a final that went down to the wire.

The She Cranes from Uganda showed remarkable composure when it mattered most, holding off a determined South African challenge to secure the continental title.

The 56–53 victory capped an impressive tournament for Uganda, who had gone unbeaten through the pool stage. They defeated Nigeria, Zambia, Kenya and Malawi on their way to the final, setting up the championship clash with the unbeaten Proteas. 

South Africa had also dominated Pool 1, winning all four of their matches before overcoming Malawi 62–46 in the semi finals. 

The final therefore brought together two sides that had shown consistency throughout the competition, with Uganda eventually having the final say.

Kenya finish fifth

Hosts Kenya ended their campaign with a positive result, defeating Zimbabwe 63–57 in the fifth-place playoff.

Kenya had earlier beaten Nigeria and Zambia but missed out on the knockout phase after finishing behind the leading teams in their pool. 

Malawi claim third

In the battle for the bronze medal, Malawi defeated Namibia 50–45 to finish third.

Malawi's campaign also carried an important reward beyond the podium. Alongside Namibia, the Queens secured qualification to be invited by World Netball to compete at the 2027 Netball World Cup in Sydney, Australia.

Uganda and South Africa had already secured their places at the Sydney 2027 Netball World Cup through their World Netball rankings as of December 1, 2025.

Their progression to the final meant the next two eligible teams, Malawi and Namibia, earned invitations to the global tournament. 

That means Africa will be represented in Sydney by:

South Africa

Uganda

Malawi

 Namibia