Ten nations to compete in 2026 Africa Netball Cup in Nairobi

Ten national teams will compete for continental honours and qualification for the 2027 Netball World Cup in Sydney at the Africa Netball Cup 2026. The tournament is scheduled to take place from 19 to 26 September at the Kasarani Indoor Arena in Nairobi.

South Africa, Uganda, Malawi, Zimbabwe, Namibia, Zambia, Kenya, Botswana, Nigeria, and Tanzania will participate in the championship. While South Africa and Uganda have already secured their places at the 2027 Netball World Cup via their World Netball Rankings, the remaining qualification spots will be awarded to the two highest-placed eligible nations in the tournament.

South Africa enters the competition as the top-ranked team in Africa and fifth in the world. The defending champions arrived in Nairobi following their victory over Uganda in the 2025 Africa Netball Cup final in Lilongwe. Uganda, ranked second in Africa and sixth globally, finished sixth at the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games after a 62-54 loss to South Africa in the fifth-place play-off.

Malawi, the 2023 African champions, are ranked third in Africa and ninth in the world. They secured seventh place at the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games after defeating Scotland 54-47. Zimbabwe follows closely as the fourth-ranked African nation and eleventh in the world. The Gems previously competed in the 2019 and 2023 Netball World Cups.

Other competing nations include Namibia, who are ranked fifth in Africa and 15th globally, and Zambia, ranked sixth in Africa and 17th in the world. The host nation, Kenya, is ranked seventh in Africa and 22nd in the world. Botswana enters the tournament ranked eighth in Africa and 27th globally, while Tanzania and Nigeria complete the ten-nation field.