The countdown to Nairobi is gathering pace, with the fixtures confirmed for the Africa Netball Cup 2026 and Netball World Cup Sydney 2027 Qualifier Africa, taking place from 19 – 26 September at the Moi International Sports Centre, Kasarani.
Eight days of international netball will bring together some of the continent’s strongest women’s and men’s teams, with continental honours on the line and the road to Sydney 2027 adding even more weight to the women’s competition.
The women’s draw has been divided into two pools.
Pool 1 features South Africa, Zimbabwe, Namibia, Botswana and Tanzania, while Pool 2 brings together Uganda, Malawi, Zambia, hosts Kenya and Nigeria.
South Africa and Uganda have already booked their places at the Netball World Cup Sydney 2027, leaving the remaining eligible nations with everything to play for as Africa’s next two representatives are decided in Nairobi.
The men’s Africa Netball Cup will see South Africa, Kenya, Uganda, Malawi and Eswatini compete in a round-robin format before the final standings and play-offs are decided.
There will be little time for teams to settle. Opening day immediately brings Tanzania up against South Africa in the women’s competition, while hosts Kenya face Nigeria later in the evening. On the men’s side, Kenya meet Uganda before South Africa open their campaign against Eswatini.
As the week develops, fixtures such as South Africa against Zimbabwe, Kenya against Uganda, Uganda against Malawi and South Africa against Kenya will add to the pressure as teams chase the positions that matter heading into the final stages.
Pool Fixtures
Saturday, 19 September
7am: Kenya v Uganda (men)
9am: South Africa v Eswatini (men)
11am: Tanzania v South Africa (Ladies 1)
1pm: Malawi v Zambia (Ladies 2)
3pm: Botswana v Zimbabwe (Ladies 1)
5pm: OPENING CEREMONY – MOI INTERNATIONAL SPORT CENTRE
7pm: Kenya v Nigeria (Ladies 2)
Sunday, 20 September
8am: Uganda v South African (Men)
10pm: Malawi v Kenya (Men)
12pm: Namibia v Botswana (Ladies1)
2pm: Malawi v Kenya (Ladies 2)
4pm: South Africa v Zimbabwe (Ladies 1)
6pm: Nigeria v Uganda (Ladies 2)
Monday, 21 September 2026
8am:Eswatini v Malawi (men)
10am:Kenya v South Africa (men)
12pm:Zambia v Uganda (ladies 2)
2pm:Zimbabwe v Namibia (ladies 1)
4pm:Malawi v Nigeria (ladies 2)
6pm:Botswana v Tanzania (ladies 1)
FINAL STAGES
The final stages will continue on 25 and 26, including positional play-offs and the championship deciders.
Should South Africa and Uganda both win their semifinals, a separate World Cup qualification pathway will be activated.
The qualification semifinals will then take place on Friday, 25 September at 12pm and 2pm, followed by the NWC2027 Qualifier Final at 2pm on Saturday, 26 and the Africa Netball Cup Final at 6pm.
From the opening whistle to the closing matches on 26 September, Nairobi will provide the stage for a week where every goal, every quarter and every result can shift the direction of the competition.
For the women chasing Sydney 2027, the opportunity is clear. For every team competing for the Africa Netball Cup, there is also continental pride at stake.