By 
Uganda’s She Cranes have been crowned 2026 Africa Netball Champions after defeating South Africa’s SPAR Proteas 56–53 in a closely contested final at the Kasarani Indoor Arena in Nairobi.
The She Cranes held their nerve in the closing stages on Saturday to overcome one of Africa’s leading netball sides and secure the continental title.
The victory capped an unbeaten campaign for Uganda, who entered the final having won all four of their pool matches against Nigeria, Zambia, hosts Kenya and Malawi.
South Africa had also reached the final unbeaten, having dominated Pool 1 before defeating Malawi 62–46 in the semi-finals.
The championship decider brought together the two sides that had set the pace throughout the tournament, with Uganda ultimately prevailing by three goals to lift the continental crown.
Uganda and South Africa had already secured qualification for the 2027 Netball World Cup in Sydney through their World Netball rankings as of December 1, 2025.
Their progression to the final also opened the door for Malawi and Namibia, who earned invitations to the global tournament after finishing third and fourth respectively.
Malawi defeated Namibia 50–45 in the bronze-medal match, while Kenya finished their campaign on a positive note with a 63–57 victory over Zimbabwe in the fifth-place playoff.
The four African representatives at the Sydney 2027 Netball World Cup will therefore be Uganda, South Africa, Malawi and Namibia.
For the She Cranes, the Nairobi triumph adds another continental title to Uganda’s rich netball history and provides a significant boost ahead of their next international assignment.
