Netball World Cup ticket secured, now She-Cranes target Africa title

What the report says

The Observer reports that Uganda’s national netball team, the She-Cranes, will go into the 2026 African Netball Championship with qualification for the 2027 Netball World Cup in Sydney already secured. The continental tournament is scheduled for September 19-26 at the Kasarani Indoor Arena in Nairobi, Kenya, giving Uganda a chance to compete without the immediate pressure of chasing a World Cup place.

According to the report, the women’s championship will also serve as Africa’s official qualifying event for Sydney 2027. With South Africa and Uganda already through, the two best-placed remaining teams in Nairobi will earn Africa’s other World Cup slots. Teams listed as eligible to contest those places include Kenya, Malawi, Zimbabwe, Namibia, Zambia, Botswana, Nigeria and Tanzania.

For Uganda, the tournament is being framed less as a qualification test and more as a performance benchmark. The Observer says the She-Cranes are expected to use the event to assess squad depth, measure progress against leading African sides such as South Africa and hosts Kenya, and build momentum toward the global tournament in Australia.

The championship was officially launched in Nairobi last week and will also include a men’s competition. The Observer cited Africa Netball Acting President Rebekka Goagoses as saying the event reflects the growth of the sport across the continent, while Kenya Netball President Immaculate Kabutha said Kenya was preparing to host with ambition. The report also notes that Uganda are gaining additional high-level exposure at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland.