The Africa Netball Cup has entered its decisive phase following a dramatic late-night rethink of the tournament format, with organisers and team managers holding intense discussions that stretched until around 11pm on Wednesday, September 23.
At the centre of the discussions was the complex task of balancing the competition’s two objectives: determining Africa’s continental champion while also serving as the qualifying tournament for the 2027 Netball World Cup.
The initial format had provided for traditional semifinals, with Uganda scheduled to face Namibia and South Africa taking on Malawi.
However, guidance from World Netball prompted a significant revision after Uganda and South Africa finished top of Pool 2 and Pool 1 respectively.
Both nations had already secured their places at the 2027 Netball World Cup through their world ranking positions.
World Netball therefore advised that the two pool winners should meet in the Africa Cup final, while the other four teams contest the remaining qualification places.
The revised programme now sets up an all-important final between Uganda and South Africa on Saturday, September 26 at 6pm.
Qualification race takes a different route
With the continental title now reserved for the two pool winners, Namibia, Kenya, Malawi and Zimbabwe will instead battle through the qualification semifinals for places at the global tournament.
Namibia will face Kenya at noon on Friday, September 25, before Malawi takes on Zimbabwe at 2pm.
The winners will subsequently meet in the Africa Cup third-place playoff on Saturday at 2pm, with the qualification implications adding further significance to the encounters.
The late adjustment has therefore transformed the closing stages of the championship, separating the race for continental honours from the remaining qualification battle.
Men’s competition also reaches climax
The men’s division is similarly approaching its decisive weekend.
South Africa will face Eswatini at 4pm on Saturday in the final, with the continental crown at stake.
Uganda, meanwhile, will contest the third-place playoff on Friday against the winner of the Kenya-Malawi encounter.
Beyond the immediate tournament, World Netball also announced a significant development for the men’s game, confirming an official event cycle for a standalone Men’s Netball World Cup within the 2028–2035 global event cycle.
The development adds a new dimension to the growth of men’s netball, as the sport continues to establish a more defined international competition pathway.
