Back
NAIROBI, Kenya – The 2026 Africa Women’s Sevens will see 11 teams battle for the continental title, with a place in World Rugby HSBC SVNS 3 at stake on 7 and 8 November at the RFUEA Grounds in Nairobi, Kenya.
Hosts Kenya, the highest-ranked side in Pool B, are among the continent’s top teams targeting SVNS 3 qualification this weekend.
The Lionesses have left no stone unturned in their bid to return to the international sevens circuit.
They have been preparing for this important tournament for months and are in good nick. All that is left for the hosts is to execute over the two days, and home-crowd advantage will definitely count for the Kenyans.
“I urge all the fans to come and support us,” says Kenya head coach Simon Odongo. “Come and be the extra player and push us to win gold.”
North African sidesTunisia, together with Ghana, complete Pool B.
The battle for SVNS 3 will have another top contender in Pool C favourites Uganda, perennially one of the most competitive teams in this tournament.
This year’s showdown in Nairobi will be no exception for head coach Charles Onen’s charges.
“Our goal is to qualify for the SVNS3 and get back to a stage we’ve played before, and learnt a lot,” Onen tells RA Media.
“It definitely requires our best performance.”
But Uganda, perhaps unlike South Africa and Kenya, are not the only standout team in their group.
They will have to contend with a hard-running and skilful Madagascar outfit in Pool C before they can think of challenging for honours in the knockout stages.
“This competition will also be an opportunity for us to develop by competing at a high level, while allowing us to objectively assess our potential, our strengths, and the areas we need to improve in the long term,” said Ando Niaina Herimahefa, the Malagasy Rugby Federation’s Women’s Rugby Manager.
“Of course, we approach this competition with ambition and determination, ready to seize any opportunity to qualify for the SVNS3.”
Mauritius and Burkina Faso complete Pool C.
Zimbabwe will be looking to build on the country’s recent success in men’s rugby sevens, but the focus now shifts to the women’s competition, where teams across the continent will be aiming to make their mark.
Will Zimbabwe’s women replicate the success of their compatriots and make it a double for the Southern African nation?
Zimbabwe Women’s coach, Cyprian Mandenge, is optimistic but remains modest about his team’s ambitions.
“Obviously every coach wants to go and win a tournament,” Mandenge tells Rugby Africa Media.
“So that’s our wish, and you know with Sevens anything is possible. We would like to win that tournament. But if that doesn’t happen, we would like to at least finish in the top six.”
Mandenge has also acknowledged the “pressure” on his team following the successes of Zimbabwe’s men’s teams in both formats of the game over the past year.
“Obviously we’re under a bit of pressure. The men’s sides have done really well for the country. The Sables are going to the World Cup. The Cheetahs (Men’s Sevens team) have done really well to win the Africa Men’s Sevens in Uganda to qualify for the SVNS3. So now, the ladies teams also want to do well. But like I mentioned at some point before, investment is key, resources are key for a team to do well. But look, we can’t keep on talking about resources, we should talk about what we have at the moment, and work with what we have. We will give all we have, give our best shot for the country, and hopefully with good results we’ll start seeing people coming through to support us.”
The Zimbabweans have been placed in a tough Pool A alongside the South Africa, Zambia and Rwanda.
The Springbok Women’s Sevens ‘A’ team will come into the tournament aiming to make their mark, with South Africa having won the continental title 13 times since the tournament was first played in 2006.
Only Tunisia in 2012 and Kenya in 2018 have interrupted South Africa’s run in the 15 editions of the competition.
South Africa’s women, who already feature in a higher division of the HSBC SVNS Series, are not in the equation for qualification to SVNS 3 through the Nairobi tournament.
That place is reserved for the best-placed team in this year’s tournament outside South Africa.
Nevertheless, the Springbok Women’s Sevens ‘A’ will be looking to challenge for the title and continue South Africa’s strong record in the Africa Women’s Sevens.
South Africa’s coach, Cecil Afrika, is excited to return to Kenya, an old stomping ground for the former World Rugby Sevens Player of the Year.
“As a player, you learn and grow from tournaments like these and that is exactly what I wish our young squad will do next week,” Afrika tells Rugby Africa Media.
Pool A
Pool B
Pool C
Where to watch?
Rugby Africa YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/RugbyAfricaOfficial
Rugby Africa Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RugbyAfrica
Saturday, 7 November 2026 (EAT)
Sunday, 8 November 2026 (EAT)
Written by Enock Muchinjo
Rugby Africa (www.RugbyAfrique.com) is the governing body of rugby in Africa and one of the regional associations under World Rugby. It unites all African countries that play rugby union, rugby sevens, and women’s rugby. Rugby Africa organizes various competitions, including the qualifying tournaments for the Rugby World Cup and the Africa Sevens, a qualifying competition for the Olympic Games. With 40 member unions, Rugby Africa is dedicated to promoting and developing rugby across the continent. World Rugby highlighted Ghana, Nigeria and Zambia as three of the six emerging nations experiencing strong growth in rugby.
Back
Top
| Privacy Statement Terms of Service Contact |
Refresh
|
All the best breaking news stories from Apex Scores Lite. Optimised for feature phones and low end Android devices, Apex Scores Lite helps users with legacy devices and poor network connectivity access the latest football news and live scores. Particularly relevant for breaking football news in Nigeria, Kenya and South Africa.