- Africa Netball Cup 2026 Final | Saturday, September 26, 2026
- Uganda She Cranes Vs South Africa SPAR Proteas | 6 PM
- Venue: Moi International Sports Centre, Kasarani
The She Cranes will face familiar rivals South Africa’s SPAR Proteas in the 2026 Africa Netball Cup final on Saturday, September 26, after a dramatic late-night change to the tournament format ended plans for traditional semi-finals.
The final, scheduled for 6 PM at the Moi International Sports Centre, Kasarani, will bring together Uganda and South Africa, the respective winners of Pool 2 and Pool 1. The two sides had originally been set for different semifinals, with Uganda pencilled in to face Namibia and South Africa to meet Malawi.
Behind closed doors: The format overhaul
Tensions boiled over behind closed doors on Wednesday, September 23, as tournament organisers and team managers engaged in marathon discussions that stretched until around 11 PM over the competition format.
The Core Conflict: At the centre of the disagreement was the unusual two-in-one nature of the tournament, which is simultaneously crowning the continental champion and serving as Africa’s qualification pathway to the 2027 Netball World Cup.
World Netball’s Intervention: Advice from World Netball triggered the eventual overhaul. Since Uganda and South Africa had finished top of their respective pools and had already secured their places at the 2027 World Cup through their world rankings, the format was revised.
The New Path: World Netball advised that the two pool winners should meet directly in the final, while the remaining contenders battle for the available World Cup qualification places. World Netball confirms that Uganda and South Africa had already qualified for Sydney 2027 through their rankings, meaning other teams can benefit if either finishes among the top two.
Familiar rivals meet again
For the She Cranes, Saturday’s showdown is another chapter in one of Africa’s most enduring netball rivalries. Uganda and the SPAR Proteas both finished their Pool action unbeaten in the 2026 Africa Netball Cup.
Under head coach Rashid Mubiru, Uganda’s She Cranes made Pool 2 their own, going unbeaten through all four matches to finish top with a maximum eight points and earn a place in the 2026 Africa Netball Cup semifinals in Nairobi, Kenya. They announced their intentions with a commanding 68-30 victory over tournament debutants Nigeria in a high-scoring opening game.
Zambia were next to fall, 59-40, as the She Cranes produced a structured and energetic performance to take early control. Uganda then silenced a vocal home crowd at the Kasarani Indoor Arena with a 62-42 victory over hosts Kenya, dominating possession and shooting accuracy before facing their toughest test against an undefeated Malawi side.
The pool finale against Malawi turned into a dramatic contest, with the She Cranes surviving a fierce second-half comeback to hold on for a 54-49 victory and secure top spot. In Pool 1, South Africa’s SPAR Proteas were just as ruthless, finishing at the top with a perfect four wins from four under head coach Jenny van Dyk.
The defending champions opened their title defence with a massive 90-22 win over Tanzania, followed by a hard-earned 58-41 win over Zimbabwe in a battle of previously unbeaten sides, then swept aside Botswana 72-32 in a comprehensive 40-goal win that guaranteed a top-two finish. They closed the group stage on Wednesday, September 23, with a commanding 55-33 win over Namibia to cement their status as Pool 1 winners.
The two sides have repeatedly crossed paths at the World Cup, Commonwealth Games, continental championships, and international Test tournaments, producing a rivalry that has shifted between South African dominance and Uganda’s recent challenge.
The latest meeting came barely two months ago at the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, where South Africa edged Uganda 62-54 in the fifth-place classification playoff. Uganda started brightly at the OVO Hydro, winning the opening quarter 17-12.
But the Proteas responded forcefully in the second period, taking it 20-11 to lead 32-28 at halftime. South Africa then won the third quarter 16-13 before closing out the match with a 14-13 final quarter. The result left South Africa fifth and Uganda sixth at the Commonwealth Games, granting the Proteas African bragging rights.
Yet Uganda will draw confidence from the fact that the rivalry has not always gone South Africa’s way:
2022 Commonwealth Games: The She Cranes defeated the Proteas 54-48 in the fifth-place playoff, proving Uganda can overcome their more experienced rivals under pressure.
2023 Netball World Cup (Cape Town): Perhaps the most memorable Ugandan victory came here. After losing 67-40 to South Africa in the group stage just three days earlier, the She Cranes produced a remarkable response in the fifth-place decider, beating the hosts 49-47 to dethrone them, finish fifth, and emerge as Africa’s top-ranked side.
Conversely, the ledger has historically favoured South Africa. The Proteas won 70-45 in the 2025 Netball Nations Cup (their biggest ever margin against Uganda) and prevailed 49-34 in the March 2021 SPAR Challenge Tri-Nations. The continental rivalry has been equally punishing; South Africa beat Uganda 56-34 in the 2025 Africa Netball Cup final in Lilongwe, Malawi, retaining their continental crown and becoming five-time African champions.
Depth and continental pedigree
South Africa’s dominance stretches further back across the decades:
- 2018 Commonwealth Games: Proteas won 53-42.
- 2016 International Test: Proteas won 59-27.
- 2015 Netball World Cup (Sydney): Proteas won 50-40.
- 2015 International Test (Margate): Proteas won 56-39.
- 2013 International Test (Blantyre): Proteas won 46-39.
This historical record illustrates a clear pattern that South Africa won the vast majority of early meetings before Uganda’s rapid rise engineered highly competitive contests and landmark victories.
Overall, the She Cranes own two Africa Netball Cup titles (won consecutively in 2017 in Kampala and 2018 in Lusaka), while South Africa boasts five continental titles, including their latest success over Uganda in 2025.
Saturday’s final arrives packed with recent history in 60 minutes. The Proteas enter the title decider as defending African champions, finishing the 2026 pool phase unbeaten after winning Pool 1 with four victories and beating Namibia 55-33 on Wednesday. Uganda topped Pool 2 to earn the alternative direct route.
The She Cranes now possess an immediate opportunity to respond to their Commonwealth Games defeat and 2025 continental final loss, while the Proteas seek to cement their ironclad grip on the continental crown.