Kenya men’s netball team The Net Kings won bronze medal at the ongoing 2026 Africa Netball Cup at the Kasarani Indoor Arena in Nairobi, Kenya.
The continental championships, which is also the Netball World Cup qualifiers set for Sydney next year brought an important shift in Nairobi, with Kenya defeating Malawi 43 – 31 in the men’s Play-off A while World Netball and Africa Netball confirmed Malawi and Namibia’s progression to Sydney 2027.
As hosts Kenya kept their podium hopes alive with a 43 – 31 victory over Malawi in Play-off A. The Net Kings made the stronger start and led 10 – 8 after the opening quarter before taking a 20 – 17 advantage into half-time.
Kenya created the decisive separation in the third quarter, outscoring Malawi 12 – 4 to move 32 – 21 ahead. Malawi competed through the final period, but the hosts managed the closing stages to secure the win and book a meeting with Uganda in Friday’s third-place play-off.
The result gives Kenya another opportunity to finish the tournament on the podium after ending the round-robin phase in fourth position. South Africa and Eswatini, who finished first and second respectively, remain set to contest the men’s Africa Netball Cup final on Saturday.
World Netball and Africa Netball have also confirmed that Malawi and Namibia have qualified to be invited to compete at the Netball World Cup Sydney 2027. Under the competition regulations, the top two teams from each pool progressed from the preliminary stage, with Malawi finishing second in Pool 2 and Namibia second in Pool 1.
South Africa and Uganda had already secured their places at Sydney 2027 based on the World Netball Rankings of 01 December 2025. Malawi and Namibia’s progression therefore confirms the two additional African invitations available through the Nairobi qualifier.
The revised women’s programme continues tomorrow, with Namibia facing hosts Kenya and Malawi meeting Zimbabwe. The matches will help determine the remaining Africa Netball Cup classification positions ahead of Saturday’s final day.
The continental competition runs from 19 to 26 September 2026 at the Moi International Sports Centre, Kasarani, with the men competing for the Africa Netball Cup and the women competing for continental honours alongside the Netball World Cup Sydney 2027 qualification pathway.
Attention now turns to Day 7 on Friday, 25 September 2026, with Kenya and Uganda meeting for the men’s bronze medal while the women’s revised final-stage programme continues in Nairobi.