Final Result:
Uganda 29–28 Kenya
Uganda’s senior women’s national handball team, the Nile Queens, have been crowned champions of the 2026 Women’s IHF Nations Trophy Africa Zone V Championship after a narrow 29–28 victory over Kenya.
The Queens edged their regional rivals in a closely contested encounter to lift the trophy and bring glory to Uganda on Sunday at the Filbert Bayi Multi Sports Centre in Kibaha, Tanzania.
Having fallen to Kenya in their final Group A encounter, the Queens returned with a point to prove and successfully exacted their revenge.
The regional crown yielded more than just bragging rights; the Queens also booked their place at the 27th Women’s Senior African Handball Championship, scheduled for December 2–12 in Tunisia.
Claire Tabingwa was one of the top performers of the tournament, guiding the Queens to the title while claiming two Player of the Match accolades along the way.
In their previous campaign, Uganda earned qualification for the 26th edition of the African Women’s Handball Championship after finishing fifth at the 13th African Games in Ghana.
That tournament was held in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo, from November 27 to December 7, 2024. However, Uganda’s return to continental competition proved challenging.
They finished bottom of Group B after losing all their group-stage matches. Nevertheless, they showed strong resolve in the classification games, recovering to defeat East African rivals Kenya 34–25 to secure 11th place overall.
Looking ahead, the Queens’ next challenge is to make their presence felt on the continental stage by targeting a win and aiming for the knockout rounds. They will face Tunisia, Cameroon, and Zambia in Group C.
