Handball: Uganda’s Nile Queens end 10-year wait for Africa Zone V glory

Uganda’s national women’s handball team, the Nile Queens, ended a 10-year wait for regional glory after edging arch-rivals Kenya 29-28 to win the Women’s IHF Nations Trophy Africa Zone V title at the Filbert Bayi Multi-Sports Centre in Kibaha, Tanzania.

Joyce Namutosi emerged as Uganda’s hero, scoring the decisive goal with just 74 seconds left to secure a dramatic victory and avenge the team’s 30-27 group-stage defeat to Kenya earlier in the tournament.

The triumph marks Uganda’s first Zone V title since 2016 and a significant milestone for the team under head coach Aziz Yakoub. Beyond reclaiming regional supremacy, the victory also secured the Nile Queens qualification for the 27th Women’s Senior African Nations Handball Championship, scheduled for December 2-12, 2026, in Tunisia.

Attention now shifts to the Uganda Handball Federation, which faces the task of ensuring adequate preparations for the continental showpiece, with less than a month separating the regional triumph from the championship.

The federation will need to mobilise the necessary resources, organise preparations and establish clear performance targets as Uganda prepares to test itself against the continent’s leading women’s handball nations.

After ending a decade-long wait for regional silverware, the Nile Queens will be eager to translate their Zone V success into a competitive showing on the continental stage.

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