Rwanda’s national U-18 and U-20 handball teams have learned their group-stage opponents for the 2026 African Youth and Junior Handball Championships following the official draw held on Tuesday at the headquarters of the African Handball Confederation (CAHB) in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire.
Rwanda’s U-18 side was drawn into Group C alongside Morocco and Libya, while the U-20 team will compete in Group A against Guinea, hosts Côte d’Ivoire and Zimbabwe.
The U-20 African Championship will take place from September 5 to 12, while the U-18 tournament is scheduled for September 15 to 22. Both competitions will be hosted in Abidjan.
In the U-20 category, Rwanda had been seeded in Pot 3 alongside the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Nigeria and Benin, meaning those teams could not be drawn into the same group.
The draw placed Rwanda in Group A with Guinea from Pot 1, Côte d’Ivoire from Pot 2 and Zimbabwe from Pot 4.
The remaining groups are:
- Group B: Algeria, Angola, Nigeria and Madagascar
- Group C: Tunisia, Cameroon, Benin and Kenya
- Group D: Egypt, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Congo and Burundi
Sixteen teams will compete for the continental title. Egypt are the defending champions after lifting the 2024 trophy in Tunisia, while Rwanda finished sixth among the eight participating teams.
In the U-18 competition, Rwanda was also seeded in Pot 3 alongside Nigeria, Congo and Zambia before being drawn into Group C with Morocco and Libya.
The other groups are:
- Group A: Egypt, Cameroon and Congo
- Group B: Tunisia, Algeria, Nigeria and Madagascar
- Group D: Guinea, Côte d’Ivoire, Zambia and Burundi
Fourteen teams will battle for the U-18 continental title. Egypt are the reigning champions after defeating hosts Tunisia in the 2024 final, an edition Rwanda did not participate in.
Rwanda qualified for both championships after winning the IHF Africa Zone 5 titles in the U-18 and U-20 categories during the regional tournament held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, in June this year.
The U-18 side secured the regional crown with a 39-38 victory over Burundi in the final, while the U-20 team defeated Ethiopia 39-37 to book their place at the continental championships.
