With the countdown on and enthusiasm building towards the Africa rugby tourney, Herbert Mensah, Rugby Africa president said the quality of rugby displayed last year was topnotch, adding that he hopes new milestones are achieved this year.
Samuel Benton
It is all systems go for the 2025 Rugby Africa Cup, the premier Africa men’s rugby tournament doubling up as the 2027 Rugby World Cup qualifiers to be held in Australia.
Uganda’s Nelson Mandela Stadium in Kampala will play host to the tournament for the second consecutive year, from 8 to 19 July 2025, with the champion booking a World Cup ticket, while the runners-up move on to an Asia‑Africa playoff.
Zimbabwe, Algeria, Namibia, Kenya, Senegal, Côte d’Ivoire, hosts Uganda and Morocco are the eight teams which qualified, based on their 2024 performances and playoff results.
South Africa’s national rugby team is not among the competitors in this tournament.
Zimbabwe are the defending champions, having thrashed Algeria 29–3 in the 2024 final in Uganda.
With 9 championships, Namibia is the most decorated side in the tournament. Namibia’s title triumphs include an 8-year winning streak, running from 2014 to 2022.
With the countdown on and enthusiasm building towards the Africa rugby tourney, Herbert Mensah, Rugby Africa president said the quality of rugby displayed last year was topnotch, adding that he hopes new milestones are achieved this year.
“I am excited. I am like a young kid, full of excitement,” he stated in a video shared by Rugby Afrique.
“8 top teams from right across Africa all competing for a place in the world cup final,” added the Ghanaian.
Here are the quarterfinal fixtures as released by Rugby Africa:
10:00 – Zimbabwe vs Morocco
12:00 – Algeria vs Côte d’Ivoire
14:00 – Namibia vs Senegal
16:00 – Kenya vs Uganda
Quarter-final matches will be played on 8 and 9 July, followed by the semi-finals on 13 July, before the tournament wraps up with the final on 19 July.
Additional reporting by Oliver Ochieng.
