The 2026 African Men's Handball Championship was the 27th edition of the African Men's Handball Championship, the biennial international men's handball championship of Africa organized by CAHB. The tournament was held from 21 to 31 January 2026 in Kigali, Rwanda.
It was the first time in history that the championship was organised by Rwanda and the first time that the championship was held in East Africa.
It acted as the African qualifying tournament for the 2027 World Men's Handball Championship in Germany, with the top five nations qualifying.
Egypt were three time defending champions, most recently beating Algeria 29–21 in the 2024 final in Cairo. They defended their title with a win over Tunisia.
Teams TeamAppearance(s)Previous best performance 262nd 138th 1N/A 1310th 44th 213th 261st 811th 45th 215th 217th 79th (H) 214th 273rd 1st 416th
Venues The tournament will be played in Kigali across two venues.
The main venue is the BK Arena. Built in 2019, the venue previously hosted the 2021 AfroBasket, 2021 Men's and Women's African Volleyball Championship, 2023 Women's Afrobasket and final rounds of the Basketball Africa League. The secondary arena is the Petit Stade. Built in the 1980s but significantly renovated in 2024, the venue hosts numerous indoor sports games in the country's domestic leagues.
Kigali Kigali BK Arena Petit Stade Capacity: 10,000 Capacity: 1,000
Draw
The draw was held at 17:30 UTC+02:00 on 14 November 2025 at the Amahoro Stadium, Kigali, Rwanda.https://www.newtimes.co.rw/article/31200/sports/handball/handball-africa-cup-of-nations-draw-due-friday-in-kigalihttps://www.newtimes.co.rw/article/31269/sports/handball/can-handball-hosts-rwanda-algeria-in-group-a-holders-egypt-in-group-b The draw started with, in order, pots 4, 3, 2 and 1 being drawn, with each team selected then allocated into the first available group alphabetically.
Seeding Pot 1Pot 2Pot 3Pot 4
Draw results + Group A TeamA1 A2 A3 (H)A4 + Group B TeamB1 B2 B3 B4 + Group C TeamC1 C2 C3 C4 + Group D TeamD1 D2 D3 D4
Schedule
ScheduleRoundMatchdayDatePreliminary roundMatchday 1 21 January 2026Matchday 2 22 January 2026Matchday 3 24 January 2026President's CupMatchday 4 25 January 2026Matchday 5 27 January 2026Matchday 6 29 January 2026 Ranking games 30 January 2026Main round Matchday 4 25 January 2026Matchday 5 27 January 20265–8 placement bracket 5–8 semi-finals 29 January 2026 Seventh place game 30 January 2026 Fifth place game 31 January 2026Knockout stage Semi-finals 29 January 2026 Final 31 January 2026
Preliminary round All times are local (UTC+2).
Tiebreakers In the group stage, teams are ranked according to points (2 points for a win, 1 point for a draw, 0 points for a loss). After completion of the group stage, if two or more teams have the same number of points, the ranking will be determined as follows:
Highest number of points in matches between the teams directly involved; Superior goal difference in matches between the teams directly involved; Highest number of goals scored in matches between the teams directly involved; Superior goal difference in all matches of the group; Highest number of plus goals in all matches of the group; If the ranking of one of these teams is determined, the above criteria are consecutively followed until the ranking of all teams is determined. If no ranking can be determined, a decision shall be obtained by CAHB through drawing of lots.
Group A
Group B
Group C
Group D
President Cup Group I
Group II
15th place game
13th place game
Eleventh place game
Ninth place game
Main round Points and goals gained in the preliminary group against teams that advance will be transferred to the main round.
Group I
Group II
Final round Bracket
5–8th place bracket
5–8th place semifinals
Semifinals
Seventh place game
Fifth place game
Third place game
Final
Final ranking
Qualification table Rank Team 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 Qualified for the 2027 World Championship
Statistics
Top goalscorers Rank Name Goals Shots % 1 Felix Kambundu 49 82 60 2 Yves Kayijamahe 46 63 73 3 Natan Paquiom 45 58 78 4 Chérubin Tabanguet 44 60 735 Mohamed Emad42 58 72 Amjad Saa 62 68 7 Christopher Mayende 41 63 65 8 Délcio Pina 38 60 639 Bilel Abdelli37 45 82 Bruno Landim 62 60
Top goalkeepers Rank Name % Saves Shots 1 Abdelrahman Homayed 47 27 58 2 Ibrahim Koné 44 17 39 3 Mohamed Aly 41 45 111 4 Salim Mezaza 40 14 355 Fradj Ben Tekaya 39 9 23 Charles Ano 51 132 7 Solomon Micheal 36 71 2008 Bruno Fernandes 35 11 31 Jeremie Nomede 61 176 Giovany Muachissengue 49 142
References
External links IHF website