She Cranes, Rock arrive in Nairobi as Africa Netball Cup doubles as World Cup qualifier

Uganda's national netball teams, the She Cranes and The Rock, have arrived in Nairobi ahead of the Africa Netball Cup, which is scheduled to take place from September 19 to 26.

The two teams travelled to Kenya early to acclimatise and prepare for the continental tournament, which also doubles as a qualifier for the Netball World Cup.

Upon arrival in Nairobi, She Cranes head coach Rashid Mubiru said the early trip would give his players sufficient time to rest and adjust before beginning their campaign.

The She Cranes will open their tournament against debutants Nigeria, with Mubiru confident his players are ready for the challenge.

The Ugandan women's team will be looking forward to winning this year's trophy to go all the way this time after finishing runners-up to South Africa at last year's tournament in Lilongwe, Malawi.

The She Cranes also have their world ranking to protect as they enter the competition ranked second in Africa and sixth globally. South Africa, who defeated Uganda in last year's final, are ranked first in Africa and fifth in the world.

For the men, the Rock will also be hoping for a stronger showing after finishing fifth in last year's tournament.

"The team is in good spirit and we cannot wait to face Kenya, the hosts, in our first match on Saturday," Asiimwe said.

With the tournament serving as a pathway to the Netball World Cup, two nations will be seeking qualification to join Uganda and South Africa, who have already qualified for the 2027 Sydney Netball World Cup.

For the She Cranes, the immediate target will be to turn last year's silver medal into gold, while the Rock will be looking to improve on their fifth-place finish in Malawi.

Both Ugandan teams are expected to use their early arrival in Nairobi to fine-tune their preparations before the competition gets underway on September 19.