AFCON Handball 2026: Egypt wins a 10th crown and makes history in Kigali
Intractable from the opening to the final whistle, the Pharaons of Egypt outclassed Tunisia (37-24) this Saturday in the final of the 2026 AFCON handball in Rwanda. With this resounding success, Egypt joins its opponent of the day in the pantheon of African handball with ten continental titles.
Philemon MBALE · Author profile ·
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The suspense lasted only a few minutes on the court of the BK Arena in Kigali. In a final that promised to be the 'Classico' of African handball, Egypt quickly showered Tunisian hopes. Armed with an iron defense and a formidable offensive efficiency, Xavi Pascual’s men stifled the Eagles of Carthage from the first period. At the break, the gap was already hairproof (17-10), suggesting a one-way end of the match. The second period was just a show of force, with Egypt finally winning by thirteen points (37-24).
If this final seemed somewhat unbalanced, it is because Egypt evolved on another planet during the entire Rwandan fortnight. The Pharaohs began their imperial march as soon as the group phase, leaving only crumbs to their opponents. Gabon, Angola and especially Uganda. This dynamic of destruction continued in the main round, where the defending champions inflicted a historic correction on Algeria before managing their effort against Nigeria.
Even in the semi-final, against a selection of Cape Verde full of ambition, Yahia Omar’s teammates showed disarmingly calm. Never worried, they dictated the pace of the competition with metronome regularity, proving that the gap between the Egyptian throne and the rest of the continent continues to widen.
On the sidelines of the Egyptian title, the classification match saw Cape Verde confirm its new status on the African board. Les Requins Bleus took the bronze by dominating Algeria (29-23), leaving Les Fennecs at the foot of the podium for the second consecutive edition. In the race for the places of honor, Gabon ended their tournament on a positive note by winning the President’s Cup. The Gabonese team took over Cameroon after a hard-fought match (29-27), thus taking 9th place in the overall standings.