CAIRO (Egypt) - In a strong display of character, Rwanda defeated Egypt in the final of the FIBA U18 AfroBasket Zone 5 Qualifiers at Cairo Stadium Indoor Hall 2.
The hard-fought 62-58 win earned Rwanda a berth at the 2026 FIBA U18 AfroBasket, which will be hosted in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire from August 5-16.
Egypt went into the finals undefeated with a perfect 3-0 record, while Rwanda had suffered a single defeat, which came against the hosts during the group phase.
Rwanda’s head coach Sunny Niyomugabo, alongside his assistants Aristide Mugabe and Bienvemu Ngandu, put together a perfect strategy that not only frustrated Egypt’s free-scoring offence but also maximised on their own strength.
The coaching staff made sure the team played at a slow tempo, took care of the ball on every possession and often looked for shots that did not leave the team at risk of conceding fast-break points.
Rwanda were defensively sound throughout the game and forced Egypt into committing 22 turnovers, from which they scored 13 points. The Rwandan side also had a good balance between their set offense and transition, from which they scored 27 points.
Egypt played catch-up right during the closely contested opening quarter and levelled the game on three occasions, but once Rwanda went ahead 10-8 on Alvin Muhirwa’s dunk midway through the period, they never allowed Egypt to come closer than 2 points.
Rwanda grew in confidence and opened a double-digit lead in the second quarter, and that set the tone for the rest of the game.
Season Mwesigwa scored a game-high 16 points to lead Rwanda, which ran a thin rotation. Plamedie Bizimana Kayira (10) and Alvin Muhirwa (10) also scored in double figures. Victor Ngabozinza (8 points and 9 rebounds) and Calvin Mugisha (7 points, 7 rebounds and 3 blocks) were the other top performers for Rwanda.
Rami Magdy (15 points), Belal Sohaib (10 points and 23 rebounds) and Seifalla Ahmed (10 points) led Egypt’s losing effort.
South Sudan beat Uganda to 3rd Place
In the third-place playoff, South Sudan beat Uganda 71-55 in a show of growth.
Josh Galario (20 points), Aguer Majak (16 points), Kuch Panchum (16 points) and Bior Mayen (11 points) combined for 63 points.
Shane Kwizera (25 points) and Elli Ssenyange (13 points) scored in double figures for Uganda.
FIBA