Rwanda head coach Hafedh Zouabi has called for urgent improvements to the competitiveness of the domestic handball league, saying its current standard is holding back the national team’s ambitions on the continental stage. Zouabi’s remarks came after Rwanda failed to finish among the top six teams that qualified for the next round of the 2026 Men’s Handball Africa Cup of Nations, bringing the hosts’ hopes of competing for the title to an end. The tournament marked Rwanda’s second appearance under the Tunisian coach, but the campaign fell short of expectations. Rwanda had hoped to use home advantage to improve on their 14th-place finish out of 16 teams at the previous edition in Egypt. However, a shock defeat to Nigeria on Saturday confirmed their elimination from title contention. ALSO READ: Nigeria beat Rwanda to close group stage unbeaten “The local league didn’t help our national team. It’s a very weak league,” Zouabi said. “Only two teams — APR HC and Police HC — are competitive enough to reach the finals. Many matches are decided by margins of more than 10 goals. The difference in level is clear for everyone to see.” The veteran coach, who boasts more than 30 years of experience, also pointed to a lack of international exposure among Rwandan players as a major factor. He noted that Rwanda faced opponents with several players competing abroad at a high level. “Teams like Algeria and Nigeria, who beat us in the preliminary round, each have at least five key players with international experience. Rwanda has none at that level,” he explained. Despite the disappointing results, Zouabi praised his players’ effort and insisted that meaningful reform of the local league could help Rwanda develop players capable of competing internationally. ALSO READ: Algeria dominate Rwanda in second game His comments were echoed by team captain and goalkeeper Peter Kwisanga, who said the predictability of the domestic competition limits player development. “It’s easy to predict which teams will reach the final in our league. That situation prevents even the strongest teams from pushing themselves to the highest level,” Kwisanga said. He added that facing opponents with established international reputations also affected Rwanda’s confidence. “We were nervous because of the big names on Algeria’s roster. Many of us lack experience against players who compete in top international leagues, and that affects confidence at this level.” Kwisanga, who plays domestically for Police HC, also highlighted the limited intensity of league matches as a concern. “Players from top teams don’t always play at maximum level because most opponents don’t challenge us enough. Signing one or two foreign players is not enough to prepare us for continental or global competition,” he said. Several nations, including Egypt, Tunisia, Algeria, Angola, Morocco, Nigeria and Cape Verde, have advanced to the next round of the title race. Meanwhile, Rwanda will now focus on finishing the tournament strongly in the 9th–16th classification matches. The hosts recorded a positive result in that phase with a 37–27 victory over Uganda, marking their second win of the competition. They will next face Kenya and Zambia.
