Rwanda's men's and women's sitting volleyball teams will play international friendly matches against Croatia and Slovenia, respectively, on Thursday, July 9, as part of their final preparations for the 2026 Sitting Volleyball World Championships in Hangzhou, China.

Both teams arrived in Hangzhou on Tuesday and held their first training session later that day ahead of the tournament.

The friendly matches are expected to provide valuable match practice as Rwanda fine-tunes its tactics before the global showpiece, which runs from July 10 to July 17.

The women's team will officially open Rwanda's campaign on Friday with a tough Pool A clash against Iran. Rwanda has been drawn alongside hosts China, Iran, and Kenya in Group A.

The 2026 Sitting Volleyball World Championships will feature 16 men's and 16 women's teams and will serve as the first major qualification event for the Los Angeles 2028 Paralympic Games, with the champions in both categories securing direct qualification to the Games.