Rwanda's U-18 boys' and girls' national basketball teams are intensifying preparations for the FIBA Zone 5 U-18 AfroBasket Qualifiers, scheduled to take place in Cairo, Egypt, from July 23 to 29. Both teams are currently in residential camp at Hilltop Hotel in Kigali and hold daily training sessions at Petit Stade as they fine-tune preparations for the regional showpiece. The boys' team will be coached by Sunny Niyomugabo, while Joselyne Munyaneza will lead the girls' side. The girls' tournament will feature hosts Egypt, Kenya, Rwanda and Tanzania. In the boys' competition, Rwanda will face hosts Egypt, Burundi, Kenya, Somalia, South Sudan, Tanzania and Uganda. The winners of each tournament will secure qualification for the 2026 FIBA U-18 AfroBasket Championships, which will be held in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire, from August 5 to 16. Already qualified for the 12-team boys' tournament are hosts Côte d'Ivoire, along with Cameroon, Mali, Senegal and Morocco, who all finished in the top four at the 2024 edition. Chad also booked their place after winning the Zone 4 qualifiers held in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea, last week. For the girls' tournament, hosts Côte d'Ivoire have already qualified alongside the top four finishers from the 2024 edition—Mali, Nigeria, Cameroon and Uganda. Rwanda will be aiming to top the Zone 5 qualifiers and book a place at the continental championships.
