Malkia Strikers face familiar rivals Cameroon in African Championship semi-final

Kenya’s Malkia Strikers take on Cameroon in the semi-final of the 2026 CAVB Women’s African Nations Championship on Thursday, September 3, at the Kasarani Indoor Arena.

The match is scheduled for 7:00 pm, with the winner advancing to the championship final and keeping alive their hopes of lifting the continental title.

The two sides were among the leading contenders for the championship, but the draw has brought them together in the semi-finals, meaning only one will progress to the final.

Kenya enter the contest as defending champions and the most successful team in the history of the championship, having won the title 10 times. Cameroon are joint second on the all-time list with three titles.

The Malkia Strikers booked their place in the last four after coming from a set down to defeat Algeria 3-1 in the final quarter-final on Tuesday. Algeria took the opening set 25-21, but Kenya responded strongly to win the next three sets 25-7, 25-15 and 25-18.

Cameroon, meanwhile, reached the semi-finals after a convincing 3-0 victory over Uganda.

The semi-final renews a rivalry that has produced several closely contested encounters in recent years. Kenya hold a 6-4 advantage over Cameroon in the major international meetings tracked over the past decade.

The most recent African Championship meeting between the two sides came in the 2023 semi-finals, when Kenya defeated Cameroon 3-1. Cameroon had previously beaten Kenya in the 2021 championship final, winning 3-1, after also defeating the Malkia Strikers 3-0 in the group stage.

Cameroon also prevailed against Kenya in the 2019 African Championship final, winning 3-2, while Kenya claimed victories over their rivals in the 2019 African Games final and the 2020 Olympic qualifiers.

Kenya’s quarter-final comeback against Algeria highlighted the team’s ability to recover after a difficult start, but the defending champions will need to maintain their intensity from the opening serve against Cameroon.

The Malkia Strikers will also look to their strong serving and attacking game after Terry Tata and Veronica Adhiambo played key roles from the service line against Algeria, while Mariana Sokoiyo and Belinda Barasa made an impact at the net. Captain Meldina Sande and libero Josephine Kataa provided stability in reception, with Emmaculate Nekesa directing the attack.

The semi-final is the first of two battles for places in the final, with Rwanda facing Egypt earlier at 4:00 pm. Rwanda advanced after beating Ghana 3-1, while Egypt maintained their 100 per cent record in the tournament with a 3-0 victory over Tunisia.

Earlier in the day, Algeria will face Tunisia in the 5th-6th place classification match at 1:00 pm, while Uganda and Ghana meet from 10:00 am in the battle for seventh and eighth place.

For Kenya and Cameroon, however, the focus is firmly on a place in the final and another chapter in their long-running fight for African volleyball supremacy.