Namibia’s U19 women’s cricket team, the Capricorn Eagles, will travel to Tanzania for the ICC Women’s U19 T20 World Cup Africa Qualifier Africa Qualifier, scheduled to take place in Dar es Salaam from 30 August to 5 September 2026.
The tournament is the final Africa qualification event on the road to the ICC U19 Women’s T20 World Cup 2027, which will be hosted by Bangladesh and Nepal. The winner of the African qualifier will secure the continent’s only remaining qualification spot and join South Africa as Africa’s representatives at the global tournament.
Eight teams will compete for the coveted qualification berth, with Namibia drawn in Group B alongside Kenya, Rwanda and Zimbabwe. Group A consists of Malawi, Nigeria, Tanzania and Uganda.
The Capricorn Eagles will open their campaign against Kenya on Sunday, 30 August, at the NTS Ground. They will then face Rwanda on Monday, 31 August, before concluding their group-stage matches against Zimbabwe on Wednesday, 2 September.
The top teams from each group will advance to the semi-finals on 3 September, while the remaining teams will compete in placement matches. The tournament will conclude on Saturday, 5 September, with the final, third-place play-off and other classification matches.
Namibia will be represented by a 14-player squad captained by Unombuiro Kaanjosa. The squad includes Alexa Vorster, Anda van Wyk, Eviste Iiyambo, Jani-Mari van Heerden, Kiana de Jager, Lelly Khumus, Mea Meyer, Monique Muller, Namutenya Thomas, Rihanna Unondjara, Tangeni Lungameni, Veronika Tobias and Zanelle Steyn.
The qualifiers present a major opportunity for Namibia’s young players to gain international experience while competing for a place on cricket’s biggest youth stage.
With only one qualification spot available, the Capricorn Eagles will need consistency throughout the group stage before turning their attention to the knockout rounds. Their opening clash against Kenya on Sunday will set the tone for what promises to be a highly competitive campaign in Dar es Salaam.
By Rudi Bowe
