The maiden edition of the Women’s IHF Nations Trophy – Africa Zone III took place in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, from 2 to 6 September 2026. The line-up included Benin, Burkina Faso, Côte d'Ivoire, Ghana, Liberia, Nigeria and Togo.

Benin were crowned champions, after a dramatic 29:28 win over Cote d’Ivoire in the final, with the winners progressing to the 2026 CAHB African Women’s Handball Championship, which will take place in Tunisia between 2 and 12 December 2026.

The seven teams were divided into two groups of three and four teams respectively, with the top two sides progressing to the semi-finals.

In Group A, Nigeria were the team who finished unbeaten, taking two wins in two matches, including against the hosts Burkina Faso.

First, Nigeria dominated Ghana, 39:18, before a strong performance in the second half against the hosts. At the break, Nigeria were up by a single goal, 14:13, but in the second half they started off strong, with a 4:0 run, followed by another 3:0 run, to decide the match, 33:25.

Burkina Faso finished second, after their 36:29 win against Ghana, sealing a place in the semi-finals.

Group B saw a battle between Benin and Cote d’Ivoire, which proved to be prophetic for the final of the competition. Benin started off strong, with a 71:13 win over Liberia, while Cote d’Ivoire took a 26:8 win against Togo.

In the second matchday, Benin beat Togo, 20:11, while Cote d’Ivoire dominated Liberia, 66:7, which meant that a draw in the last match would be enough for Cote d’Ivoire to secure the first place in the group.

But after a strong start from Benin, which saw them lead 4:2, Cote d’Ivoire wrestled back the lead, before Ngalula Kanka scored three in a row for Benin to grab back the lead.

However, Cote d’Ivoire weathered the storm and with Nimba Valence Sylviane Agnimel and Adjoua Solange Bleou each scoring six goals, they managed to secure a 26:23 win, clinching the first place in the group.

The semi-finals were on a knife’s edge and eventually, Cote d’Ivoire and Benin progressed to the title match.

Burkina Faso started the match with a 3:0 run, but slowly, Cote d’Ivoire came back and grabbed the lead. Nine goals from Mariam Martine Ouattara, including the buzzer-beater winner, and six goals from Ahou Nadege Koffi were enough to see them clinch the 26:25 win, after Burkina Faso had a one-goal lead, 21:20, with 10 minutes to go.

Nigeria and Benin engaged into a high-scoring match, which needed extra time to be decided, as the two sides were deadlocked after 60 minutes, 32:32, with a stunning comeback from Benin, which were down five goals after 48 minutes, 28:23.

Marina Adjakpa and Farima Diakite combined for 13 goals, as Benin stunned Nigeria and eventually clinched a 38:37 win to progress to the final.

Benin eventually avenged their loss in the preliminary round, being more prepared this time for Cote d’Ivoire. After leading 17:15 at the break in the final, they stopped an attempted comeback from their rivals, clinching a 29:28 win and the title at the 2026 Women’s IHF Nations Trophy – Africa Zone III.

Nigeria finished third, with a 31:23 win against Burkina Faso in the bronze-medal match, with Ghana beating both Togo (37:28) and Liberia (48:20) to finish fifth, followed by the two sides in the final standings.

Benin will now play at the 2026 CAHB African Women’s Handball Championship, with the IHF Nations Trophy forging a path for the winners of each of the seven zones in Africa to feature in the continental competition.

Photo credit: Fédération Burkinabè de Handball