The Malawi National Netball Team has settled for bronze at the 2026 Africa Netball Cup after beating Namibia 50-45 in the third-place play-off.
The Queens produced a determined performance to secure the victory, recovering from a one-goal deficit in the opening quarter to finish third in the continental competition.
Namibia won the first quarter 13-12, but Malawi responded strongly to take a slender 26-25 lead at half-time.
The Queens stepped up their performance in the third quarter, extending their advantage to five goals at 40-35 heading into the final quarter.
Malawi head coach Debbie Fuller made sure the Queens maintained their lead in the closing stages to seal a 50-45 victory and claim the bronze medal.
Namibia had to settle for fourth place following the defeat.
The result caps a campaign in which Malawi won four of their six matches, including three victories in the group stage, before losing to Uganda and South Africa in the knockout stage.
The Queens opened their Pool 2 campaign with a 72-38 victory over Zambia on September 19 before beating hosts Kenya 55-47 the following day.
They continued their impressive start with an emphatic 82-22 win over Nigeria on September 21, but their unbeaten run ended when Uganda beat Malawi them 54-49 in their final pool match on September 23.
Malawi then lost 62-46 to South Africa in Friday’s semi-final, missing out on a place in the final and setting up the bronze-medal match against Namibia.
In a statement after the match, the Netball Association of Malawi said it was satisfied with the team’s performance.
“The Malawi Queens have done it. A determined performance sees the Queens secure the bronze medal at the Africa Netball Cup 2026,” the statememt reads in part.
Meanwhile, First Lady Gertrude Mutharika, has congratulated the Malawi Queens for qualifying for the 2027 Netball World Cup in Sydney, Australia.
In a message posted on her official Facebook Mutharika expressed excitement over the Queens’ achievement.
“Hearty congratulations to the Malawi National Netball team -the Queens, for qualifying for the 2027 World Cup games in Sydney, Australia.
“This qualification reminds us all that with passion, dedication, and commitment, we can achieve anything on the world stage as a nation. There could be no better time for me to be a proud mother than this moment,” she said.
