Kwibuka Women’s T20I Tournament 2026 runs from June 10 to June 20, 2026 in Kigali, Rwanda, with five teams competing across 14 matches. Hosts Rwanda welcome Nigeria, Brazil, Malawi, and Zimbabwe HPC for the 12th edition.
Notably, defending champions Tanzania and former winners Uganda are absent this year, which opens the door for a brand-new title race.
This guide breaks down the teams, past winners, key tournament stats, records, and the 2025 edition’s top performers, with every number sourced from primary records.
Kwibuka Women’s T20I Tournament 2026 At A Glance
First of all, the 2026 edition is the 12th edition of the tournament. Specifically, here is a quick stats snapshot of everything you need to know.
| Details | Info |
|---|---|
| Edition | 12th |
| Dates | 10–20 June 2026 |
| Host country | Rwanda |
| Venues | Gahanga International Cricket Stadium & Gahanga B Oval, Kigali |
| Teams (5) | Rwanda, Nigeria, Brazil, Malawi, Zimbabwe HPC |
| Total matches | 14 |
| Format | Double round-robin + 3rd-place playoff + Final |
| Final date | 20 June 2026 |
| Defending champion | Tanzania (not playing in 2026) |
| Status | Twenty20 International (WT20I) |
| Administrator | Rwanda Cricket Association (RCA) |
Furthermore, the tournament continues to mark Kwibuka 32, the 32nd commemoration of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi.
Kwibuka Women’s T20I Tournament 2026 Schedule
Here is the full schedule for the Kwibuka Women’s Twenty20 Tournament 2026 presented in a table format. All matches are scheduled to be played at the Gahanga Cricket Stadium in Kigali.
Group Stage
| Match | Date | Match Details | Time (Local) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st Match | Wednesday, June 10, 2026 | Nigeria Women vs. Malawi Women | 09:45 AM |
| 2nd Match | Thursday, June 11, 2026 | Nigeria Women vs. Brazil Women | 09:30 AM |
| 3rd Match | Thursday, June 11, 2026 | Rwanda Women vs. Malawi Women | 09:45 AM |
| 4th Match | Friday, June 12, 2026 | Rwanda Women vs. Nigeria Women | 09:30 AM |
| 5th Match | Friday, June 12, 2026 | Brazil Women vs. Malawi Women | 09:45 AM |
| 6th Match | Sunday, June 14, 2026 | Rwanda Women vs. Brazil Women | 09:45 AM |
| 7th Match | Sunday, June 14, 2026 | Malawi Women vs. Nigeria Women | 01:30 PM |
| 8th Match | Monday, June 15, 2026 | Brazil Women vs. Nigeria Women | 09:45 AM |
| 9th Match | Monday, June 15, 2026 | Rwanda Women vs. Malawi Women | 01:30 PM |
| 10th Match | Wednesday, June 17, 2026 | Brazil Women vs. Malawi Women | 01:30 PM |
| 11th Match | Thursday, June 18, 2026 | Rwanda Women vs. Brazil Women | 09:30 AM |
| 12th Match | Friday, June 19, 2026 | Rwanda Women vs. Nigeria Women | 01:30 PM |
Playoffs & Finals
| Match | Date | Match Details | Time (Local) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3rd Place Play-off | Saturday, June 20, 2026 | 3rd Place Team vs. 4th Place Team | 09:30 AM |
| The Final | Saturday, June 20, 2026 | 1st Place Team vs. 2nd Place Team | 01:30 PM |
Kwibuka T20 Tournament Winners List (2014–2025)
Above all, only four nations have lifted the Kwibuka trophy across the 11 played editions. Specifically, here is the complete winners list since the tournament’s launch in 2014.
| Year | Champion | Runnner-up | Edition |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Uganda | Rwanda | 1st |
| 2015 | Kenya | Uganda | 2nd |
| 2016 | Uganda | Rwanda | 3rd |
| 2017 | Kenya | Uganda U19 | 4th |
| 2018 | Kenya | Uganda U19 | 5th |
| 2019 | Tanzania | Uganda | 6th |
| 2020 | Cancelled (COVID-19) | N/A | N/A |
| 2021 | Kenya | Namibia | 7th |
| 2022 | Tanzania | Kenya | 8th |
| 2023 | Rwanda | Uganda | 9th |
| 2024 | Uganda | Zimbabwe A | 10th |
| 2025 | Tanzania | Zimbabwe XI | 11th |
All-Time Title Leaderboard
Specifically, here is how the all-time Kwibuka champions stack up by total titles won.
- Kenya: 4 titles (2015, 2017, 2018, 2021)
- Uganda: 3 titles (2014, 2016, 2024)
- Tanzania: 3 titles (2019, 2022, 2025)
- Rwanda: 1 title (2023)
Interestingly, none of the Big 3 winners (Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania) are in the 2026 lineup. Therefore, only Rwanda among the past champions is competing. Either Rwanda repeats as champion, or one of Nigeria, Brazil, Malawi, or Zimbabwe HPC lifts a maiden Kwibuka title on June 20.
Top Performers from the 2025 Kwibuka Tournament
In total, the 2025 edition packed in 40 matches across 9 teams. Furthermore, here are the headline stats and award winners from the most recent tournament before 2026.
| Category | Winner / Record Holder | Statistics / Detail | Additional Context |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tournament Champion | Tanzania | 3rd Title (Beat Zimbabwe XI by 32 runs in the final) | Finished the tournament entirely unbeaten through the knockout stages. |
| Player of the Series | Henriette Ishimwe (Rwanda) | Top individual performer | Dominated the tournament with her off-spin. She previously became the first Rwandan to reach 100 WT20I wickets in 2024. |
| Most Runs (2025) | Neema Pius (Tanzania) | 275 runs | Top-scored across all 9 participating teams, anchoring Tanzania’s successful title charge with consistent batting. |
| Most Wickets (2025) | Henriette Ishimwe (Rwanda) | 20 wickets | Led the bowling charts. Her mastery of the local Gahanga Stadium conditions provides Rwanda a major tactical advantage heading into the 2026 edition. |
Kwibuka Tournament Records You Should Know
Above all, several of the most extreme WT20I records were set during Kwibuka editions, especially in 2019. Specifically, here are the headline entries every cricket fan should know.
| # | Record Category | Record Detail | Record Holder(s) / Match | Year | Additional Context |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Highest Team Total | 314/2 | Uganda vs. Mali | 2019 | The first time any team (men’s or women’s) passed 300 in a T20I globally. Still unbroken. |
| 2 | Lowest Team Total | 6 all out | Mali vs. Rwanda | 2019 | The lowest completed team total in WT20I history. |
| 3 | Largest Margin of Victory | 304 runs | Uganda vs. Mali | 2019 | Uganda scored 314; Mali was bowled out for 10. Biggest run-margin victory in all T20Is. |
| 4 | Highest Individual Score | 116 (71 balls) | Prosscovia Alako (Uganda) | 2019 | Scored during Uganda’s record-breaking 314/2 innings against Mali. |
| 5 | Player of the Series Three-Peat | 3 consecutive titles | Queentor Abel (Kenya) | 2021, 2022, 2023 | The only player to win the tournament’s top individual honor three editions in a row. |
| 6 | Top Run-Scorer (Single Edition) | 295 runs | Kelis Ndhlovu (Zimbabwe A) | 2024 | The highest aggregate runs scored by a single player in a single tournament edition since 2019. |
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Conclusion: Kwibuka Women’s T20I Tournament 2026 Runs from June 10 to June 20
The Kwibuka Women’s T20I Tournament 2026 offers a wide-open race with neither Tanzania nor Uganda in the field.
Therefore, Rwanda will lean on home advantage and Henriette Ishimwe’s spin, while Zimbabwe HPC and Nigeria push hardest for a breakthrough title run.
With 14 matches packed across 11 days at Gahanga, the 12th edition continues to grow the global footprint of African women’s cricket.
Among the participating teams, only Rwanda has previously lifted the trophy. Consequently, a fresh chapter in the tournament’s history is essentially guaranteed when the final whistle blows on June 20.
