In the presence of President Paul Kagame and First Lady Jeannette Kagame, the Rwandan women’s basketball team triumphed over Argentina and secured a spot in the semifinals of the FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup 2026 pre-qualifying tournament.
Following a bittersweet victory against Lebanon on matchday 1, Rwanda shocked Argentina, the world’s 31st-ranked team, on Wednesday night by holding them to 38 points.
Bella Murekatete was once again an outstanding player, posting a monstrous double-double of 18 points and 18 rebounds to help Dr. Sarr’s team defeat Argentina by 20 points (58-38).
This hard-fought win secures the home team’s place in the semifinals, making them second, following Senegal, which qualified with back-to-back victories against Hungary and Brazil.
Today, August 22, Murekatete and her teammates will play their final group stage game against Great Britain. If Rwanda wins, they will top Group D and avoid facing Senegal in the semis, the likely top seed from Group C.
The road to Germany is still long; however, Rwanda is making notable strides as they are facing non-African teams for the first time.
