Africa
Rugby’s global expansion increases in Africa
World Rugby’s reach across Africa grew further as Algeria and Burundi became full members of the international federation
Algeria and Burundi achieve full member status of international federation; World Rugby (www.WorldRugby.org) membership stands at 128 countries, including 19 associate members; Both nations will enter Rugby World Cup 2023 qualifying via the Rugby Africa Cup 2021; Rapid growth in African rugby being led by strategic focus on youth and women’s rugby; More than 350,000 registered female players recorded in Africa in 2020, up from 50,000 in 2012.
World Rugby’s reach across Africa grew further as Algeria and Burundi became full members of the international federation following approval at the World Rugby Council meeting, held virtually today.
The African nations were successful after achieving all the necessary criteria and their elevation to full member status sees World Rugby’s membership stand at 128, including 109 full members and 19 associate members.
See full List of World Rugby Member Unions >> (https://bit.ly/3tE9SRP)
The announcement follows the launch of World Rugby’s new Strategic Plan 2021-25 in April, which provides a framework for the continued development and expansion of rugby, supporting unions and regions in building capacity and capability, as the international federation strives to continue the journey towards becoming a global sport for all.
Both the Fédération Algérienne de Rugby and the Federation Burundaise de Rugby are full members of Rugby Africa and have sustainable women’s rugby and development programmes in place as they continue to grow as rugby nations.
Burundi currently has 2750 registered players and has been an associate member of World Rugby since 2004, while Algeria has over 80 men’s and 40 women’s teams and became an associate member in 2019.
Both countries will enter the qualification journey for Rugby World Cup 2023 as they are set to compete in the Rugby Africa Cup 2021. The competition begins with a repechage event in June before the group phase sees four pools of three teams each playing a round-robin tournament at a single venue per pool.
Burundi will compete in the Rugby Africa Cup repechage in Burkina Faso from 5-13 June which also includes Burkina Faso and Cameroon. The winner of the repechage will join Rugby Africa Cup Pool D in Tunisia in July together with Tunisia and Zimbabwe. Meanwhile Algeria will play in the Rugby Africa Cup Pool C in Kampala against Ghana and hosts Uganda from 10-18 July.
The best two teams from each pool qualify for Rugby Africa Cup 2022, which serves as the final round of the Rugby World Cup 2023 qualifier for Africa. The eventual winner of the Rugby Africa Cup in August 2022 will qualify for RWC 2023 as Africa 1, entering group A alongside hosts France, while the runner-up will enter the final qualification tournament for another chance at qualifying.
Increasing the reach and diversity of the international federation’s membership represents a key element of World Rugby’s global growth strategy, ensuring that upon meeting the relevant criteria unions are provided with a framework and support to continue their growth and development as part of the World Rugby family.
World Rugby Chairman Sir Bill Beaumont said: “We are very pleased to welcome Algeria and Burundi as full members, reflecting their commitment and progress in achieving the relevant criteria, thanks to the many talented coaches, administrators and volunteers involved in growing the sport.
“We are dedicated to the sustainable global growth of our sport, combined with strong governance and there is no doubt that Africa is a key region with huge potential for the future development of rugby. Africa is home to the current men’s Rugby World Cup winners and we will continue to work closely with Rugby Africa to ensure we provide emerging unions such as Algeria and Burundi with continuous support and a solid framework to further accelerate the growth of the sport across the region.”
Mr Khaled Babbou, President of Rugby Africa said: “I am delighted to welcome the Burundian and Algerian rugby unions as full members of World Rugby, bringing the total number of African member unions of World Rugby to 20. Rugby in Africa is growing rapidly and our strategic focus on youth and women’s rugby is evidence of this dynamic growth.
“In 2020, we recorded more than 350,000 registered female players in Africa, up from 50,000 in 2012. This is the result of a firm collective commitment from all African unions. I wish to congratulate Mr Albert Havyarimana, President of the Fédération Burundaise de Rugby and Mr Abdelkader Sofian Ben Hassen, President of the Fédération Algérienne de Rugby for their dedication and relentless efforts culminating in this recognition today. Both countries are in the running for Rugby World Cup 2023 qualification for the first time in their history and the entire African rugby family wishes them good luck in this new chapter.”
Albert Havyarimana, President of the Fédération Burundaise de Rugby: “This affiliation was long awaited by all the participants of Burundian rugby and comes as a reward for many years of hard work. From now on, it becomes a rugby legacy for Burundi, that we will seek to preserve and build upon for the development of rugby. It is an unforgettable event for the Fédération Burundaise de Rugby (FBR). Joining the global rugby family will enable Burundian rugby players to develop rugby on all levels.
“Although this recognition comes at a time when the world is going through a difficult situation with the Covid-19 pandemic, we are confident that we will overcome these challenges. Achieving this membership required great effort from all of us and it will now enable us to accelerate our growth. The FBR takes this opportunity to express its appreciation to all companies and individuals who committed themselves to bringing this journey to fruition, including various players and coaches of the clubs and their technical and medical staff.
“This membership, far from being an end in itself, is rather the beginning of a challenge and calls on all of us to step up our efforts to make Burundi Rugby shine at the regional and international levels.”
Sofiane Abdelkader Benhassen, President of the Fédération Algérienne de Rugby said: “This long-awaited membership of World Rugby as a full member will provide us with support in four main areas. It will allow us to accelerate the growth of the game in the country. Secondly, Algeria is currently ranked sixth in the African rankings, and will now come into the world rankings. We will from now on be able to participate in World Rugby’s General Assemblies and have a voice that counts. And finally, with this membership, Algeria can enter the qualification journey for the Olympic Games and the Men’s and Women’s Sevens and Rugby World Cups. I would like to thank Rugby Africa and its President, Khaled Babbou, the Ministry of Youth and Sports, the National Olympic Committee and ACNOA as well as our private partners for their support. And I congratulate all the clubs presidents and founders of Algerian rugby and the entire union staff for their relentless efforts that have led us to this wonderful day.”
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Africa
SportPesa Sponsors National 7s Circuit 2025

Leading online gaming firm SportPesa announced a 15 million (116.207,00 US Dollar) title sponsorship package for the 2025 National Sevens Circuit (NSC) taking place across five towns from July to September.
The sponsorship, renewed for the third consecutive year, will see the gaming giant retain the title sponsorship with the circuit once again being named the SportPesa National Sevens Circuit.
Speaking during the launch held at the Kenya Rugby Union (KRU) headquarters at the RFUEA Grounds, SportPesa Public Relations and Advertising Manager Willis Ojwang reiterated the firm’s commitment to supporting the local action on top of their existing sponsorship with the men’s national rugby 7s side.
“On behalf of SportPesa, our commitment to rugby goes without saying. Our CEO Ronald Karauri says no one does sports better than we do. For 3 years in a row, SportPesa has been not only part and parcel of supporting the national rugby team but also the local circuit and the impact has been unmatched,” he said.
During the launch, Ojwang also announced an exciting package that will see the sponsorship cater for top-notch livestreaming of the action in all six legs which will help viewers from around the world to follow the action and give exposure to players.
“Last year we had an existing structure but this year we are working on the livestream and broadcast area. For the first time, we will have a streamlined livestream experience just to expose the players and to cater to all the fans worldwide,” he announced.
KRU Chairperson Harriet Okatch expressed gratitude towards SportPesa for walking the journey with rugby and for coming on board as the sponsors for the circuit.
“Your support couldn’t have come at a better time. This circuit marks the beginning of our journey to qualify both our men’s and women’s teams for HSBC Tier 1 status next year. We are more than confident than ever that Kenya will rise again on the global stage,” she noted.
KRU Director of Rugby Paul Odera emphasized on the importance of the circuit which will be used as a pathway to the national teams.
“It has been exciting and interesting to prepare for this year’s circuit which began with a seminar with national team coaches and players on expectations for them on pathways to the national team.”
The post SportPesa Sponsors National 7s Circuit 2025 appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
Africa
VeliTech Announces Strategic Partnership with Jambobet

VeliTech has announced a strategic partnership with Jambobet, a rising iGaming brand in the African market. Offering a wide range of gaming categories, Jambobet will strengthen its position with the VeliTech powerful content and tech stack. This partnership underscores VeliTech continued expansion across key African markets, delivering technology built for bandwidth, backed by experience and battle-tested for scale.
As part of the collaboration, Jambobet will harness two flagship VeliTech offerings:
VeliGames – a game aggregation powerhouse that delivers not only an extensive portfolio of 35,000+ games from 160+ providers, but also a suite of operator-focused tools including transfer wallet, a Unified API with Reward API and reverse integration support, lightweight architecture, tailored pricing and more.
VeliPlay – instant games provider delivering high-impact content optimised for emerging markets. Each title features innovative mechanics and compelling narratives that maximise player engagement and drive exceptional retention rates.
“With VeliPlay action-packed titles and VeliGames extensive portfolio and powerful tools, Jambobet is set to deliver a thrilling, localised experience that African players will love. This collaboration highlights the VeliTech ability to provide iGaming essentials tailored to regional needs,” said Giorgi Aleksidze, CEO at VeliTech.
“What we love about VeliTech is how simple yet powerful their setup is. We get the games our players love, especially crash titles, plus all the tools to engage them in real time, without needing a massive tech team. Everything is lightweight, flexible, and built for markets like ours. This partnership sets us up to grow fast and keep things exciting for our audience,” said Miss Joy Annette, Product Manager at Jambobet.
The post VeliTech Announces Strategic Partnership with Jambobet appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
Africa
Rise & Hustle enhances platform with proprietary AI-powered Rise Core solution

Rise & Hustle, Africa’s next-gen tap-to-earn gaming operator, has rolled out its proprietary AI-powered Rise Core solution to enhance performance, personalisation, and protection.
Officially launched last week in Nigeria, Rise & Hustle is a rewards-based mobile street game series built on its PlayZuzu Gaming platform. Rise Core uses advanced algorithms to stop fraud, identifying and preventing everything from Cost Per Acquisition (CPA) manipulation to gameplay exploitation. The solution excels at fortifying cybersecurity, proactively identifying threats to safeguard player data and platform integrity.
From a creative standpoint, Rise Core will generate and refine in-game visuals and imagery to immerse players in the experience of rising from Hustler to Kingpin. Furthermore, the solution is trained to analyse user behaviour and recommend content in real time to drive engagement and retention.
Deploying Rise Core at the heart of Rise & Hustle’s platform instantly heightens mobile-first gaming by combining entertainment, integrity, and progressive tech in one world.
Rise & Hustle CEO and co-founder Josh Jones commented: “Integrating our in-house Rise Core solution into the Rise & Hustle platform puts AI front and centre of all we’re building. It will help us build quicker, safer, and smarter than anyone else in the space. Players’ security is paramount, and backed by sophisticated AI we’re in position to detect and prevent fraud in real-time. We have the ability to seamlessly personalise content not just in design, but based on player interests. Rise Core is more than just a tool – it’s our edge in creating player-first experiences for Africa’s mobile-native generation.”
The post Rise & Hustle enhances platform with proprietary AI-powered Rise Core solution appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
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