Africa
Dates and new qualification pathway confirmed as Rugby World Cup Sevens 2022 looks to inspire a new generation of rugby fans
Rugby World Cup Sevens 2022 to take place from 9-11 September, 2022; New striking RWC Sevens 2022 brand and RWCSevens.com website unveiled; RWC Sevens 2022 will be contested by 24 men’s and 16 women’s teams; New qualification process will see non-qualified teams qualify only through regional competitions; 16 men’s places and 11 women’s places available for non-qualified teams; South Africa’s women secure automatic qualification as tournament hosts.
World Rugby (www.World.rugby) and hosts South Africa Rugby today confirmed Rugby World Cup Sevens 2022 in Cape Town will take place from 9-11 September, 2022.
The eighth edition is the first to be hosted in Africa with organisers anticipating a very special and record-breaking event at the iconic 57,654 capacity Cape Town Stadium.
Rugby World Cup Sevens 2022 will be contested by 24 men’s and 16 women’s teams.
The top eight men’s teams and top four women’s teams from the hugely successful RWC Sevens 2018 in San Francisco, USA, have already secured automatic qualification for the tournament in 2022.
The qualified teams for the men’s event are defending champions New Zealand, England, South Africa Fiji, Argentina, USA, France, Scotland, while defending champions New Zealand, France, Australia and USA have already booked their tickets to the women’s event in Cape Town. South Africa’s women will join them as the host nation.
Teams that have not qualified automatically will do so via their respective regional tournaments held in Europe, Oceania, Asia, North America, South America, and Africa. With 16 places available in the men’s tournament and 11 in the women’s from regional competitions.
The HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series will no longer form part of the qualification pathway for Rugby World Cup Sevens. Regional qualification is expected to start in August of this year with further details to be announced at a later stage.
World Rugby Chairman Sir Bill Beaumont said: “We are delighted to announce the tournament dates for Rugby World Cup Sevens 2022 alongside the unveiling of a striking new brand that truly captures the unique, fun and carnival spirit of the tournament.
“This is an exciting time for rugby sevens with less than 70 days to go until the upcoming Olympic Games in Tokyo and now with Rugby World Cup Sevens 2022 also on the horizon. South Africa has a rich history in hosting world-class international rugby sevens events, and we anticipate that Rugby World Cup Sevens 2022 will once again raise the bar for this unique tournament and be like no other.”
“South African rugby is eager to turn the vibrancy of this new brand into the vibrancy of a packed live event where we can showcase both our country and our passion for the sport,” said Mr Mark Alexander, president of SA Rugby. “This will be the first senior World Cup we have hosted since 1995 and we are determined to make it as special in its own way.
“The HSBC Cape Town Sevens has established itself as a major must-see event on our national sporting calendar, but we will be taking Rugby World Cup Sevens 2022 to the next level.”
Alongside confirmation of the dates and new qualification pathway, the bespoke tournament brand, developed by World Rugby and SA Rugby, has also been unveiled.
The striking brand radiates unity, energy and passion and celebrates the spirit of rugby sevens that will ignite Cape Town’s finest rugby stage, as the top men’s and women’s teams from around the world compete to be crowned world champions.
World Rugby Chief Marketing Officer Marissa Pace today said “Our goal is to ignite Rugby World Cup Sevens 2022 with a bold event mark, reflecting the fast pace and dynamic play of Sevens, but also the vibrancy of Cape Town and South Africa. With Table Mountain at the heart of the new logo, our team has also included elements within to represent both the event year and the iconic Cape Town Stadium. We look forward to watching the brand come to life via our partners and hosts South Africa Rugby.”
The tournament is expected to build on the massively successful 2018 edition hosted at AT&T Park in San Francisco, which attracted record attendance for a rugby event in the USA with a total attendance of more than 100,000 fans.
In addition, RWC Sevens 2018 attracted cumulative domestic and global broadcast audiences of more than 24 million and 31 million viewers respectively, which included a record-breaking live broadcast audience of 1.7 million on its final day. The tournament also leveraged 22.5 million social media video views on World Rugby channels over the course of the event.
Details of the ticket sales launch will be announced later this year.
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Africa
GinjaBet goes live with QTech Games casino content in Nigeria
Reading Time: 3 minutes
Nigerian operator unveils fresh suite of games via new integration with leading emerging-markets aggregator
GinjaBet, a rapidly growing Nigerian operator, is now firmly established with an extensive portfolio of casino content delivered through its integration with QTech Games, the leading game aggregator for emerging markets across Africa.
GinjaBet is a rising-star challenger brand with big plans for the Nigeria market and beyond. As this market coalesces, customers are increasingly demanding experiences that are not only functional but also convenient to use, and personalised to their preferred betting patterns. In this regard, QTech Games and GinjaBet have aligned their complementary skills to deliver a simplified betting experience and optimised user journey across casino, thanks to an adaptable range of content that is both locally authentic and appealing to the next generation of players.
This collaboration will also explore new cross-sell opportunities between sportsbook and casino, with next summer’s football World Cup on the horizon, always a key acquisition and retention driver for global sportsbooks, but above all in Africa where soccer is king.
GinjaBet’s UI has been optimised for mobile-first play, a cornerstone of QTech’s RNG model, which is founded on its fully-owned and customised technical platform, affording operators the fastest integration available, backed by reliable performance and customer support, localised for every region across Africa. By leveraging QTech’s wider global expertise, GinjaBet enjoyed a seamless casino launch, and is now well-positioned to sustain its rapid growth in the near future with a casino product that rides on a scalable and robust framework. This project has also been carefully curated to responsibly track Nigerian player proclivities.
Ekaterina Mayorova, QTech Games’ Head of Region for Africa, said: “We’re thrilled to already be live in Nigeria with GinjaBet, a dynamic brand that is picking up some irresistible momentum in a competitive marketplace. We’re proud to put our shoulder to the wheel of their ambitions, affording GinjaBet the ability to scale their casino content with more localised games and product developments.
“QTech Games has placed a premium on understanding markets at a hyper-local level, alongside bridging that gap between retail and online channels, to open a flexible gateway to success in the Nigerian betting environment. With its mobile-first penetration, comparatively mature smartphone adoption rates and ramping digital economy, Nigeria remains one of Africa’s largest economies, and GinjaBet’s recent growth only underscores the opportunity.
“And we have a suite of other product improvements designed to keep our partners ahead of their rivals in a region where no leadership position can be taken for granted. In addition, our proprietary tech means we’re the only aggregator which is not just showcasing fantastic games but also adding engaging features (such as our AI-driven recommendation engine, QTech Play, alongside other tournament and progressive-jackpot elements) to bolster QTech’s vantage point across the African landscape. We’re constantly adding new content to the platform, prioritising suppliers that deliver unique and localised content, including games which solve familiar local challenges to engagement, such as handset quality limitations, restricted access to fast networks, or high data costs.”
Joe Richa, Ginjabet CEO, added: “GinjaBet is committed to a conscious strategy of harnessing world-class technology and local Nigerian culture. This partnership with QTech is an organic extension of that approach across our stunning new casino suite which showcases globally recognised games, ably supported by specialised content, culturally pertinent promotions, and a tone of voice pitched to connect with younger Nigerian demographics.
“We’re a fast-moving Nigerian brand, focused on delivering specialised, reliable, and entertaining gaming experiences tailored to African markets, driving innovation through responsible gaming and operational efficiency. Our dynamic growth since launch in 2025 has already been hugely encouraging, but QTech’s flexible platform ecosystem has now put us in a position where we can plan for the future with confidence across casino and sportsbook, particularly with the World Cup upcoming fast.”
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Africa
Booming Games and SportPesa forge strategic partnership to elevate the African gaming market
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Booming Games is thrilled to announce a significant milestone in its growth journey through a strategic partnership with the leading African operator, SportPesa. This collaboration marks a pivotal step forward in Booming Games’ mission to expand its footprint in the African gaming market.
As a result of this partnership, Booming Games’ high-quality slots are now seamlessly integrated into SportPesa’s platform, enabling players across Africa to access an array of top-performing titles.
Notable games include fan favourites such as ‘Burning Classic’, ‘Gold Gold Gold’, ‘TNT Bonanza’, and ‘Cash Pig’. Additionally, SportPesa’s players will now have access to Booming Games’ diverse portfolio, featuring exciting games like ‘Ronaldinho Spins’, ‘Power of the Vikings’ and ‘Buffalo Hold and Win’.
This collaboration underscores SportPesa’s commitment to growth and innovation, as well as its strategic focus on fostering robust partnerships to achieve new heights in the global gaming industry with partners such as Booming Games.
Solomon Godwin, Head of Africa at Booming Games, expressed his enthusiasm: “We’re delighted to continue our expansion in the African betting markets, and SportPesa’s strong and trusted brand will only enhance these possibilities. Our slot offerings are as wide-ranging as they are high quality, providing exceptional entertainment and sustainability for their customers. We believe we can offer real value to African players.”
Paul Wilson, Senior Product Manager at SportPesa, added: “We are very happy with the new partnership with Booming Games. Offering their immersive, dynamic, and vibrant games to our customers in Kenya, Sportpesa Tanzania, and around the globe on our platform is exciting. Booming Games’ titles will be a great addition to our market-leading casino lobby, and I’m sure our customers will enjoy playing them.”
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Africa
IBIA and the AIA sign a strategic partnership to strengthen sports betting integrity across Africa
Reading Time: 2 minutes
Protecting African sports and regulated betting operators from match-fixing
The International Betting Integrity Association (IBIA) and the African iGaming Alliance (AIA) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to enhance collaboration and promote integrity across Africa’s rapidly developing sports competitions and betting markets. The agreement establishes a framework for cooperation between the two associations, each representing regulated betting operators, to support responsible and sustainable sports betting markets across the continent.
Under the terms of the MoU, IBIA will become the AIA’s strategic betting integrity partner, while AIA will act as IBIA’s primary betting policy and regulation partner for Africa. The partnership will facilitate the exchange of information, joint engagement and coordinated policy initiatives aimed at protecting consumers, regulated operators and sports from betting-related match-fixing.
Peter Emolemo Kesitilwe, CEO of AIA, commented: “Integrity is the foundation of Africa’s betting future. This partnership between the AIA and IBIA represents a decisive step towards ensuring that Africa’s growing betting industry is anchored on trust, transparency, and accountability. As a pan-African industry platform, AIA is committed to working with global integrity leaders like IBIA to harmonise standards, promote responsible gaming, and support regulators in safeguarding markets from manipulation and illicit practices. Together, we can strengthen Africa’s credibility as a world-class, igaming frontier.”
Khalid Ali, CEO of IBIA, said: “Africa represents one of the most dynamic and fastest-growing betting markets in the world. Ensuring that this growth is underpinned by robust sports betting integrity standards and effective regulation is essential. Our partnership with the African iGaming Alliance reinforces our shared commitment to supporting a sustainable, well-regulated African betting industry that safeguards consumers and sporting competitions alike.”
The partnership will enable both organisations to share insights on betting integrity, regulatory developments and policy trends across Africa. The partnership reflects a shared commitment to strengthening integrity frameworks for regulated betting operators and to fostering closer cooperation between the associations’ members.
From 2020 to Q3 2025, IBIA reported 131 suspicious betting alerts across African sporting events, primarily involving football (64) and tennis (62).
Backed by over 90 operators and 200 betting brands, IBIA safeguards sport and regulated betting markets through global monitoring, intelligence sharing and stakeholder collaboration. It monitors over 1.5 million sporting events and $300bn in bets each year. Its alerts have contributed to the successful prosecution of numerous match-fixing cases worldwide, reinforcing IBIA’s role as a trusted partner to regulators, sports and policymakers.
The post IBIA and the AIA sign a strategic partnership to strengthen sports betting integrity across Africa appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
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