Rwanda: Al Ahly SC Crowned 2025 Wbla Champions As APR Claim Bronze

15 December 2025
The New Times (Kigali)
By Damas Sikubwabo

Al Ahly Sporting Club were crowned 2025 Women's Basketball League Africa (WBLA) champiodn after a dominant 77-51 victory over three-time winners Ferroviario de Maputo in Sunday's final in Cairo, Egypt.

Playing in front of a packed 3,000-seater Prince Abdullah Al-Faisal Sports Hall, the Egyptian giants finally secured their maiden continental crown after falling short in the 2019 and 2024 finals -- both times against the same Mozambican opponents they overpowered this time.

The triumph also marked a historic milestone for head coach Tarek Abouzied , who became the first coach to win both Africa's men's and women's top-tier club titles having guided Al Ahly's men to continental glory at the same venue nine years ago.

Al Ahly set the tone early, racing to a 29-17 first-quarter lead and extending their advantage to as many as 27 points, holding a 19-point cushion at halftime. Although Ferroviario, coached by Nasir Sale, mounted a brief fightback to cut the deficit to 10 points (57-47) late in the third quarter, Al Ahly shut the door emphatically with a commanding 20-4 run in the final period.

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Tournament standout Raneem Elgedawy once again delivered a stellar performance, leading Al Ahly to victory alongside Nadine Mohamed, with the duo combining for 47 points -- more than half of their team's total.

Elgedawy shot an impressive 11-for-18 from the floor, including two three-pointers, finishing with 29 points and 18 rebounds to register one of only two double-doubles in the final. She also added three steals and two assists for an efficiency rating of 39.

Mohamed produced the other double-double, contributing 18 points and 10 rebounds , while going a perfect 8-for-9 from the free-throw line. She added two assists and two steals for an efficiency rating of 19.

APR claim bronze

Earlier, APR secured the bronze medal after avenging their opening-game loss to ASC Ville de Dakar, edging the Senegalese side 90-84 in overtime in the third-place playoff.

The contest -- a repeat of last year's bronze-medal game -- followed a similar script, as the Rwandan champions recovered from a slow start to finish the tournament with a 5-1 record and claim a podium finish in just their second WBLA appearance.

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