Ice hockey in Africa

Content sourced from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.

Ice hockey is played in several African countries, with a few indoor rinks and growing local teams. An African Nations Cup was planned for 2009 in South Africa but never took place.

Key developments
- In 2014, Egyptian players from Anubis Ice Hockey Team began working with Morocco to start the first African Cup. In 2016, the first African Ice Hockey Clubs Cup was held in Rabat, Morocco, featuring teams from Egypt, Morocco, Tunisia and Algeria. Kenya, Libya, and South Africa were invited but did not participate. Tunisia won the cup.
- South Africa is the strongest hockey nation on the continent. It has the South African Ice Hockey Association and has been an IIHF member since 1937. The national team’s first international game was in 1961 against Yugoslavia. Domestic teams include the Johannesburg Wildcats, Pretoria Capitals, and Cape Town Kings.

Regional highlights

Southern Africa
- South Africa is the leading African ice hockey country, with a national team in the IIHF and several clubs.

North Africa
- Algeria: Joined the IIHF as an Associate member in 2019. Algeria has one rink and is governed by Hockey Algeria, with HC Alger Corsaires in Algiers and a hockey school in Setif.
- Egypt: Home to about 11 rinks across six cities, helping grow the sport in the country.
- Morocco: Governed by the Royal Moroccan Ice Hockey Federation, an IIHF associate member since 2010. Moroccan clubs include Capitals, Ifis, and Falcons in Rabat; the country has a national team that played in the Arab Cup in Dubai (2008).
- Tunisia: The first Tunisian rink is at the Blue Ice complex in Yasmine Hammamet. The Tunisia national team is being formed, led by Ihab Ayed from France, and the Tunisian Ice Hockey Association; the Carthage Eagles are the first Africa champion.

East Africa
- Kenya: The Solar Ice Rink opened in Nairobi in 2005, sparking interest from schools to form teams. Players from nearby Djibouti sometimes participate in matches in other African countries.

Future of African ice hockey
- There is no single continental federation yet. About 12 African countries have some level of ice hockey activity. South Africa has full IIHF membership, rinks, clubs, and a national team. Morocco is an IIHF associate member with some clubs and a national team. Namibia has a national federation and IIHF affiliate status but no national team. Tunisia has a national team and association but no IIHF membership. Egypt, Kenya, and Côte d’Ivoire have clubs and teams but lack official status in IIHF terms. Other countries host clubs or development programs without formal recognition.

Overall, ice hockey in Africa is still developing, with real strength in a few nations and growing interest and infrastructure in others, showing potential for broader growth across the continent.