Little League World Series (Middle East-Africa Region)
From 2008 to 2012, the Little League World Series included eight international regions, one of them the Middle East–Africa (MEA) Region. The Arabian-American Little League based in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia won the MEA title through 2010. In 2011, Kampala, Uganda’s Reverend John Foundation Little League won the MEA tournament, but their visa to the United States was denied, so Dhahran was invited to participate in their place. In 2012, Lugazi, Uganda won the MEA title, becoming the first African team to compete in the Little League World Series. Some players could not travel because of cost, and the team had traditionally practiced barefoot until supporters supplied baseball cleats. Justine Makisimu recorded the first African base hit.
Uganda’s 2012 team lost to Panama (9–3) and Mexico (12–0) but beat Oregon (3–2) in a consolation game. Before 2008, MEA teams competed in the Europe/Middle East/Africa region or the Transatlantic region, which were mostly European or expat/foreign teams. The MEA region was disbanded after 2012 as Little League reorganized the regions, including granting Australia an automatic berth starting in 2013.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 14:16 (CET).