South Africa to compete at African Swimming Championships 2026, Oran, Algeria; First-ever zonal titles on final day.

African Swimming Championships 2026: Stars to watch and full schedule

Egyptian icon Farida Osman is among swimmers expected to compete at the championships set for 5-10 May.

From May 5–10, the17th Africa Aquatics SeniorSwimmingChampionshipswill take place in Oran, Algeria, and feature some of the continent’s top athletes.

Most swimmers plan to use the competition as a warm-up for their national championships, which will determine their squads for theCommonwealth Games 2026in Glasgow.

This year’s edition will see both the senior and junior athletes competing for continental honours. On the last day, 10 May, nations will compete for the first time ever for zonal titles.

All eyes will again be on South Africa, the African swimming powerhouse that has produced Olympic and world champions.

They will be represented by a mix of experienced and up-and-coming athletes. Also scheduled to compete in Oran is OlympianFarida Osman, the 50m freestyle record holder for Egypt and Africa.

Below are all the key details for the African Swimming Championships 2026, including the full schedule and some of the stars to watch.

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Stars to watch at the African Swimming Championships 2026

South Africa arrives in the northwest port city of Algeria as a benchmark nation expected to contest for medals across multiple disciplines.

One of the nation’s fastest-rising backstroke swimmers,Isabeau Coetsee, 14, will compete in an attempt to consolidate her experience from the 2025 Aquatics Zone IV Championships in eSwatini, where shewon eight gold, three silver, and two bronze medals.

World Championship open swimmerMatthew Caldwellis the main attraction in the men’s events. He recently led a South African medal sweep at the aQuelle Midmar Mile, one of the biggest open-water swimming competitions in the world, which was held in KwaZulu Natal in February.

The inclusion ofKaydn NaidooandStephan Engelbrechtalso signal South Africa’s intent to continue developing the next crop of senior internationals.

One of the most prominent names in Egypt’s team list of 21 isFarida Osman,a six-time All African Games.Osman is the first swimmer from her country to win two medals at the World Championships (long course).

U.S.-based swimmersHaniel KudwoliandSara Moseare among the leading names expected to be a reference point for Kenya in Oran.

African Swimming Championships 2026 schedule

(Local time in Oran GMT+1)

Day 1 – Tuesday, 5 May

1500m Freestyle (Timed Finals – slow heats)

800m Freestyle (Timed Finals – slow heats)

Mixed 4 × 100m Freestyle Relay

100m Freestyle (Junior & Senior men and women)

200m Butterfly (Junior & Senior men and women)

Day 2 – Wednesday, 6 May

200m Freestyle (Senior men and women)

100m Breaststroke (Senior men and women)

50m Butterfly (Senior men and women)

200m Backstroke (Senior men and women)

Mixed 4 × 100m Medley Relay

200m Freestyle (Junior & Senior men and women)

100m Breaststroke (Junior & Senior men and women)

Day 3 – Thursday, 7 May

400m Freestyle (Junior & Senior men and women)

100m Butterfly (Junior & Senior men and women)

200m Breaststroke (Junior & Senior men and women)

50m Backstroke (Junior & Senior men and women)

4 × 200m Freestyle Relays (Junior & Senior men and women)

Day 4 – Friday 8, May

400m Individual Medley (Senior men and women)

100m Backstroke (Senior men and women)

50m Breaststroke (Senior men and women)

4 × 100m Freestyle Relays (Senior men and women)

400m Individual Medley (Junior & Senior men and women)

100m Backstroke (Junior & Senior men and women)

50m Breaststroke (Junior & Senior men and women)

4 × 100m Freestyle Relays (Junior & Senior men and women)

Day 5 – Saturday 9, May

50m Freestyle (Junior & Senior men and women)

800m Freestyle (Junior & Senior women)

200m Individual Medley (Senior men and women)

1500m Freestyle (Junior & Senior men)

4 × 100m Medley Relays (Senior men and women)

800m Freestyle (Junior & Senior men and women)

200m Individual Medley (Junior & Senior men and women)

4 × 100m Medley Relays (Junior & Senior men and women)

Day 6 – Sunday 10 May 2026

50m Relay (Men and women over 14 years)

50m & 100m Freestyle, Backstroke, Breaststroke, Butterfly (Men and women over 14 years)

4 × 50m Medley Relays (Men and women over 14 years)

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