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Head to head · Checked November 2026

Egypt vs
South Africa

Egypt vs South Africa in ice hockey: Africa’s oldest IIHF member against Egypt’s league, on players, rankings, rinks, World Championships and leagues.

See the tale of the tapeAll comparisons
0–5
Tale of the tape, Egypt–South Africa
2
Egypt federations, leagues and clubs
6
South Africa federations, leagues and clubs
Measure by measure

The tale of the tape

Ahead on 0
Egypt
Ahead on 5
South Africa
  • IIHF membership
    Egypt: None
    Pursuing recognition
    South Africa: Full (ahead)
    Since 1937
  • Registered players
    Egypt: —
    South Africa: 491
  • Men’s world ranking
    Egypt: —
    South Africa: #47 (ahead)
  • Women’s world ranking
    Egypt: —
    South Africa: #36 (ahead)
  • IIHF-size indoor rinks
    Egypt: —
    South Africa: 7
  • Men’s Worlds 2027
    Egypt: —
    South Africa: Div III A (ahead)
    Taichung, Chinese Taipei
  • Women’s Worlds 2027
    Egypt: —
    South Africa: Div III B (ahead)
    Sofia, Bulgaria
  • Domestic competition
    Egypt: EHL
    3-on-3, at Sun City Mall
    South Africa: SASL
    Three men’s teams, 2026

Membership, players, rankings and rinks are the figures each federation reports to the IIHF, as shown on its iihf.com member page in November 2026. The 2027 tournaments are the IIHF’s own entry lists. Amber marks the side that is ahead.

The difference

How they compare

South Africa is the continent’s established ice hockey nation. It joined the IIHF in 1937, reports 491 registered players and seven IIHF-size indoor rinks, and is the only country we compare with both a men’s world ranking (47th) and a women’s (36th). In April 2026 it hosted the men’s World Championship Division III Group A at Ice Station, GrandWest, in Cape Town, and finished fourth of six, as it had in Istanbul in 2025.

It also has the domestic structure Egypt is building towards: a senior men’s Super League, topped in 2026 by the Pretoria Buffalos; a women’s Super League, won in 2026 by the Cape Town Queens; and provincial and youth leagues in Gauteng and the Western Cape, with results published on the IIHF’s results service.

Egypt is not an IIHF member and has no world ranking. Its game is the Egyptian Hockey League in Cairo, which plays 3-on-3 at Sun City Mall, takes beginners of any age and is pursuing IIHF recognition. We have no record of the two countries’ teams meeting.

Who plays where

Leagues and clubs

North Africa

Egypt

Sub-Saharan Africa

South Africa

Also playing, with no official account we could find: Pretoria Buffalos, Pretoria Capitals, Cape Town Kings.

Common questions

Egypt vs South Africa, answered

Is South Africa better than Egypt at ice hockey?

On every IIHF measure, yes. South Africa has been a full IIHF member since 1937, reports 491 registered players and seven IIHF-size indoor rinks, and its men are ranked 47th in the world and its women 36th. Egypt is not an IIHF member and has no world ranking; the Egyptian Hockey League is pursuing recognition.

Does South Africa have an ice hockey league?

Yes. The South African Super League is the senior men’s competition: three teams in 2026, when the Pretoria Buffalos topped the table, after the Pretoria Capitals won in 2024 and 2025. There is also a women’s Super League, won in 2026 by the Cape Town Queens, and provincial leagues in Gauteng and the Western Cape.

Which is the best ice hockey country in Africa?

South Africa. It is Africa’s only full IIHF member, since 1937, the only African country with a world ranking (47th for its men, 36th for its women), and the only one entered for both the men’s and the women’s World Championships in 2027.

Are Egypt and South Africa IIHF members?

Egypt is not an IIHF member; the Egyptian Hockey League is pursuing recognition. South Africa has been a full member of the IIHF since 1937.

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Beyond the numbers

Middle East hockeyFederations, leagues and clubs across the region, country by country.OpenHockey in EgyptHow the game took hold, rink by rink and programme by programme.OpenTournamentsCup runs and invitationals across the calendar.OpenJoin the leagueLace up, volunteer, or bring a club into the EHL.Open