The September 2026 World Karate Ranking Maps Africa’s Presence Among the Global Elite
The September 2026 World Karate Ranking Maps Africa’s Presence Among the Global Elite
The September 2026 World Karate Ranking of the World Karate Federation (WKF) reveals a broad African presence among the world's Top 32 athletes, as the continent enters a new phase of international competition following the African Karate Championships – Algeria 2026.
The figures present a multi-layered picture: African athletes occupy leading positions in several categories, while others are positioned within the upper reaches of the ranking and a broad group have secured places among the world's Top 32.
The comparison between the Senior and U21 categories also highlights the continuation of African representation into the younger generation, with athletes from a wide range of African countries appearing across the different events.
Senior Women: Strong African Representation
In the Senior Women's events, African athletes are represented among the world's Top 32 in Kata and five Kumite weight categories, with Egypt, Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia featuring prominently.
Kata
Egypt's Aya Hesham is ranked 16th in the world, followed by compatriot Jana Khamis in 18th place. Morocco's Aya En-Nesyry occupies 20th place, while Egypt's Habiba Mousa completes the African representation in 32nd place.
Four African athletes from three countries are therefore represented in the Top 32 in Senior Women's Kata.
Kumite -50 kg
African representation in this category includes three athletes.
Algeria's Cylia Ouikene is ranked third in the world, one of the highest African positions in the Senior Women's ranking. Egypt's Reem Ahmed Salama is ranked 10th, while Algeria's Rayane Sekkour occupies 21st place.
Kumite -55 kg
Egypt, Algeria and Morocco are represented in this weight category.
Egypt's Ahlam Youssef occupies first place in the world, while Algeria's Louiza Abouriche is ranked second. Morocco's Chaimae Elhayti is in 19th place.
The category therefore features two African athletes at the top of the world ranking.
Kumite -61 kg
Tunisia's Wafa Mahjoub is ranked fifth in the world, while Egypt's Noursin Aly occupies eighth place.
Egypt is represented again by Rahma Tolba in 27th place, alongside Morocco's Sawsane Benchbab in 28th.
Four African athletes from three countries are therefore present within the Top 32.
Kumite -68 kg
This is one of the categories with the strongest African representation.
Egypt's Hadir Hendy is ranked seventh in the world, followed by Morocco's Nisrine Brouk in 10th place and Egypt's Jana Hazem Elsayed in 14th.
Algeria's Karima Mekkaoui occupies 17th place, while Egypt's Yasmeen Abuzeed and Feryal Abdelaziz are ranked 23rd and 24th respectively.
The category includes six African athletes within the Top 32, representing Egypt, Algeria and Morocco.
Kumite +68 kg
Three African athletes are represented in this category.
Egypt's Menna Shaaban Okila is ranked ninth in the world, Tunisia's Chehinez Jemi is 15th, while Egypt's Mariam Tantawi occupies 27th place.
The Senior Women's ranking therefore shows African representation across all the weight categories covered by the available data, ranging from leading positions to the wider Top 32.
Senior Men
The available data does not include the Senior Men's ranking.
Accordingly, no names or ranking positions are added to this section beyond the information available in the current dataset.
This distinction is important in order to maintain an accurate presentation of the September 2026 ranking.
U21 Women: A Broader Continental Presence
African representation expands significantly in the U21 Women's category.
In addition to Egypt, Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia, athletes from Cameroon, South Africa, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Burkina Faso, Kenya, Angola and other African countries appear in the ranking.
Kata
Egypt's Alaa Elshorbagy leads the world ranking in first place.
Cameroon's Tueno Fotso Lesly Carelle is ranked third, Algeria's Hibat Allah Ghodbane fifth and South Africa's Nyska Shreya Jagasur sixth.
Athletes from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Burkina Faso, Zimbabwe and Kenya also appear within the Top 32, demonstrating the geographical breadth of African representation.
Kumite -50 kg
Tunisia's Fatma Chanoufi is ranked fifth in the world, while Cameroon's Tueno Fotso Lesly Carelle occupies 10th place.
Algeria's Melina Iddir is ranked 21st, while Angola's Maria Lourenco is 23rd.
Kumite -55 kg
Algeria's Massilya Louni is ranked seventh, while Morocco's Roumayassae Tarkou occupies 11th place.
Egypt's Sally Abdou is ranked 19th, alongside Democratic Republic of the Congo athlete Ruvej Ikuku, who holds the same position.
Kumite -61 kg
Egypt's Rahma Tolba occupies first place in the world, while Morocco's Doae Choukri is ranked sixth.
Tunisia's Ranim Ben Hassen is 16th, while South Africa's Nyska Shreya Jagasur occupies 20th place.
Kumite -68 kg
Egypt's Jana Hazem Elsayed is ranked fifth, followed by Kenya's Fatuma Mohammed in 11th place.
Tunisia's Meriame Ettaleb is ranked 13th, Benin's Charmide Dayana Esther Kole 21st and South Africa's Jamie-Lee Van Den Heever 24th.
Tunisia's Mayssa Ksantini and Cameroon's Bodiong Gaboaya Olivia Davina are both ranked 25th.
Kumite +68 kg
Tunisia's Tasnim Msekni leads the African representation in sixth place worldwide.
Algeria's Aicha Rouichi is ranked 10th, Egypt's Malak Elbarbary 14th and Morocco's Jihane Bahajjhou 19th.
Madagascar's Iriantsoa Ornella Andriantsivoh Raboanaritomp also occupies 19th place.
The available list also includes Gabon's Josaphat Tracy Guilibana Bipakila, although no ranking position is provided in the source.
U21 Men: African Athletes Across the Top 32
The U21 Men's events provide another significant group of African athletes within the world's Top 32, with representation from Egypt, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Senegal, Angola and other countries.
Kata
Egypt's Ali Dahy is ranked fifth in the world, while Morocco's Abderrahmane Chakir occupies 14th place.
Algeria's Mouhamed Louai Loucif is ranked 26th, while Botswana's Bofelo Daniel is 32nd.
Kumite -60 kg
Morocco's Ali Afife is ranked seventh, while Algeria's Ala Eddine Kichou occupies 10th place.
Egypt's Mohamed Hany Nasser is ranked 21st, the same position held by Democratic Republic of the Congo athlete Kalenga Kaniki.
Tunisia's Abderrahman Chemli is ranked 30th.
Kumite -67 kg
Egypt's Adel Omara occupies second place in the world.
Senegal's Mouhamadou Moustapha Gaye is ranked sixth, while Morocco's Samir Sadini occupies 11th place.
Burkina Faso's Arafat Gouem and Cameroon's Timeni Tchoudi Guy Geremi are both ranked 29th.
Kumite -75 kg
Egypt's Youssef Farag leads the world ranking in first place.
Morocco's Haitam Oufkir is ranked 13th, Angola's Nario Lopes 16th and Morocco's Salah Eddine El Bahry 27th.
Kumite -84 kg
Egypt's Omar Osman occupies second place in the world.
Senegal's Serigne Mbacke Seck is ranked eighth, while Morocco's Salah-Eddine Koubidy and Algeria's Abderrazak Gori are both ranked 19th.
Tunisia's Ayoub Ben Said occupies 32nd place.
Kumite +84 kg
Egypt has two athletes within the Top 32.
Elhassan Mohamed is ranked sixth, while Yassin Saad occupies 10th place.
Algeria's Nizar Achouri is ranked 15th, Morocco's Othmane Hebbal 20th and Democratic Republic of the Congo athlete Lokadi Lobaba Gedeon 27th.
What Does the September Ranking Show?
When the Senior and U21 categories are viewed together, one of the most notable features of the September 2026 ranking is the breadth of African representation across different events.
At Senior level, the available data shows a strong presence from Egypt, Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia. The U21 ranking expands this geographical picture, with athletes from West, Central, Southern and Eastern Africa appearing among the world's Top 32.
The leading positions are also distributed across several events. Egypt occupies first place in the Senior Women's -55 kg category, while African athletes also hold leading positions in U21 Kata and several U21 Kumite categories.
At the same time, the ranking should not be interpreted as a ranking of African National Federations or as a definitive measurement of their respective competitive strength. The ranking reflects athletes' positions at a specific point in time and does not, by itself, explain every position or quantify the contribution of any individual championship.
From Algeria 2026 to the World Ranking
The September ranking comes shortly after the African Karate Championships – Algeria 2026, making the continental championships an important part of the chronological context.
However, establishing the precise impact of the Algerian championships on individual ranking positions would require a comparison with the preceding ranking and detailed information on the ranking points earned by each athlete.
The available data therefore does not establish that a particular ranking position resulted directly from the results achieved in Algeria.
What the September figures clearly demonstrate is the significant presence of African athletes at multiple levels of the world ranking: athletes occupying leading positions, others within the upper reaches of the ranking, and a broader group extending through the Top 32.
A Continental Presence Across Generations
The September 2026 ranking provides more than a list of positions. It offers a picture of African karate's presence across generations and geographical regions.
From established Senior athletes to the emerging U21 generation, African competitors are represented in Kata and Kumite across numerous weight categories.
This breadth of representation provides an important reference point for the continued development of African karate and highlights the value of sustained investment in athletes, coaches, technical personnel and national development programmes.
For UFAK and its member federations, the ranking provides another opportunity to observe the progress of African athletes on the international stage and to continue supporting the development of karate across the continent.
The September 2026 World Ranking shows that African karate has an increasingly broad presence among the world's Top 32 — across categories, generations and regions.
African Karate Union (UFAK)
Author: Ashraf Hassan
