The battle for Africa’s eight qualification spots at the 2026 ITTF World Team Championships heats up Friday, at the ongoing 2025 ITTF Africa Championships in Tunis, Tunisia, Afrosport reports.
The event, taking place at the Rades Multidisciplinary Complex, features 16 men’s teams and 14 women’s teams competing from the group stage, with Egypt and Nigeria entering as the top seeds.
The ultimate prize is qualification for next year’s global showpiece in London, the birthplace of table tennis. Adding to the stakes, the 2026 edition of the World Team Championships will mark the centenary of the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF), giving extra weight to this year’s qualifiers.
Defending champions Egypt have named a strong squad, led by newly crowned singles champions Omar Assar and Hana Goda.
Nigeria, meanwhile, face a tough task without Quadri Aruna, Africa’s top-ranked male player, who missed the event. His absence has been felt, with no Nigerian player reaching the singles quarterfinals, though the team did earn bronze in the Men’s Doubles.
Despite the challenges, Taiwo Mati remains confident: “We really missed our captain, but that notwithstanding, we’re ready to face any team in the competition. We all want to go to London in 2026, and we’re hopeful of clinching one of the tickets.”
Hosts Tunisia will rely on Wassim Essid to lead their charge, while Algeria, fronted by Mehdi Bouloussa and veteran Sami Kherouf, aim to challenge Egypt’s dominance in both team events.
