Aruna, Omotayo Fly Nigeria’s Flag at 2026 African Table Tennis Championships

Nigeria will compete for individual honours at the 2026 ITTF Africa Championships in Tangier, Morocco, despite missing out on the team events.

The championships are scheduled for October 18–26, with Nigeria’s absence from the team competitions linked to its failure to participate in the zonal qualifiers in Conakry, Guinea. Financial difficulties and increased travel costs reportedly prevented the Nigerian contingent from attending the qualifiers.

Despite that setback, Nigeria will still have several players competing in the singles events.

Former African champion Quadri Aruna and Olajide Omotayo headline the men’s singles contingent after securing their places through their world rankings. Youngsters Matthew Kuti and Sultan Agunbiade have also received wildcards following their performances at the Africa Youth Championships in Accra.

In the women’s singles, Fatimo Bello and Sukurat Aiyelabegan qualified through the rankings, while Kabirat Ayoola, Favour Ojo and Aziza Sezuo were awarded wildcards.

The singles competition is expected to provide a strong test for Nigeria’s players, with continental heavyweights such as Egypt, Algeria and Tunisia also bringing leading players to Tangier. Egypt will be seeking to maintain its dominance of African table tennis.

The tournament also carries added importance because the singles events will serve as a qualification route for the 2027 World Table Tennis Championships in Astana, Kazakhstan.

For Nigeria, the focus will therefore shift from team glory to individual success, with Aruna and Omotayo expected to lead the country’s challenge when the competition begins.