Nigeria Begin 2026 African Volleyball Championship With 3-0 Win Over Chad
Nigeria opened their 2026 African Men’s Volleyball Nations Championship campaign with a commanding 3-0 victory over Chad in Tunisia Wednesday.
The Zone 3 champions controlled the contest from the opening serve, securing a comfortable 25-17 victory in the first set.
Nigeria maintained their dominance in the second set, producing another 25-17 scoreline to move closer to completing a convincing opening victory.
The Nigerian side then raised their intensity in the deciding set, defeating Chad 25-6 to seal maximum points.
The victory gives Nigeria an important start as the team targets qualification for major international competitions through the championship.
Nigeria are pursuing the sole African ticket for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games while also targeting the 2027 FIVB World Championship.
The team entered the continental competition with confidence after emerging as champions of Zone 3 during the qualification process.
Head coach Ryan Masajedi praised his players for following instructions and executing the tactical plan throughout their opening encounter against Chad.
The Japanese coach said the performance demonstrated that the team’s training programme had prepared the players effectively for the championship.
“I am excited that the players played according to the instructions given to them; it shows our training programme worked out,” Masajedi said.
He added that Nigeria experienced no major difficulties while implementing their strategy and controlling the match against their opponents.
“They executed the game plan, and we had no issues beating Chad in our first match,” the coach explained.
Despite the emphatic victory, Masajedi warned his players against becoming complacent as Nigeria prepare for their next group fixture.
Nigeria will face Algeria on Thursday, with the coach stressing the importance of finishing top of the group.
“We’ll shift focus to our next match against Algeria tomorrow and will not be carried away by the victory,” he said.
“We have to top our group to have a favourable pairing in the next round,” Masajedi added.
The coach also acknowledged the support Nigerians back home have continued to provide throughout the team’s preparations and campaign.
He urged supporters to maintain their confidence in the players as Nigeria continue their pursuit of Olympic and World Championship qualification.
The team’s campaign receives support from the Nigeria Customs Service, National Sports Commission and Nigeria Volleyball Federation.
Nigeria will now turn their attention to Algeria, knowing another positive result could strengthen their position in the group standings.If you want.
