Volleyball: Nigeria records first win at 2026 African Nations Championship

Volleyball: Nigeria records first win at 2026 African Nations Championship

Nigeria began their campaign at the 2026 African Men's Volleyball Nations Championship on a winning note after defeating Chad 3-0 (25-17, 25-17, 25-6) in Tunisia on Wednesday, September 16.

Nigeria are targeting the sole ticket for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games, while also aiming to secure qualification for the 2027 FIVB World Championship.

The Zone 3 champions dominated the opening set, defeating Chad 25-17 before repeating the same scoreline in the second set.

The team completed the job in the third set, winning 25-16 to seal their first victory of the championship.

Speaking after the victory, head coach of Nigeria's men's volleyball team, Ryan Masajedi praised his players for executing the game plan against Chad.

The Japanese coach said the team would not be carried away by the victory as they shift their attention to their next group game against Algeria.

Masajedi said: “I am excited that the players played according to the instructions given to them; it shows our training programme worked out.

“They executed the game plan, and we had no issues beating Chad in our first match.

“We'll shift focus to our next match against Algeria tomorrow (Thursday) and will not be carried away by the victory. We have to top our group to have a favourable pairing in the next round.”

Masajedi also applauded Nigerians back home for their support and cooperation towards the team.

He urged the supporters to continue believing in the players as Nigeria pursue their targets at the championship.