Nigeria have been crowned champions of Africa after defeating hosts Egypt in straight sets to win the 2026 African U18 Boys Volleyball Championship in Alexandria.
The Nigerian youngsters produced a commanding display in Wednesday’s final, defeating Egypt 3-0 (25-22, 25-21, 25-14) to secure the continental title and cap an outstanding unbeaten campaign at the 14th African U18 Boys and Girls Volleyball Championship.
Having already beaten Egypt during the group stage, Nigeria once again proved too strong in the final, showcasing superior attacking play, solid blocking, and defensive discipline to lift the coveted trophy.
Nigeria’s road to the title was impressive.
The team topped Group A with victories over Burundi, Morocco, and Egypt before defeating Libya in the quarter-finals and Cameroon in the semi-finals to book their place in the championship match.
Egypt settled for the silver medal after an impressive tournament that saw them eliminate Algeria in the quarter-finals and edge Tunisia in a thrilling five-set semi-final.
Cameroon completed the podium by claiming the bronze medal, while Tunisia finished fourth. Algeria, Morocco, Libya, and Burundi occupied the remaining positions in the final standings.
Final Boys’ Standings
Nigeria
Egypt
Cameroon
Tunisia
Algeria
Morocco
Libya
Burundi
The victory underlines Nigeria’s growing strength in age-grade volleyball and also guarantees qualification for the FIVB U18 Boys World Championship, alongside runners-up Egypt and bronze medallists Cameroon.
In the girls’ competition, Tunisia emerged champions after defeating Egypt in the final, with Algeria claiming bronze.
The top three teams also qualified for the FIVB U18 Girls World Championship.
The championship, hosted at the Pioneer Club in Alexandria from July 20 to 29 featured 14 teams from nine African countries and concluded with a colourful closing ceremony attended by officials of the African Volleyball Confederation (CAVB), the Egyptian Volleyball Federation, government dignitaries, and sports stakeholders.
Nigeria’s triumph marks another significant milestone for the country’s volleyball development programme and reinforces its status as one of Africa’s emerging powers in youth volleyball.
