Tunis hosts 13 men’s teams for African Nations Championship

The 2026 CAVB Men's Volleyball African Nations Championship is just about to get underway in Tunis, Tunisia on Tuesday, September 15. The medal matches on September 25 will not only determine this year’s continental champion, who will get Africa’s ticket to the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games men’s volleyball event, but will also issue three tickets to the 2027 FIVB Volleyball Men’s World Cup in Poland. Initially, the African Nations Championship was supposed to take place in Kinshasa, DR Congo, but health safety concerns related to the Ebola outbreak prompted the organizers to change the venue and postpone the competition by 10 days.

13 African men’s national volleyball teams are split into four round-robin pools, with all of them advancing to the playoff phase of the tournament, which starts with the eighthfinals and leads to the medal matches. The winners of Pools A, C and D will progress straight to the quarterfinals, while the remaining 10 teams will engage in five eighthfinal games to fill the remaining five quarterfinal vacancies.

Pool A features three teams. Tournament hosts Tunisia highlight the lineup. Currently standing as number 44 in the FIVB World Ranking, they are the second highest ranked African team. They are also the most decorated team in the history of the African Nations Championships, with as many as 11 titles, seven silver and two bronze medals. However, at the previous edition in 2023, Tunisia missed out on the podium for the first time since 2009. The pool also features the teams of Kenya and Ghana.

The team of defending champions Egypt headlines Pool B. At number 26 in the world, it is the highest ranked African team. In 2023, they won the African Nations Championship crown for the ninth time, in addition to the six silvers and three bronzes in their showcase. Morocco, who have been on the continental podium with bronze three times, most recently in 2015, and Gambia are the other two sides to compete in Pool B.

Nigeria, the third highest ranked African team, in number 53, will lead Pool C. The Nigerians have picked one medal in the history of the African Nations Championships, a silver back in 2001, when they hosted the event. The runners-up of the last edition – Algeria – are also in this pool. They have two titles (1991, 1993), four silvers and six bronzes in their continental collection. Chad are the third team in that pool.

Pool D is the only one with four teams. It features Cameroon, number 54 in the world and the fourth highest ranked African team. They have two gold (1989, 2001), five silver and five bronze medals in their African Nations Championship showcase. Their last podium was decorated with silver in 2021, while in 2023, Cameroon finished fourth. Central Africa, DR Congo and Rwanda complete Pool D.

The 2026 CAVB Men's Volleyball African Nations Championship will serve off on Tuesday, September 15, at 09:00 local time (08:00 UTC) with a Pool B game between Egypt and Gambia.

CAVB Men's Volleyball African Nations Championship: schedule and results

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