African Men’s Volleyball Championship 2026: Nigeria defeats Chad to record first win

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

Nigeria is aiming for its sole ticket to 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, beating Chad 25-17 before repeating the same result in the second set.

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

Speaking after the win, Nigeria men’s volleyball team coach, Ryan Masajedi, praised his players for executing the game plan against Chad.

The Japanese coach said the team will not get carried away by the victory and will shift their attention to the next group match against Algeria.

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

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

“We will shift our attention to the next match against Algeria tomorrow (Thursday) and will not get carried away by the victory. We need to get through our group to have a favorable pair in the next round.”

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

He urged supporters to continue to believe in the players as Nigeria pursues their goals at the championship.