Tangier, a major port city in northwestern Morocco, will welcome some of the finest table tennis players in Africa as the 2026 ITTF Africa Championships serve off from Sunday, October 18 to 25.
Hosted by the Royal Moroccan Table Tennis Federation (RMTTF) and organised by the African Table Tennis Federation (ITTF Africa), the week-long tournament is the flagship event in the continental calendar.
The Championships will serve as qualifiers for the 2027 ITTF World Championships – the first ever to be staged in Central Asia in Astana, Kazakhstan – and will determine the superpowers in African table tennis.
Apart from the team events for men and women, players will compete for honours in doubles, mixed doubles and singles, regarded as the icing on the cake.
The battle for the podium will commence with the team events, with defending champions Egypt aiming to continue their dominance in the absence of arch-rivals Nigeria, who missed the event due to their inability to participate in the Western Region tournament held in Conakry, Guinea earlier this year.
However, Egypt may not have it easy as teams like Algeria, Tunisia, hosts Morocco and Madagascar will be looking to halt the Egyptians’ dominance.
Assessing Tangier’s readiness, President of ITTF Africa, Wahid Enitan Oshodi, said Morocco is changing the narrative with near-perfect preparation.
“So far so good, all is looking good for us to have a good tournament as every detail has been followed to the letter by the host while the logistics put in place for teams has been encouraging,” Oshodi said.
“What matters to us as a continental federation is the wellbeing of the players. We need to put in a good environment for them to perform to their best and I think that has been achieved and we cannot wait to see the tournament birthing another set of superstars.
“What makes this tournament special is the presence of some of the finest young players in Africa who showed us what they are capable of at the last African Youth Championship in Accra, Ghana.
“I must commend the people and government of Morocco for their warm welcome from the airport to the hotels and venue. We are in for another explosive and world-class matches,” he added.
For RMTTF President, Anas Ziati, hosting the continental showpiece is a great honour.
“Morocco is proud of its African identity, and delighted to host this major event. We look forward to strengthening cooperation, exchanging expertise and working together for the development of our sport in Africa,” Ziati said.
The tournament returns to Morocco after the beach city of Agadir hosted the 2016 edition.
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The Day 1 bulletin also spotlighted 12 rising stars expected to blaze Tangier, including South Africa’s Lodewyk Cuten, Egypt’s Yassin Gaber, Tunisia’s Amir Essid and Ela Saidi, Uganda’s historic duo Joseph Sebatindira – first African male to reach ITTF World No.1 in U11 – and Patience Anyango, Chad’s France-based Tidiane Putola, Nigeria’s Sultan Agunbiade and Aziza Sezuo, Senegal’s West African champion Kelly Dieng, Algeria’s Tania Morice and Sierra Leone’s Naomi Coker.
