By Arinzechi Chukwunonso
Nigeria’s men’s volleyball team opened their campaign at the 2026 African Nations Volleyball Championship in Tunisia with a commanding 3-0 victory over Chad on Wednesday.
The Zone 3 champions overcame Chad 25-17, 25-17, 25-16 to begin their title campaign on a winning note and strengthen their hopes of securing the continent’s sole ticket to the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games.
Nigeria are also targeting qualification for the 2027 FIVB World Championship.
The Nigerians controlled the opening set from the start, securing a comfortable 25-17 win before producing an identical scoreline in the second set.
They maintained their dominance in the third set, completing a straight-sets victory with a 25-16 triumph.
Head coach Ryan Masajedi praised his players for sticking to the game plan and executing their instructions effectively.
The Japanese tactician, however, warned his players against becoming complacent, with Algeria awaiting Nigeria in their next group match on Thursday.
“I am excited that the players played according to the instructions given to them; it shows our training programme worked out,” Masajedi said.
“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 thanked Nigerians at home for their continued support and cooperation, urging supporters to maintain their faith in the team as the players pursue their Olympic and World Championship qualification targets.
Nigeria will now turn their attention to Algeria, with a strong group-stage finish crucial to their hopes of progressing favourably in the championship.
