The 2026 ITTF Africa Cup burst into life in Benghazi, Libya, with a wave of youthful brilliance on opening day as Africa’s rising stars rattled the continent’s established order.

Teenage sensation Tania Morice of Algeria emerged as the standout performer, announcing her arrival on the continental stage in emphatic fashion. Competing in her first Africa Cup and unseeded, Morice produced a flawless group-stage display against vastly more experienced opponents.

Algeria’s Tana Morice

She stunned Nigeria’s Fatimo Bello, the 2022 runner-up, and Madagascar’s Hanitra Raharimanana, seeded fourth and fifth respectively, recording commanding 3–1 victories in both encounters to top her group and secure a place in the women’s singles knockout round.

“I’m really glad to win,” Morice said after her breakthrough performances. “I had a good feeling because I believed I could win.”

In the men’s singles, Egypt’s reigning African Youth Champion Badr Mostafa also caught the eye with a gritty 3–2 victory over Tunisia’s Wassim Essid. The five-game battle tested the young Egyptian’s composure, but he credited experience and preparation for seeing him through.

“Thank God, I was able to win because Wassim is one of the best players in Africa,” Mostafa said. “The match was difficult, especially at the beginning, but I’ve worked hard, gained more experience, and that’s helped me perform better.”

Despite the early shocks, the tournament’s heavyweights ultimately asserted their authority. Top seeds Omar Assar, Quadri Aruna, Youssef Abdelaziz and Mehdi Bouloussa all advanced comfortably in the men’s singles.

On the women’s side, Egyptian trio Hana Goda, Dina Meshref and Mariam Alhodaby navigated the opening round without major alarms, brushing aside determined challenges from younger rivals.

Attention now turns to Day 2 on Sunday, February 8, as the intensity rises in Benghazi, with podium places and coveted qualification spots for the ITTF World Cup firmly in sight.

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Egyptian stars Omar Assar and Hana Goda will put their impressive Africa Cup records on the line when the 2026 ITTF Africa Cup gets underway in Benghazi, Libya, from February 7 to 9.

The annual continental championship, which also serves as a qualifying event for the 2026 ITTF World Cup, is organised by ITTF Africa in collaboration with the International Table Tennis Federation and hosted by the Libyan Table Tennis Federation at the iconic Al Nasr Sports Club.

Men’s top seed Assar arrives in Benghazi as the most successful player in Africa Cup history, having claimed six men’s singles titles in Yaoundé 2015, Nairobi 2018, Lagos 2019, Lagos 2022, Nairobi 2023 and Tunis 2025. His closest challenger, Nigeria’s Quadri Aruna, has won five titles, including the 2024 edition in Kigali.

Assar has remained unbeaten at the Africa Cup since his semifinal defeat to Aruna in Tunis in 2020, going on to secure back-to-back victories in Lagos, Nairobi and Tunis. In Libya, he is expected to renew his rivalry with Aruna, while also facing a growing challenge from compatriot Youssef Abdelaziz, who continues to establish himself among Africa’s elite.

In the women’s singles, top seed Goda continues to build a remarkable career that began when she captured her first Africa Cup title at just 14 years old in Lagos 2022, becoming the youngest champion in the tournament’s history.

The Egyptian prodigy stumbled at the 2024 edition in Kigali, losing 4–0 in the semifinals to fellow Egyptian Mariam Alhodaby, but responded emphatically in Tunis 2025 by reclaiming the title with a victory over Dina Meshref, the competition’s most decorated player with nine titles.

Now 18, Goda is aiming to follow in Meshref’s footsteps by adding to her growing collection of continental honours. She will again face strong opposition from Meshref and Alhodaby, as well as Nigeria’s Fatimo Bello, a finalist at Lagos 2022. Tunisia’s Ela Saidi, who impressed at the 2025 edition, is also expected to be among the leading contenders.

With Africa’s top table tennis players converging on Benghazi, the 2026 ITTF Africa Cup is set to deliver intense competition and high drama. For Assar and Goda, the tournament represents more than another title defence—it is another opportunity to cement their legacies as the defining faces of African table tennis.

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Africa’s top table tennis players will converge on Benghazi, Libya, from February 7 to 9 as they compete for qualification spots at the 2026 ITTF World Cup in Macao, China.

For the first time in the sport’s history, Libya’s second-largest city will host a major continental table tennis championship, with the iconic Al-Nasr Sports Club set to stage the ITTF Africa Cup. The tournament brings together elite men’s and women’s players from across the continent, all chasing podium finishes and automatic qualification for the global showpiece in Macao.

The stakes are particularly high, as semifinalists in both the men’s and women’s singles events will secure direct tickets to next month’s World Cup, offering African stars a pathway to compete against the world’s best.

For the International Table Tennis Federation and its continental arm, ITTF Africa, the decision to stage the championship in Libya goes beyond competition, symbolising the sport’s growing reach and its unifying role across Africa.

President of ITTF Africa, Wahid Enitan Oshodi, commended the Libyan Table Tennis Federation for its commitment to hosting the event, describing the tournament as a celebration of both diversity and unity within the sport.

“Gatherings such as this celebrate both our diversity and our unity, defining what it means to be part of the table tennis family,” Oshodi said, while praising Libya’s enthusiasm in welcoming athletes, officials and fans from across the continent.

ITTF President Petra Sörling also highlighted the rising global profile of African table tennis, noting that the Africa Cup has become a strong reflection of the continent’s growing influence within the international game.

“Through sustained efforts in competition delivery, high-performance development and organisational capacity, African table tennis continues to strengthen its foundations and broaden its impact on the world stage,” Sörling said.

The 2025 edition of the Africa Cup carries added significance as table tennis approaches a historic milestone. Oshodi pointed to the centenary of the ITTF in 2026 and the World Team Championships scheduled for London as the culmination of a century of progress.

“The ITTF Africa Cup provides an invaluable opportunity for our players and teams to sharpen their preparations, foster competitive excellence and nurture the spirit of table tennis throughout the region,” he said.

Sörling, who is also a member of the International Olympic Committee Executive Board, praised Libya’s boldness in hosting the event during such a landmark period, noting that Africa’s role within the global sporting movement continues to expand, with major milestones ahead, including preparations for the first-ever Youth Olympic Games to be staged on the continent.

Within that broader context, she added, the ITTF Africa Cup stands as both a celebration of African ambition and a clear statement of the continent’s confidence and future potential in the world of table tennis.

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