ITTF Africa Youth Cup Begins in Ghana as Africa's Top Young Stars Chase Continental Glory

Posted : 28 July 2026

The 2026 ITTF Africa Youth Cup has started at the Borteyman Sports Complex in Accra, Ghana, with Africa's leading young table tennis players competing for continental honours over two days. The tournament runs from July 28 to July 29 after the successful conclusion of the ITTF Africa Youth Championships at the same venue.

This year's competition has been named the Babatunde Raji Fashola (BRF) Cup in recognition of the former Lagos State Governor's contribution to the development of table tennis in Africa. Fashola helped revive the sport through the launch of the Lagos Table Tennis Classics in 2013, a tournament that has played an important role in raising the profile of African table tennis.

The event is expected to showcase the continent's brightest emerging talents while providing another opportunity to identify players capable of excelling on the international stage. The competition features singles events in the U-19 and U-15 age categories, with the continent's top-ranked players battling for individual honours.

Tunisia's Wassim Essid returns as the defending U-19 boys' singles champion and will be aiming to retain his title. Algeria's Tania Morice and Bilel Zouitene also arrive with high expectations after winning the U-15 titles last year and now step up to compete in the U-19 division.

Essid and Egypt's Yara Elbadawy enter the tournament as the top seeds in the U-19 category. Uganda's Joseph Sebatindira and Tunisia's Ela Saidi have been seeded first in the boys' and girls' U-15 events respectively after their impressive performances in recent continental competitions.

Nigeria's Matthew Kuti will be one of the major attractions in the U-19 boys' singles event. He arrives in Accra with confidence after leading Nigeria to victory over Egypt in the U-19 boys' team final at the recently concluded ITTF Africa Youth Championships, where Nigeria successfully defended its continental team title.

The girls' U-19 competition is expected to feature strong challenges from Algerian sisters Jade and Tania Morice as they attempt to prevent another dominant performance from Egypt. In the U-15 boys' event, Egyptian youngster Asser Sameh enters as one of the favourites after completing the Africa Youth Championships without losing a singles match.

With continental titles on the line and several future African stars in action, the 2026 ITTF Africa Youth Cup promises two days of high-quality competition as the next generation of players look to establish themselves among Africa's elite.

ITTF Africa Youth Cup Begins in Ghana as Africa's Top Young Stars Chase Continental Glory

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