Nigeria Fall Short in 2026 African Men’s Nations Volleyball Championship as Morocco Win Five-Set Thriller

Posted : 22 September 2026

Nigeria’s men’s volleyball team came within one set of reaching the semi-finals of the 2026 African Men’s Nations Volleyball Championship before Morocco edged them 3-2 in a dramatic quarter-final encounter in Tunisia.

The Nigerian side showed considerable resilience after surrendering an early advantage, forcing the match into a deciding fifth set before Morocco held on to secure a last-four berth.

Nigeria made an encouraging start, claiming the opening set 25-20, but Morocco quickly responded with a commanding 25-15 victory in the second set.

The North Africans continued their momentum in the third set, edging Nigeria 25-21 to move within one set of victory.

Facing elimination, Nigeria produced one of their strongest passages of the match in the fourth set.

The teams battled intensely for every point before Nigeria finally prevailed 26-24, levelling the contest and sending the quarter-final into a deciding fifth set.

Morocco, however, maintained their composure under pressure and secured the decisive set 15-12 to end Nigeria’s hopes of a semi-final appearance.

Despite the defeat, Nigeria recorded better figures than Morocco in attack and blocking, while one of their players also emerged as the match’s leading scorer.

Head coach Ryan Masajedi praised the team’s determination and the contribution of players introduced from the bench.

“First of all, we did our best, and I’m proud of the boys. In the first set, it looked like we were finished, but we managed to fight our way back into the game, and the bench players also made a big contribution,” Masajedi said.

The coach said the quarter-final had provided valuable lessons that the team must carry into future competitions.

“To be honest, we already understand what our weaknesses and strengths are. We just need to take the lessons from this game and use them in the future. I think the boys learned a good lesson today,” he added.

Masajedi also urged the players to recover quickly and concentrate on finishing the championship strongly.

“Now, we need to switch our focus, get some good rest and prepare for the next game,” he concluded.

Nigeria 2-3 Morocco
Sets: 25-20, 15-25, 21-25, 26-24, 12-15

Morocco will face hosts Tunisia in the semi-finals after Tunisia defeated Rwanda 3-0. Nigeria will now turn their attention to the classification stage as they seek to end their campaign on a positive note.

In the other quarter-final matches, Cameroon overcame Ghana 3-2 after a thrilling contest that ended 16-14 in the deciding set, setting up a semi-final meeting with Algeria.

Algeria also needed five sets to eliminate Egypt, winning 3-2 after another closely fought encounter.

The semi-final line-up will therefore see Morocco face Tunisia, while Cameroon take on Algeria for places in the final.

Nigeria Fall Short in 2026 African Men’s Nations Volleyball Championship as Morocco Win Five-Set Thriller

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