Rising Nigerian table tennis star Taiwo Mati believes the team can still secure one of Africa’s coveted qualification slots for the 2026 World Championships despite the absence of Aruna Quadri as the qualifying campaign serves off today at the ITTF Africa Championships in Cairo, Egypt.
Aruna’s withdrawal from the championship has left the Nigerian contingent slightly weakened, a gap that was evident in the singles events where Egypt’s Omar Assar and Dina Meshref Goda claimed the men’s and women’s singles titles respectively.
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Nigeria’s only consolation came from a bronze medal finish in the doubles event.
Despite the setback, Mati remains optimistic about the team’s prospects.
“We really miss our captain, but that notwithstanding, we’re ready to face any team in the competition. We all want to go to London in 2026,” said the 19-year-old with confidence.
The men’s team has been placed in Group 2, alongside Cameroon, South Africa, and Morocco, and will look to advance from the group stages in their quest to secure one of the eight African slots available for the World Championships.
Men’s Team Groupings:
Group 1: Egypt, Côte d’Ivoire
Group 2: Nigeria, Cameroon, South Africa, Morocco
Group 3: Algeria, Angola, Benin, Congo
Group 4: Tunisia, DR Congo, Madagascar, Uganda
With determination and young talents stepping up, Team Nigeria is poised to keep the nation’s flag flying high in Cairo — even without their talisman, Aruna Quadri.
