Nigeria, Egypt, Madagascar Win ITTF World Team Championship Openers
Nigeria, Egypt and Madagascar kicked off their 2026 ITTF World Team Championship campaigns with hard-fought victories in London. Egypt overcame Thailand 3-1, while Madagascar's Fabio Rakotoarimanana sealed a thrilling 3-2 win over Mongolia. Nigeria edged Saudi Arabia 3-2 despite Matthew Kuti losing both his singles matches, with talisman Quadri Aruna and Olajide Omotayo stepping up for the crucial group win.
Nigeria faces top seeds Hong Kong on Thursday before concluding group play against South Africa on Friday. The top two teams in each group advance to the knockout rounds. Egypt remains the only African side to win in the women's competition so far, with Nigeria, Algeria and Rwanda all suffering defeats in their opening women's matches.
With the tournament's knockout stage approaching, how will Nigeria perform against Hong Kong and South Africa to secure their place in the next round? The outcome of these matches could determine Africa's representation in the championship finals.