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Nigeria’s boys’ U-19 table tennis team has qualified for the 2025 ITTF World Youth Championships in Romania after a thrilling triumph at the African Youth Championships in Lagos on Tuesday.
The Nigerian table-tennis side mounted a dramatic comeback in the semifinals, overturning a 0-2 deficit to defeat Egypt 3-2 at the Molade Okoya-Thomas Hall, Teslim Balogun Stadium, Lagos.
They carried that momentum into the final, edging Tunisia by the same scoreline to clinch the continental crown and earn their place on the global stage.
Despite Tunisia’s Wassim Essid delivering victories against both Matthew Kuti and Abdulbasit Abdulfatai, the Nigerians held their nerve.
The decisive point came when Abdulfatai beat Mohamed Khaloufi 3-0 in the final match, sealing Nigeria’s return to the top of African youth table tennis after missing out in 2024. Egypt and Algeria settled for bronze.
The girls’ U-19 category told a different story for Nigeria. Egypt dominated the final with a convincing 3-0 win to claim their fourth consecutive title and secure the sole African spot for the World Youth Championships in that category.
Mariam Younes opened with a 3-0 victory over Aishat Rabiu, followed by Habiba Elbasoumy’s identical scoreline against Favour Ojo.
Although Kabirat Ayoola managed to take a set off Nour Zaki, the Egyptian sealed a 3-1 win to complete the sweep. Madagascar and South Africa shared the bronze.
Meanwhile, Uganda made history in the girls’ U-15 event, capturing their first-ever African Youth Championships team gold. The Ugandans came from behind to defeat Tunisia 3-2 in a fiercely contested final.
Patience Anyango emerged as the hero, edging Mariam Brahimi 3-2 in the deciding match. Egypt and Algeria took home bronze in the category.
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