Nigeria’s men’s and women’s table tennis teams begin their quest at the 2026 ITTF World Team Table Tennis Championships on Tuesday, facing Saudi Arabia and Wales in their opening fixtures.
The competition marks 100 years since the inaugural tournament held in England in 1926, adding significance to this year’s edition.
In the men’s draw, Nigeria is placed in Group 15 alongside Hong Kong, China, South Africa and Saudi Arabia. The women’s side competes in Group 11, where they will battle Australia, Uzbekistan and Wales.
The men’s team is scheduled to start against Saudi Arabia at 10:00 a.m. on Table 10, while the women will later confront Wales at 5:00 p.m. on Table 14.
A nine-player Nigerian contingent, comprising five men and four women, is spearheaded by Quadri Aruna. He is joined on the men’s roster by Olajide Omotayo, Matthew Kuti, Taiwo Matti and Muizz Adegoke. The women’s lineup features Fatimo Bello, Ajoke Ojomu, Sukurat Aiyelabegan and Hope Udoaka.
Nigeria enters the tournament ranked second in both groups, trailing Hong Kong, China in the men’s category and Australia in the women’s event.
The championship will unfold in two phases, with ties decided through best-of-five individual matches. While top-seeded teams and the host nation compete in Stage 1a for knockout positioning, Nigeria is among 56 teams contesting Stage 1b across Groups 3 to 16.
Group winners will secure automatic qualification to the Round of 32, while second-placed teams may either advance directly or pass through a preliminary knockout stage based on rankings.
Across other fixtures, Egypt’s women meet South Africa, Algeria’s women face Belgium, and Ghana takes on Puerto Rico. Madagascar’s men clash with Mongolia, Uganda’s women encounter India, Rwanda meets Ukraine, Angola faces Austria, and Benin Republic squares off against Serbia.
