Lagos, Feb. 4, 2026 (NAN) Egyptian table tennis stars, Omar Assar and Hana Goda are set to defend their titles at the 2026 ITTF Africa Cup scheduled to hold in Benghazi, Libya, from Feb. 7 to Feb. 9.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the annual continental championship, which also serves as a qualifier for the 2026 ITTF World Cup, is organised by the African Table Tennis Federation (ITTF Africa) in collaboration with the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF).
The tournament will be hosted by the Libyan Table Tennis Federation (LTTF) at the Al Nasr Sports Club in Benghazi.
Assar, the men’s No. 1 seed, is the most successful player in the history of the men’s singles event, having won six titles in Yaoundé 2015, Nairobi 2018, Lagos 2019, Lagos 2022, Nairobi 2023 and Tunis 2025.
His closest challenger, Nigeria’s Quadri Aruna, has claimed five titles, including the 2024 edition in Kigali.
Since his semifinal defeat to Aruna at the 2020 Africa Cup in Tunis, Assar has remained unbeaten at the tournament, recording successive victories in Lagos, Nairobi and Tunis.
In Benghazi, Assar is expected to face strong opposition from Aruna, as well as compatriot Youssef Abdelaziz, who is emerging as one of Africa’s top players.
On the women’s side, top seed Hana Goda continues her rapid rise after making history at the age of 14 by winning the Africa Cup title in Lagos 2022, becoming the youngest champion in the competition’s history.
Goda suffered a setback at the 2024 edition in Kigali, where she lost 4–0 in the semifinals to fellow Egyptian Mariam Alhodaby, but returned strongly in Tunis 2025 to reclaim the title with a victory over Dina Meshref, Africa’s most decorated player with nine titles.
NAN reports that Goda, now 18, is aiming to add to her growing list of honours and further establish herself among the continent’s elite.
She is expected to face stiff competition in Benghazi from Meshref, Alhodaby, Nigeria’s Fatimo Bello, a finalist at the 2022 edition in Lagos, as well as Tunisia’s Ela Saidi.
With Africa’s top table tennis players set to converge in Benghazi, the 2026 ITTF Africa Cup is expected to deliver keen competition and high-quality matches. (NAN)
