Nigeria underlined its dominance in West African beach volleyball by winning both the men’s and women’s titles at the 2026 African Nations Cup Zone 3 Beach Volleyball Qualifiers held in Badagry, Lagos State.
The three-day championship, which featured teams from Nigeria, Ghana, Benin Republic, Niger Republic, Liberia and Côte d’Ivoire, ended with the hosts emerging overall champions to secure qualification for the 2026 African Nations Cup in Morocco.
In the men’s competition, Nigeria claimed the gold medal after a dramatic final against Ghana. Nigeria’s first pair defeated Ghana 2-1 (20-22, 21-14, 15-13), while Ghana’s second pair responded with a 2-0 victory (21-16, 23-21), forcing a decisive golden set. Nigeria held their composure to edge Ghana 15-13 and lift the trophy.
Niger Republic finished third after defeating Benin Republic in the bronze medal playoff through the golden set.
The women’s event was equally impressive for the hosts as both Nigerian pairs defeated their Ghanaian counterparts in straight sets to seal another gold medal. Côte d’Ivoire secured the bronze medal ahead of Benin Republic.
Final Medal Table
Men
🥇 Gold – Nigeria
🥈 Silver – Ghana
🥉 Bronze – Niger Republic
Women
🥇 Gold – Nigeria
🥈 Silver – Ghana
🥉 Bronze – Côte d’Ivoire
Reacting to the successful tournament, President of the Nigeria Volleyball Federation (NVBF) and President of the CAVB Beach Volleyball Commission, Engineer Musa Nimrod, said the event achieved far more than producing winners.
“I am very happy because Badagry is a historic town. This event was never just about volleyball. Visitors also had the opportunity to see historic landmarks such as the Land of the Slave and the Gate of Return. It shows that sports can also promote tourism and preserve our history.”
Nimrod commended the massive turnout of fans throughout the competition, describing it as a clear indication that beach volleyball continues to gain popularity in Nigeria.
“We are proud of Badagry. You can see the crowd that came out to watch the matches. The fans have been fantastic, and everyone wanted to see quality competition. Their support has been overwhelming.”
He also highlighted the impact of the tournament on youth development, noting that Badagry has become one of the country’s centres for grassroots volleyball.
“There are major volleyball stakeholders who regularly come to Badagry to run development and educational programmes for children. That is why you see so many young people at this tournament. They have been actively involved in volleyball, and we are happy to see the sport growing at the grassroots.”
Looking ahead to the African Nations Cup in Morocco, Nimrod said preparations would begin immediately to ensure Nigeria and other Zone 3 representatives are ready for the continental challenge.
“Zone 3 is very strong. We will organise training matches with some of the qualified countries, including Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire, because we know our opponents will also be preparing. We are not going to Morocco just to participate, we are going there to compete and to win.”
He stressed that the federation would maintain its focus on improving the team’s performance.
“There is no time to relax. We will continue to train seriously because we want to improve on our previous performances. Our goal is to compete for the title, and we are encouraging every qualified country to prepare well for what promises to be a highly competitive championship.”
The successful hosting of the Zone 3 qualifiers further strengthened Badagry’s growing reputation as a destination for international beach volleyball, while Nigeria’s double triumph reinforced its status as one of Africa’s leading forces in the sport ahead of the continental championship in Morocco.
By Arinzechi Chukwunonso
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