Egypt claim African title to secure historic first Olympic berth for LA28 – FIVB

The 2026 CAVB Women’s African Nations Championship concluded on Friday evening in Nairobi, Kenya, with Egypt defeating hosts Kenya 3-0 (25-21, 25-15, 25-15) to claim the championship title in front of a passionate crowd at the Kasarani Indoor Arena.

The victory secured Egypt a direct quota berth for the LA28 Olympic Games, marking the Egyptian women’s first-ever appearance at the Olympics. On the continental stage, the triumph secured Egypt’s fourth African Nations women’s title, ending a 23-year wait since their previous gold medal in 2003, following earlier victories in 1976 and 1989.

Egypt’s path to the top of the podium was marked by complete dominance from start to finish. Throughout their campaign, the Egyptian squad maintained an unbeaten record, completing the pool stage without conceding a single match or set. They carried that form into the knockout stages, sweeping every opponent in straight sets and culminating their dominant run with victory over Kenya in the final.

In addition to crowning a champion, the championship in Nairobi served as the official CAVB qualification pathway for the 2027 FIVB Volleyball Women’s World Cup. As two of the top three finishers, Egypt and Kenya secured their places at the biennial volleyball showcase, which will be jointly hosted by the USA and Canada. Cameroon also qualified after securing the bronze medal with a decisive 3-0 (25-17, 25-16, 25-19) victory over Rwanda.

The success of all four semi-finalists highlighted the remarkable development of their national programmes under the FIVB Volleyball Empowerment initiative, which provides technical and financial assistance to strengthen volleyball standards globally. Through the Projects Platform, the top four nations utilised direct funding to enhance high-performance coaching staff, upgrade essential equipment and implement knowledge-transfer projects.

Champions and LA28-bound Egypt completed their core development project after receiving $147,000 through 2024, with an additional $12,000 earmarked for knowledge-transfer support through their historic 2026 season.

Host federation Kenya received the largest overall investment, totalling $597,000 through 2023, alongside ongoing equipment support valued at $98,000 extending through 2026.

Meanwhile, Cameroon benefited from $84,000 in dedicated coaching support to secure head coach Paulo De Tarso Milagres through 2026, alongside $117,000 in equipment upgrades and $48,000 in knowledge transfer between 2021 and 2025.

Fourth-placed Rwanda built on an initial $3,500 project in 2017 by securing $88,000 in equipment and $24,000 in knowledge-transfer projects through 2025.