Nigeria began their campaign at the 2026 ITTF World Team Championships with a hard-fought 3–2 victory over Saudi Arabia, thanks to a standout performance from Aruna Quadri at the Copper Box Arena.
The tie started on a difficult note for the Nigerian side, as young prospect Mathew Kuti endured a challenging debut on the global stage. The youngster lost both of his matches against experienced Saudi opponents, leaving Nigeria under early pressure.
However, Nigeria’s fortunes changed through the brilliance and composure of Quadri, who delivered when it mattered most. The African star produced two crucial victories to level the contest and shift momentum back in Nigeria’s favour.
Olajide Omotayo then sealed the victory with a decisive performance, ensuring Nigeria completed a dramatic comeback to claim their opening group win.
The result places Nigeria in a strong early position in the group standings, boosting their hopes of advancing to the knockout stage, where only the top two teams will progress.
Nigeria will next face top-seeded Hong Kong on Thursday, 30 April, before concluding their group-stage fixtures against South Africa on Friday, 1 May.
In the women’s competition, Egypt emerged as the only African team to record a win on the opening day. Nigeria, Algeria, and Rwanda all suffered defeats, leaving Egypt as the continent’s early standout performer.
The ITTF World Team Championships, organised by the International Table Tennis Federation, is one of the sport’s premier global events, featuring national teams competing for honours in a group-stage and knockout format in London.
