By Faith Anisiobi, The Sight News
President of the Confederation of African Volleyball (CAVB) Zone 3, Ali Yaro, has commended Côte d’Ivoire for successfully hosting the 2026 African Nations Cup Zone 3 Qualifiers, describing the tournament as a major milestone for volleyball development in the region.
Speaking at the closing ceremony of the five-day championship in Abidjan, Yaro praised the West African nation for staging the regional tournament for the first time, despite the challenges associated with hosting international sporting events.
He described the successful organization of the championship as a positive step for volleyball in the Zone 3 region and expressed appreciation to everyone who contributed to its success.
“This is the first time Côte d’Ivoire has hosted an event like this, and it is a very positive development for the competition. In our countries, we do not always have enough support to organize competitions like this. Therefore, I want to sincerely thank everyone who made it possible,” Yaro said.
The tournament featured seven participating nations and showcased a high standard of competition, with Yaro applauding the efforts of national federations, organizers, officials, volunteers and the media for delivering a memorable championship.
He confirmed that Nigeria’s men’s team secured qualification for the 2026 African Nations Championship finals scheduled to hold in the Democratic Republic of Congo in September following an impressive campaign at the qualifiers.
Yaro also announced that Nigeria’s women’s team qualified for the 2026 African Nations Cup finals in Kenya this August. Ghana and Burkina Faso also booked their places after finishing among the top teams in the women’s competition.
The CAVB Zone 3 President said the successful championship reflected the growing strength of volleyball across the region and expressed confidence that the qualified teams would perform strongly at the forthcoming continental championships.
