Nigeria, Egypt Lead Africa as Teams Draw Opponents for 2026 ITTF World Championships

Nigeria, Egypt, and other participating nations have drawn their opponents for the 2026 International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) World Table Tennis Championships, scheduled to hold in London later this year.
African table tennis powerhouses Nigeria and Egypt will headline the continent’s challenge at the 2026 ITTF World Table Tennis Championships, taking place in London from April 28 to May 10.

The official draw ceremony is set to be conducted on Monday, January 26, at The Shard—London’s tallest building—formally ushering in preparations for what is expected to be a historic edition of the tournament.
In the men’s event, Africa will be represented by 12 teams among the 64 nations competing for world honours. The women’s category will feature 11 African teams in a 64-nation field, marking a significant milestone as the championship coincides with the centenary anniversary of the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF).
Out of the 64 teams per gender, 52 secured qualification through their respective continental championships, while 11 gained entry via the November 2025 world rankings. Host nation England completes the list of participants.
Beyond Nigeria and Egypt, Africa’s men’s representatives include Benin, Tunisia, Algeria, Togo, Madagascar, Morocco, South Africa, Côte d’Ivoire, Cameroon, and Angola. In the women’s competition, African teams will comprise Nigeria, Egypt, Ghana, Madagascar, Algeria, Tunisia, Uganda, South Africa, Angola, Ethiopia, and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Exactly 100 years after the inaugural ITTF World Table Tennis Championships were staged in England in 1926, the competition returns to its birthplace for a landmark centenary celebration.
The London 2026 championship will feature 64 men’s and 64 women’s teams competing over 13 days across two iconic venues in the city. The tournament will be played in three phases: Stage 1B will feature group matches that determine qualification routes, followed by Stage 1A seeding encounters for top-ranked teams, before Stage 2 delivers the knockout rounds where the world’s elite teams battle for global supremacy.
Widely regarded as the pinnacle of international table tennis, the ITTF World Championships remain the stage where legends are made and history is written. With the countdown underway and teams now aware of their opponents, anticipation continues to build ahead of what promises to be an unforgettable celebration of the sport at London 2026.