Nigeria have secured a historic qualification for the women’s beach volleyball event at the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles after Esther Mbah and Pamela Bawa emerged champions of the 2026 African Beach Volleyball Championship in Alexandria, Egypt.
The Nigerian pair defeated Morocco’s Alexandria Erhart and Mahassine Darrhar in straight sets, 21-18, 21-10 in the championship final at Abu Heif Beach.
The victory delivered Nigeria’s first-ever Olympic qualification in volleyball and ended a frustrating run of near misses at the continental level.
Mbah and Bawa also gained revenge over the Moroccan duo, having previously lost to them during the group stage of the championship.
Their response in the final was emphatic. The Nigerians maintained their composure in the opening set to secure a 21-18 victory before producing an even more dominant display in the second, winning 21-10 to seal the continental crown and the Olympic ticket.
The achievement was warmly welcomed by the Nigeria Volleyball Federation, with its President, Musa Nimrod congratulating the players and technical team in a message shared through the federation’s WhatsApp media channel.
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Gumel described the qualification as a victory for the entire country and praised the players, coaches and media for their contribution to the success.
Nigeria had previously finished runners-up at the African Beach Volleyball Championship on three occasions, but each of those campaigns ended without an Olympic qualification ticket.
Mbah and Bawa have now ended that sequence, delivering a breakthrough moment for Nigerian beach volleyball.
Their triumph also gives Nigeria an opportunity to compete against the world’s best when the Olympic beach volleyball competition gets underway in Los Angeles in 2028.
After years of waiting and repeated near misses, Nigeria finally has its place on the Olympic beach volleyball stage.
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(Editor: Terverr Tyav)
