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Nigeria Table Tennis Federation.....
Under the warm Mediterranean light of Benghazi, the hum of table tennis balls echoed through the arena as the ITTF-Africa Cup 2026 unfolded—not just as a tournament, but as a gateway to dreams. Every rally carried extra weight: this was the Road to the ITTF Men’s & Women’s World Cup, Macao 2026.
Africa, like every continent, had been given its path. From Africa, the Americas, Asia, Europe, and Oceania, the winner, finalist, and semifinalists would earn precious qualification places—twenty players in total across the globe—while twenty-four more would later be drawn from the World Ranking. In Benghazi, that reality sharpened every point.
Day Two unfolded like a turning page in Benghazi’s table tennis tale.
The quarterfinals began with authority. Omar Assar set the tone, overpowering Marius Benchat in straight games, while Tunisia’s Wassim Essid delivered a composed performance to overcome Abdel-Kader Salifou. France’s Stéphane Ouaiche dazzled with precision against Olajide Omotayo, and Ylane Batix outlasted Mohamed Khaloufi in a gritty encounter.
Momentum carried forward as Youssef Abdelaziz shut down Yassine Théophile, Mehdi Bouloussa swept past Antoine Razafinarivo, Badr Mostafa edged Fabio Rakotoarimanana, and Nigeria’s icon Quadri Aruna closed the night with a dominant win over Habeb Lajaebi.
By the semifinals, the arena tightened with tension. Omar Assar faced Wassim Essid in a clash of control and counterattack, while Stéphane Ouaiche surged past Ylane Batix with a convincing 4–0 display. On the other side of the draw, Youssef Abdelaziz met Mehdi Bouloussa, and Badr Mostafa prepared for a high-stakes duel with Quadri Aruna, knowing that victory meant more than a place in the final—it meant a step closer to World Cup qualification in Macao 2026.
By the semifinals, the story was clear: this was no longer just about medals. With World Cup tickets on the line, players fought not only for Africa’s crown, but for a seat among the world’s elite in Macao. In Benghazi, under banners of unity and ambition, Africa’s future on the global stage was being written—one rally at a time.
