President of the Confederation of African Volleyball (CAVB) Zone 3, Ali Yaro, has applauded Côte d’Ivoire for the successful hosting of the 2026 CAVB Zone 3 African Nations Cup Qualifiers, describing the tournament as a landmark achievement for volleyball development in the region.
Speaking at the closing ceremony of the five-day championship in Abidjan Saturday, Yaro hailed the West African nation for staging the regional competition for the first time, noting that the achievement reflected the growing capacity of countries within the zone to organise major international sporting events.
He acknowledged the logistical and financial challenges often associated with hosting continental competitions but commended the Ivorian authorities, organisers and stakeholders for delivering a well-organised and memorable tournament.
“This is the first time Côte d’Ivoire has hosted an event like this, and it is a very positive development for the competition,” Yaro said.
“In our countries, we do not always have enough support to organise competitions like this. Therefore, I want to sincerely thank everyone who made it possible.”
The championship brought together seven countries from the CAVB Zone 3 region, with teams competing for qualification to the upcoming African Nations Championships.
Yaro praised the quality of play throughout the tournament, describing the standard of competition as a clear indication of the region’s growing strength in volleyball.
He confirmed that Nigeria’s men’s national team secured qualification for the 2026 African Nations Championship, scheduled to take place in the Democratic Republic of Congo in September, following an impressive unbeaten campaign in Abidjan.
Yaro also announced that Nigeria’s women’s team booked a place at the 2026 Women’s African Nations Championship, which will be held in Kenya in August. Ghana and Burkina Faso also secured qualification after finishing among the top-performing teams in the women’s competition.
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The CAVB Zone 3 president expressed gratitude to the Local Organising Committee, participating national federations, match officials, media representatives, volunteers and sponsors for their contributions to the success of the tournament.
He said the successful championship underscored the rapid growth of volleyball across the Zone 3 region and voiced confidence that the qualified teams would represent the sub-region strongly at the forthcoming continental championships.
The Abidjan qualifiers marked another significant step in CAVB Zone 3’s efforts to strengthen competitive volleyball in West Africa, while reinforcing Côte d’Ivoire’s emergence as a capable host of major international sporting events.
