{"id":2453,"date":"2026-06-30T17:43:58","date_gmt":"2026-06-30T14:43:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/nvbf-names-customs-and-cns-stars-squad-for-2026-africa-nations-cup-qualifiers\/"},"modified":"2026-06-30T17:43:58","modified_gmt":"2026-06-30T14:43:58","slug":"nvbf-names-customs-and-cns-stars-squad-for-2026-africa-nations-cup-qualifiers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/nvbf-names-customs-and-cns-stars-squad-for-2026-africa-nations-cup-qualifiers\/","title":{"rendered":"NVBF Names Customs and CNS Stars Squad for 2026 Africa Nations Cup Qualifiers"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>The Nigeria Volleyball Federation (NVBF) has named a 20-player group to start preparations for the 2026 CAVB Africa Nations Cup Qualifiers, with the tournament set to be held in Abidjan, C\u00f4te d\u2019Ivoire, from July 13 to July 23.<\/p>\n<p>The selection process followed the completion of the first phase of the 2026 National Premier Volleyball League, alongside a broad scouting programme designed to pinpoint the nation\u2019s top available talent.<\/p>\n<p>NVBF\u2019s invited squad blends standout players from the domestic scene with seasoned professionals based abroad as Nigeria steps up its preparations for the qualifying event.<\/p>\n<h2>Coaching staff and leadership<\/h2>\n<p>Oladipupo Taiwo Gabriel has been appointed to lead the coaching group, with Tswevini Yohanna and Jonah Adamu providing support as assistant members of the technical team.<\/p>\n<p>Prince Tunde Omisore, Chairman of the NVBF Technical Committee, said he is confident the team can earn a place at the Africa Nations Cup.<\/p>\n<p>Omisore said: \u201cThe technical crew has assembled a solid team with the right blend of home-based talents and foreign-based professionals. We are confident that this team has what it takes to qualify for the Africa Nations Cup. The quality displayed during the first phase of the National Premier Volleyball League gave us an excellent platform for player assessment and selection.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He also praised NVBF President Engr. Musa Nimrod for what he described as steadfast backing and forward-thinking leadership. Omisore added that the successful first phase of the National Premier Volleyball League created a strong foundation for identifying players who deserve consideration for national team roles.<\/p>\n<h2>Training camp and squad breakdown<\/h2>\n<ol>\n<li>The 20 invited players will gather for a training camp in Abuja.<\/li>\n<li>They will complete intensive preparations at the Package B Sports Complex in Abuja.<\/li>\n<li>After the Abuja phase, the team will travel to C\u00f4te d\u2019Ivoire ahead of the Africa Nations Cup qualifiers in Abidjan.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>Setters: Bruno Ibeh, Adeniyi Favour and Elisha Anebi.<\/p>\n<p>Outside Hitters: Jaiyeola Abdulquadri, Lucky Palmer, Ogunshina Obayemi, Izuchukwu Oforah, Emmanuel Udah and Anachuna Chukwuemeka.<\/p>\n<p>Opposites: Vincent Mathias, Oyedepo Dhikirullahi, Armstrong Udoka and Okonkwo Kingsley.<\/p>\n<p>Middle Blockers: Anele Timothy, Pascal Ozokoye, Mora Jibril, Army Ferdinand and Kazeem Mutiu.<\/p>\n<p>Liberos: Abednego Hassan, Tiamiyu Ismail and Peter Precious.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Nigeria Volleyball Federation (NVBF) has named a 20-player group to start preparations for the 2026 CAVB Africa Nations Cup Qualifiers, with the tournament set to be held in Abidjan, C\u00f4te d\u2019Ivoire, from July 13 to July 23. The selection process followed the completion of the first phase of the 2026 National Premier Volleyball League, [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2452,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_yoast_wpseo_title":"NVBF Announces CNS Customs Stars Squad for 2026 CAVB Qualifiers","_yoast_wpseo_metadesc":"NVBF unveils a 20-player CNS Customs Stars squad for the 2026 Africa Nations Cup qualifiers in Abidjan, kicking off preparations f","mma_seo_breadcrumb_text":"","mma_seo_breadcrumb_url":"","mma_seo_breadcrumb_hide_ui":"","mma_seo_breadcrumb_labels":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2453","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","","category-sports"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>NVBF Announces CNS Customs Stars Squad for 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