The 2026 ITTF Africa Youth Cup is scheduled to take place at the Borteyman Sports Complex in Accra, Ghana, running from Tuesday, July 28 through Wednesday, July 29.
Key takeaways
- The youth table tennis tournament will be held at the Borteyman Sports Complex in Accra over two days, July 28–29.
- The event is named the Babatunde Raji Fashola (BRF) Cup, recognising former Lagos State Governor Babatunde Raji Fashola’s role in restarting table tennis in Africa.
- Tunisian standout Wassim Essid, the current boys’ U-19 singles champion, is set to defend his title.
- Algeria’s Tania Morice and Bilel Zouitene have moved up from last year’s U-15 winners to the U-19 category.
- Egypt’s Yara Elbadawy is among the leading seeds in the U-19 group, while Uganda’s Joseph Sebatindira and Tunisia’s Ela Saidi top the U-15 rankings.
Event set to return after Africa Youth Championships
With the tournament following the successful staging of the Africa Youth Championships, the Borteyman Sports Complex is expected to host another wave of high-level youth action as promising players from across the continent compete for honours.
Designed to build competitive spirit and help uncover fresh talent, the cup also aims to strengthen Africa’s presence on the world stage by pushing young athletes to develop under pressure.
As part of its identity, the two-day competition has been branded the Babatunde Raji Fashola (BRF) Cup, in recognition of the former Lagos State Governor’s support for the renaissance of table tennis in Africa, including the launch of the Lagos Table Tennis Classics in 2013.
Title contenders and top seeds across age groups
Among the tournament’s most closely watched players is Wassim Essid of Tunisia, the reigning boys’ U-19 singles champion, who will be bidding to retain the crown. In the U-19 race, Algeria’s Tania Morice and Bilel Zouitene—victors in the U-15 category last year—have advanced to the older age bracket, while additional newcomers will be aiming to claim the U-15 titles.
Seedings have Essid and Egypt’s Yara Elbadawy installed as the top players in the U-19 division. In the U-15 rankings, Uganda’s Joseph Sebatindira and Tunisia’s Ela Saidi are listed among the leading names.
The boys’ U-19 singles competition is expected to be especially intense, with Nigeria’s Matthew Kuti attracting attention after guiding his country to victory over Egypt in the team event at the most recently completed Africa Youth Championships.
In the girls’ U-19 event, Algeria’s Jade and Tania Morice are anticipated to provide a major challenge to the Egyptian favourites.
For the boys’ U-15 category, organisers have set their focus on Egyptian youngster Asser Sameh, who will be the player to watch after remaining unbeaten in singles at the Africa Championships.
Meanwhile, in the girls’ U-15 division, Tunisia’s Ela Saidi—named as the top seed—will need to be at her sharpest in Accra if she is to convert her ranking into the overall title.
