Morocco End Nigeria’s LA 2028 Olympic Volleyball Dream

Nigeria’s hopes of qualifying for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games suffered a setback after Morocco edged the country 3-2 in a thrilling quarter-final at the 2026 African Men’s Volleyball Nations Championship in Tunisia.

The North Africans secured the decisive victory on Monday after recovering from a set down to eliminate Nigeria and book their place in the semi-finals.

Nigeria made a strong start, winning the opening set 25-20, but Morocco responded emphatically to take the second and third sets 25-15 and 25-20 respectively.

Facing elimination, the Nigerian team produced a spirited fightback in the fourth set, edging Morocco 26-24 to force a deciding fifth set.

However, Morocco held their nerve when it mattered most, winning the final set 15-12 to complete the comeback and end Nigeria’s hopes of progressing further in the competition.

Nigeria will now face Rwanda in the 5th–9th classification match on Wednesday, September 23.

Despite the disappointment, head coach Ryan Masajedi praised his players for their determination and fighting spirit throughout the contest.

The Japanese coach also acknowledged the contribution of the substitutes, particularly in the fourth set, when Nigeria fought back from the brink of defeat.

“We did our best and I am proud of the players. The bench made the difference in the fourth set when we thought everything was over,” Masajedi said.

He admitted that the team was already aware of its strengths and weaknesses but said the technical crew would review the quarter-final before turning attention to the remaining matches.

“To be honest, we already understand what our weaknesses and strengths are. We’ll look at the match after this tournament and look at what went wrong.

“The focus is the next game, and the players will be ready.”