Volleyball: Men’s African nations championship moved from Kinshasa to Tunis

The 2026 Men’s African Nations Volleyball Championship has been moved from Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo, to Tunis, Tunisia, after the Confederation of African Volleyball (CAVB) raised health and safety concerns surrounding the original host.

The tournament will be staged from 13 to 26 September 2026, with delegations arriving on September 13, followed by the technical meeting on September 14.

Competition will run from September 15 to 25, before teams depart on September 26.

CAVB said the decision followed communications from several National Federations whose authorities expressed concerns about sending their delegations to Kinshasa because of the health situation in parts of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

The continental governing body stressed that the relocation was made solely on health and safety grounds and did not affect its relationship with the Congolese Volleyball Federation or the authorities in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

CAVB also expressed solidarity with the Congolese volleyball community and said it remains ready to support the federation in hosting a future edition of the African Nations Championship in Kinshasa.

Tunisia now takes over a competition with a long history on its soil.

The African Men’s Volleyball Championship was first held in 1967 in Tunis, when Tunisia won the inaugural title.

The country has subsequently hosted the tournament in 1976, 1987, 1995, 2013 in Sousse, and 2019 in Tunis. With the 2026 edition, Tunisia will therefore have hosted the men’s African Championship seven times, more than any other country.

The tournament itself dates back to 1967 and has become one of the continent’s principal international volleyball competitions.

Since 1987, it has generally been staged every two years, providing Africa’s leading national teams with regular competition at continental level.

Tunisia also enters the 2026 edition as the most successful nation in the history of the championship, with 11 titles.

Its victories came in 1967, 1971, 1979, 1987, 1995, 1997, 1999, 2003, 2017, 2019 and 2021.

Egypt is the second-most successful side, having won the 2023 edition to take its total to nine titles.

The championship carries added importance this year because it will serve as a qualification pathway for both the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games and the FIVB Volleyball World Cup 2027.

CAVB has also reminded all qualified federations to ensure that delegation members are properly registered in the FIVB Volleyball Information System (VIS), with each member’s FIVB number included on the relevant O-2 Form.