The Democratic Republic of Congo has lost the right to host the 2026 African Men’s Volleyball Championship after the Confederation of African Volleyball (CAVB) decided to relocate the tournament from Kinshasa to Tunis, Tunisia.
The decision was announced on Thursday, August 20, following concerns raised by several national volleyball federations over health and security conditions in Kinshasa.
The championship had initially been scheduled for September 7–21 in Kinshasa. CAVB said it reviewed the concerns and requests from participating federations before deciding to move the competition to Tunisia. The tournament had previously been publicly listed for Kinshasa during that period.
The 16 participating teams are Rwanda, DR Congo, Egypt, Algeria, Libya, Cameroon, Tunisia, Chad, Morocco, Kenya, Ghana, The Gambia, Nigeria, Central African Republic, Uganda and Zimbabwe.
The tournament is particularly important as teams compete for continental honours while pursuing qualification opportunities for major international competitions, including the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games.
Egypt are the defending champions after winning the 2023 edition on home soil, defeating Algeria 3-1 in the final. Rwanda finished sixth in that tournament.
Rwanda’s men’s national team is continuing preparations for the continental competition under head coach Frédéric Guérin, who is set to lead the team in his first African Championship.
The relocation means Tunisia will now host a tournament that was initially expected to return to Kinshasa for the first time in several years. Tunisia previously hosted the men’s African Championship in 2019.
