No fewer than 50 players are set to engage in intense competition for respective titles at the 2025 ITTF African Cup scheduled to serve off today, February 25 at the El-Menzah Sports Hall in Tunis, the capital of Tunisia.
The continental showpiece which parades top and emerging players also offers World Cup tickets as semi-finalists in both the men and women categories will grab the eight available slots for the ITTF World Cup to be staged in April in Macao, China.
The breakdown of the 50 players shows that 29 will compete for four coveted spots in the Men’s Singles, while 21 will vie for the four tickets in the Women’s Singles in the global tournament in China.
The defending champions, Nigeria’s Quadri Aruna and Egypt’s Dina Meshref in both male and female categories respectively face a herculean task to retain their titles against formidable opponents eager to dethrone them.
Aruna alongside arch-rival Omar Assar of Egypt are both aiming at sixth titles each in Tunis.
They will contend with rising stars like Tunisia’s Wassim Essid, Nigeria’s Matthew Kuti, Cameroon’s Batix Ylane, and other experienced players already in Tunis.
Meshref, the most successful player in the competition, seeks to surpass her nine titles in Tunis.
However, she must elevate her game to maintain her dominance. Africa’s highest-ranked female player, Hana Goda of Egypt, will target her third title after dual victories in Lagos 2022 and Nairobi 2023.
While the two Egyptians may face off against each other at some stage of the competition, they must watch out for other contenders seeking to rewrite the record books in Tunis through stunning upsets.
For the first time in the tournament’s history, and to strategically highlight ITTF-Africa’s corporate partners while celebrating excellence in table tennis, the continental body is introducing individual awards at ITTF-Africa events starting with the 2025 ITTF Africa Cup in Tunis.
The award includes: ValueJet Player of the Day (Male & Female), Ethiopian Holiday Most Improved Player of the Tournament (Male & Female) and Stag Fair Play Award (Male or Female).
