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Malkia Strikers players react to a defeat to Egypt during their 2026 CAVB Women’s African Nations Championship final at Kasarani Indoor Arena on Friday. [Stafford Ondego, Standard]
Kenyans watched helplessly as the dream of an immediate stress-free ticket to the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics went up in smoke at a fully packed Kasarani Indoor Arena on Friday evening.
Malkia Strikers’ straight-sets defeat to Egypt in the final of the 2026 Confederation of African Volleyball (CAVB) Women’s Nations Championship not only stripped them of the continental crown but also denied them Africa’s ticket to the global showpiece.
Finishing second-best leaves Kenya facing a brutal, high-stakes tightrope walk through the remaining pathways to the 2028 Olympic Games. This was Kenya's first final defeat on home soil for many years since falling 3-1 to Egypt in 2003.
