NAIROBI, Oct. 27 (Xinhua) -- Kenya will miss out in next year's men's volleyball world championships after failing to finish in the top three at the ongoing Africa Nations Championships.
Unlike their women's team, which together with Cameroon will represent Africa in the World Championships in Japan in October 2018, the men's team will have to wait another four years before having a shot at qualifying for the same competition.
Kenya are in the ninth after beating Nigeria 3-2 sets.
Head coach Moses Epoloto said poor preparation and stiff competition are to blame for Kenya's oust from the continental showpiece, but said the team should be retained for future competition.
"The team is still good and what we need is more tournaments to expose our players. Volleyball is now a fully professional sport and we must change with the trends," he said Friday.
Hosts Egypt, Tunisia, Algeria and Cameroon are still in contention for the ticket to World Championships in Bulgaria. This follows their victories over Rwanda, Morocco, RD Congo and Libya respectively in the quarterfinal in the Africa Nations Cup in Cairo.
Egypt will battle it out against Cameroon in a classic semifinal, while Tunisia lineup against neighbors Algeria. The two finalists will secure automatic qualification to the World Championships, while the losers will have to battle it out for the third position. Africa has been given three slots for the World Championships.
