Mariam Metwally Eyes LA28 After Egypt’s Historic African Title

Mariam Metwally, aka Meeto, has been part of Egypt’s senior national volleyball team since she was 16 in 2015, giving her a front-row seat to the growth of the women’s game in the country. Eleven years later, she has helped Egypt win the African Championship for the first time in 23 years and qualify for the Olympics for the first time.

“I’ve witnessed us lose the African Championship four times to get to this point,” she tells SceneSports.

She points to 2016, when Egypt lost the African Olympic qualifying final to Cameroon 3-2.

“I was devastated,” she says. “When we finally won it this year, all I could think about was that 17-year-old girl who was heartbroken because she didn’t make it to the Olympics.”

Egypt won the CAVB Women’s African Nations Championship after beating hosts Kenya 3-0 in the final on September 4, securing the country’s first women’s Olympic volleyball berth. Metwally was named MVP of the tournament.

The title adds to a career already heavy with African trophies. Metwally is a seven-time Women’s African Volleyball Club Championship winner, having lifted the title with both Al Ahly and Zamalek.

She played her first continental championship with Al Ahly at 16, becoming the youngest player in the tournament. She won her first MVP award that year and was also named Best Middle Blocker.

Metwally spent 18 years at Al Ahly after joining the club at five, growing up in the sport there before becoming a key player in one of the dominant eras of Egyptian women’s volleyball.

She won four African Club Championship titles with Al Ahly, alongside multiple Egyptian League, Egyptian Cup and Arab Club Championship titles. Al Ahly completed a quadruple in 2017, winning all four trophies in one season.

Moving between Al Ahly and Zamalek carries particular weight in Egyptian sport. For Meeto, the move also gave her the chance to change the position she had played throughout her years at Al Ahly.

Metwally had spent that entire period as a middle blocker, in the centre of the front row, even though she had long pictured herself elsewhere on court.

“I’ve always seen myself as an outside hitter, but there was never an opportunity to switch. I was one of the best at what I did, which is always something to be proud of, but I always knew I could do more if I was an outside hitter.”

Zamalek offered her that opportunity.

“Moving from Al Ahly to Zamalek was a hard decision, but the best decision I could make. It made that desire happen for me. They needed an outside hitter, and I could be that for them. I made sure to give it my all in that position every single time, to prove to myself and to others that the vision I had for myself in that position was the real deal.”

Metwally moved to Zamalek in 2022 and won the African Club Championship three years in a row, taking tournament MVP in 2023, 2024 and 2025.

She also believes the move came as Egyptian women’s volleyball was becoming more competitive domestically.

“Zamalek was starting to come up. That slowly created a rivalry and passion between the players, and a need and desire to compete, instead of having just one team winning everything.”

Zamalek’s 2024 African title brought another milestone when the club became the first Egyptian women’s team to compete at the FIVB Volleyball Women’s Club World Championship.

Metwally’s career soon took her abroad.

She joined UYBA Volley Busto Arsizio in Varese in August 2025, entering Italy’s top division, Serie A1. She became the first Arab and African player in the league and the first player to compete there wearing hijab.

“Italy was the biggest dream come true. Italy and Turkey have the best leagues in the world, and I wanted to play with the best and be part of such a strong competition,” she says.

“I truly enjoyed my time there and hope to play there again someday. They were very understanding of me and my religion, so it was a great experience.”

Metwally had signed a two-year contract, then agreed with the club to leave after one season after receiving limited playing time. She wanted to move somewhere she could play more regularly and continue developing.

She joined Momine Khatun in Azerbaijan in July 2026.

“I’m coming off being the MVP in Africa, and I want to now be the MVP of the Azerbaijani league. I’m so excited to learn and grow here and hopefully be the best of the best playing here.”

Playing abroad also expanded the way Meeto sees Egyptian volleyball.

Kenya and Cameroon were the teams she grew up measuring Egypt against, the strongest immediate rivals on the continent.

“It kept me in this bubble because I was only thinking about the competitors we already had around us.”

“When I started playing internationally more, whether for club or country, I realised that volleyball isn’t limited to our continent. There are so many aspects of the game that we don’t know about and so many things we can learn from the rest of the world.”

“I don’t just want to play in Africa. I want to beat them in Africa and beat the rest of the world as well.”

Metwally has also watched a younger generation enter the national team with greater confidence. As one of its more experienced players, she now sees part of her role in helping reinforce that belief.

“Egypt has such a high quality of players, and we always have. But there wasn’t that confidence or belief from a young age.”

“We’re a good mix now of young and older players. As older players, we always make sure to encourage our younger peers, slowly building that foundation throughout the team.”

She sees the sport itself gaining ground in Egypt.

“Volleyball is more well-known now. Athletes see it as a full-time career and really go for it, especially over the past couple of years, where you can really see that there’s more support.”

The Olympic berth turns a goal Metwally has carried since her teens into something tangible. She is already looking beyond qualification to what Egypt can do once it gets there.

“I believe in this team so much. I believe in us so much. Realistically, maybe not a medal yet, but I believe we can achieve a truly strong position and performance. We’ve been to camps and competed against European teams, and we’ve been able to beat them.”

“I have and always will give the national team my all. I have really big hopes for us at the Olympics and at the World Championship. I want us to be in the top eight. I know it’s a challenge, but it’s not impossible. That can really help us with the Olympic draw,” she says.

Metwally also wants the next generation to begin with a bigger idea of where volleyball can take them.

“I want them to believe in themselves, give it their all, and not give up on the sport after they graduate from high school. I want to see more professionals and more athletes playing abroad.”

She wants that influence to outlast the titles.

“I hope when they remember me as an athlete, they remember that I was able to make them love the sport and inspire them to play volleyball or love it even more.”