Nigeria Cricket Federation President, Uyi Akpata is confident that the team can qualify for the next round of the qualifiers as the country aims to host the qualifiers.
The T20 2026 Cricket World Cup qualifiers is set to take place at the Twin Oval at the Moshood Abiola Stadium from November 23 to 28, with five African countries battling for glory.
A total of 15 matches will be played at the Twin Oval, and Akpata believes that the competition will test Nigeria’s facilities and cricket prowess.
He said, “There is no doubt that we are making some advancement in talent development. We are at a point where we need to build competences across different facets of the game.
“Nigeria Cricket has been making a bit of buzz globally, and attention will be on us during the event.
“I think it is a good thing, and I believe it is an opportunity to show the world our brand of cricket and some bits of what makes us Nigeria,”
The Africa sub-region C competition will serve as a qualifier for the Cricket World Cup in India, and Sri Lanka in 2026.
Nigeria will battle Botswana, Eswatini, Ivory Coast, Sierra Leone, and Saint Helena for a place in the next round of the qualifiers.
Akpata is backing the team to seal a place in the second round of the competition to stand a chance of qualifying for the World Cup in India, and Sri Lanka in 2026.
He said, “We believe we stand a good chance of qualifying to the next stage, but our focus is also on delivering beautiful memories to our visitors and cricket fans at home and abroad watching the event.”
The Yellow Greens of Nigeria are the top ranked team in the qualifiers as they sit in the 36th position in the T20 global ranking.
The top two teams from each of the sub-regional qualifiers will go into the final phase, which will see two countries qualify to join South Africa as Africa’s representatives at the World Cup in 2026.
Nigeria will open their campaign against Saint Helena on November 23 before taking on Botswana the following day, and a clash with Eswatini on November 26.
