Nigeria has commenced preparations for the 2027 ICC Women’s U-19 T20 World Cup qualifiers, with the Nigeria Cricket Federation opening a training camp for the Junior Female Yellow Greens ahead of the tournament scheduled to hold from September 25 to October 4 in Tanzania.
The team is aiming to build on its impressive outing at the last edition of the competition in Malaysia, where Nigeria finished sixth on its debut.
Read Also: Lagos to Eden: How Samuel Isife Turned Jagaban Cup Exposure into a Czech Title | Sports247 Nigeria
Led by captain Lucky Piety, the side exceeded expectations by progressing to the Super Six stage in a group that featured strong teams such as South Africa, New Zealand, and Samoa.
As part of early preparations for the qualifiers and the World Cup, which will be co-hosted by Bangladesh and Nepal—the federation has invited 21 players for the first phase of camping.
The players are currently training at the NCF High-Performance Centre in Benin, Edo State, under the guidance of Kenyan coach Sarah Bhakita and head coach Theophilus Ebidome.
Former team captain Blessing Etim is also part of the coaching crew, all of whom were involved in Nigeria’s historic campaign at the last World Cup.
Most of the players in camp were discovered through the 2025 and 2026 National U-17 Championships, which have increasingly served as a key development pathway for the national team.
The second phase of camping will take place in Abuja before the final selection of players for the qualifiers.
Nigeria will compete against Namibia, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda, Zimbabwe, Kenya, and Malawi in the Division 1 qualifiers. Kenya and Malawi secured promotion to Division 1 after emerging as the top teams in the Division 2 qualifiers held in Uganda last month.
The winner of the Division 1 tournament will join South Africa as Africa’s representatives at the 2027 ICC Women’s U-19 T20 World Cup.
Nigeria had previously secured Africa’s sole ticket to the last edition of the tournament after a dramatic victory over Zimbabwe in October 2024.
