Nigeria Eyes Cricket Ticket

Nigeria Opens Camp for U-19 World Cup Qualifiers

THE Nigeria Cricket Federation has opened training camp for the country’s U-19 women’s side, the Junior Female Yellow Greens, ahead of the qualifiers for the 2027 ICC Women’s U-19 T20 World Cup.

The first phase of preparations is currently taking place at the NCF High-Performance Centre in Benin City, where 21 players have been invited to battle for places in the final squad.

Tough Qualifiers Await in Tanzania

The African qualifying tournament will hold in Tanzania from 25 September to 4 October, with Nigeria set to face strong opposition from Namibia, Rwanda, Uganda, Zimbabwe, Kenya, Malawi and hosts Tanzania.

Only one team will emerge from the tournament to secure Africa’s qualification slot for the global championship, which will be co-hosted by Bangladesh and Nepal.

Experienced Hands Lead Team

The squad is being handled by Kenyan coach Sarah Bhakita alongside Nigeria head coach Theophilus Ebidome.

Former captain Blessing Etim is also part of the technical crew, bringing experience from previous campaigns and youth development programmes.

Nigeria Targets Another Historic Run

Nigeria impressed on debut at the last Women’s U-19 World Cup in Malaysia, reaching the Super Six stage and finishing sixth overall.

That performance raised confidence in the country’s youth cricket programme, and officials now hope the current squad can repeat the feat by first navigating a difficult African qualifying series.

Talent Pipeline Expands

Many of the players in camp were discovered during the 2025 and 2026 National U-17 Championships, competitions that have become key scouting platforms for the federation.

A second camping phase is expected in Abuja before the final squad list is announced.