…Pick 2027 World Championship Ticket
Nigeria’s Under-20 men’s handball team has qualified for the 2027 IHF Men’s Under-21 World Championship after defeating Guinea 28-23 in the quarter-final of the 33rd Africa Men’s Junior Handball Championship in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire.
The win on Wednesday also secured Nigeria a place in the semi-finals of the continental championship.
Coach David Emmanuel’s side delivered a disciplined performance to seal the five-goal victory. The Nigerian team led 14-10 at halftime and held off a late surge from the Guineans to close out the game.
Nigeria will now face Tunisia in the semi-final. The North Africans booked their place with a convincing 36-20 win over the Democratic Republic of Congo in their quarter-final encounter.
The qualification for the World Championship, scheduled to hold in North Macedonia, marks the fourth time Nigeria will feature at the global showpiece. The country previously competed in 1981 in Portugal where they finished 14th, in 1985 in Italy finishing 16th, and in 2019 in Spain where they placed 19th.
Reacting to the victory, Coach David Emmanuel said the team had achieved its first major objective but remains focused on winning the continental title.
“We are happy with the victory and, most importantly, the qualification for the World Championship. The boys showed character and discipline against Guinea,” Emmanuel said.
“Now we have to recover, study our next opponent which is Tunisia and prepare properly for the semi-final. We know it will be a difficult game, but we are ready for the challenge as we aim to win the Africa Nations Championship.”
The junior national team will now look to build on their impressive run as they push for a place in the final.
