The North Central boys’ team got the 7th edition of the National Under-17 Cricket Championship underway with an opening clash against South South, after winning the toss and electing to bat first at the NCF Oval in Abuja on Wednesday morning, 11 March 2026.
The championship, organised by the Nigeria Cricket Federation (NCF), officially began on March 10 with a press conference and will run until March 15, 2026, at the NCF Oval located inside Package B of the Moshood Abiola National Stadium, Abuja.
The tournament brings together boys’ and girls’ teams representing Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones, with participants battling for national honours after emerging champions from their respective regional qualifiers.
Officials of the Nigeria Cricket Federation described the championship as one of the federation’s most important youth development initiatives, aimed at discovering and nurturing the next generation of Nigerian cricketers.
According to the federation, the competition has helped identify several young talents who have gone on to represent Nigeria at Under-19 level and in the senior national teams.
During a press briefing ahead of the tournament in Abuja, the federation also unveiled the trophies and medals to be presented to the best teams and outstanding individual performers at the end of the competition.
Teams qualified for the national finals after emerging champions from their respective regional tournaments:
South-West
Lagos State (Boys)
Ekiti State (Girls)
South-East
Imo State (Boys)
Ebonyi State (Girls)
South-South
Edo State (Boys & Girls)
North-West
Kaduna State (Boys & Girls)
North-East
Gombe State (Boys & Girls)
North-Central
Niger State (Boys)
Kogi State (Girls)
With the best youth teams from across the country converging in Abuja, the week-long championship is expected to produce exciting contests and showcase emerging cricket talents.
The tournament will culminate on March 15, when national champions in both the boys’ and girls’ categories will be crowned, further strengthening Nigeria’s cricket development pipeline.
