Nigeria will enter a new chapter in its sporting history this week when the Green Hawks, the country’s first-ever national netball team, make their competitive international debut at the 2026 Africa Netball Cup and World Cup Regional Qualifier in Nairobi, Kenya.
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President of the Nigeria Netball Federation, Dr Oluwatoyin Esther Aluko, says the team is ready for the challenge and has made it clear that Nigeria will not travel to Nairobi simply to make up the numbers.
The eight-day competition will run from September 19 to 26 at the Moi International Sports Centre, Kasarani, with continental honours and qualification for the 2027 Netball World Cup in Sydney at stake.
For Nigeria, however, the tournament represents something even bigger.
The Green Hawks are the country’s first national netball team, meaning their opening appearance in Nairobi will itself be a landmark moment regardless of the eventual result.
Aluko described the team’s emergence as the beginning of a new chapter for Nigerian sport and the fulfilment of a long-term ambition to provide players with a pathway from grassroots netball to representing their country internationally.
But the federation’s ambition extends beyond simply celebrating a historic debut.
“We do not merely want to participate internationally. We want Nigeria to compete. We want Nigeria to be respected. And we want Nigeria to become a force to be reckoned with in African and global netball,” Aluko said.
Nigeria have been placed in a formidable pool alongside Uganda, Malawi, Zambia and hosts Kenya, presenting the newcomers with an immediate examination against countries with considerably more experience at international level.
The stakes are particularly high because Nairobi also serves as Africa’s qualification tournament for the 2027 Netball World Cup in Sydney.
World Netball has confirmed that South Africa and Uganda have already qualified based on their world rankings, while two further countries will secure their places through the African regional qualifier.
That means Nigeria’s historic first international tournament could remarkably end with the Green Hawks securing a place on the biggest stage in world netball.
They will not arrive completely untested.
The squad has undergone preparations in London, while head coach Akinrinlola Alison Rosemarie has been working with the players ahead of their trip to Kenya. Their preparations have included international exposure against Jamaica, Pakistan and Scotland.
The Green Hawks will also be led by another history-maker.
Former England U-21 player Jade Popoola has been appointed Nigeria’s first national netball captain.
The 22-year-old previously represented England at youth level, served as U-21 vice-captain during their Netball Europe triumph in 2023 and has gained Netball Super League experience with London Pulse and Loughborough Lightning.
Popoola will now lead the country of her heritage into its first competitive international netball tournament.
The challenge awaiting Nigeria is considerable.
Uganda are already World Cup-bound, while Malawi, Zambia and hosts Kenya bring established international experience into the pool.
Yet Aluko insists Nigeria’s players should embrace their status as pioneers rather than be intimidated by it.
“Nigeria is here. Nigeria is ready. Nigeria is playing netball,” she declared, adding that the federation is determined to take the sport “from the grassroots to the podium.”
For a team preparing to play its first official international competition, reaching Sydney would represent an extraordinary beginning.
But before thoughts can turn to Australia, Nigeria must first survive one of the toughest examinations available on the continent.
The Green Hawks will arrive in Nairobi as international newcomers. Eight days later, they hope to leave having made history twice — first by representing Nigeria, and then by earning the country a place at its first Netball World Cup.
