Nigeria’s women’s senior cricket team, the Female Yellow Greens, have begun a 14-day open camp at the High-Performance Centre in Benin City as preparations intensify for the upcoming 2026 ICC Women’s T20 World Cup Africa Qualifiers in Namibia.
The Nigeria Cricket Federation (NCF) has invited 22 players to the camp ahead of the crucial Division 1 African qualifier, scheduled to take place from August 28 to September 7 in Windhoek.
The provisional squad features a blend of rising stars from Nigeria’s campaign at the ICC U-19 Women’s T20 World Cup earlier this year in Malaysia, established senior players, and new invitees aiming to break into the final team.
Among the notable names in camp are team captain Favour Eseigbe, Salome Sunday, Esther Sandy, Sarah Etim, Lucky Piety, Peculiar Agboya, Kehinde Amusa, Victory Igbinedion, and Christabel Chukwuonye. Others include Shola Adekunle, Rachael Samson, Lillian Ude, Anointed Akhigbe, and Peace Usen.
Only the top two teams from the Africa regional qualifier will secure a place at the Global Qualifiers, which will determine final entrants for the 2026 ICC Women’s T20 World Cup in England.
The Nigerian women are aiming to make history by qualifying for their first-ever senior T20 World Cup, having previously featured in age-grade competitions at the global level.
Men’s Yellow Greens Also Begin World Cup Preparation
Meanwhile, the Nigerian men’s national team, the Yellow Greens, are also in camp in Lagos as they gear up for their own 2026 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Africa Qualifiers, to be held in Zimbabwe from September 28 to October 4.
The team will also compete in the ILT20 Africa Cup in Uganda from July 13 to 30, using the tournament as preparation for the tougher challenge in Zimbabwe.
Nigeria will face a competitive field in the final round of Africa qualifiers, with opponents including Namibia, Kenya, Malawi, Uganda, Zimbabwe, Tanzania, and Botswana. Only two teams will advance to the 2026 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, which will be jointly hosted by India and Sri Lanka from February to March 2026.
The Yellow Greens booked their spot in the final qualifying round by topping Group B during the regional qualifiers last year, and will be aiming to continue their upward trajectory.
Although Nigeria has yet to qualify for a senior men’s or women’s T20 World Cup, the nation has made its mark at the U-19 level, participating in global events and steadily building its cricketing pedigree.