Nigeria’s under-23 men’s Handball team will take on the United States of America, Moldova, and Azerbaijan in Group B of the 5th IHF Emerging Nations Championship in Bulgaria.
The International Handball Federation announced the draws of the championship following at the IHF Headquarters in Basel, Switzerland.
The team which is expected to be led by Coach Solomon Yola, will play the United States of America, Azerbaijan and the Republic of Moldova in group B of the championship which will take place from March 11th to 16th 2025 in Vana, Bulgaria.
The team is familiar with two of their opponents in this level having lost to the Americans in one of the group games in their debut at the Emerging Nations Championship hosted in 2019 in Georgia, and had also defeated Azerbaijan in another group match in the 2023 edition which was also hosted in Bulgaria.
It is an opportunity for Nigeria to improve on their previous performances at the Emerging Nations Championship at their third outing according to the President of the Handball Federation of Nigeria (HFN) Mr. Samuel Ocheho, who also promised that the Federation will ensure they succeed at the championship.
He said: “This is a tricky group for our boys but I see opportunities as it is an opportunity for the team to improve on their previous 7th place standings in the championship.
“We also know our opponents in this competition and we will give all the necessary support for the team to succeed because we believe they will thrive in the championship.”
Ocheho also appealed to the National Sports Commission to also support the efforts of the HFN in their continued push to put Nigeria handball in the global space.
The IHF Emerging Nations Championship is a competition organized by the world Handball governing body, the International Handball Federation (IHF) for countries participating in the four year plan of the European Handball Federation and some of the best ranked countries that didn’t qualify for the World’s Men Handball Championship.
5th IHF Emerging Nations Championship Draws
Group A Cyrus Bulgaria Great Britain Paraguay
Group B USA Azerbaijan Nigeria Republic of Moldova
