Nigeria’s U-23 men’s handball team will play the United States of America and Azerbaijan in Group B of the 5th IHF Emerging Nations Championship which will be held in Bulgaria.
The International Handball Federation revealed the groupings of the championship on Wednesday following the completion of the draws 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 be held from March 11 to 16 in Vana, Bulgaria.
The team knows two of their opponents well at this level as they had lost to the Americans in one of the group games in their very first edition of the Emerging Nations Championship hosted in 2019 in Georgia and had 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 Samuel Ocheho who also said the Federation will ensure they succeed at the championship.
“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,” Ocheho said
“We also know our opponents in this competition and 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 support the efforts of the HFN in their continued push to put Nigeria’s handball in the global space.
