Handball: Nigeria beat Guinea, qualify for 2027 World Championship
Nigeria’s U-20 men’s handball team have secured qualification for the 2027 IHF Men’s Under-21 World Championship after defeating Guinea 28-23 in the quarter-finals of the 33rd Africa Men’s Junior Handball Championship in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire.
The victory also propelled the Junior National Team into the semi-finals of the continental championship, keeping alive their hopes of winning the African title.
Nigeria will now face Tunisia in the semi-final after the North Africans produced an emphatic 36-20 victory over the Democratic Republic of Congo in their quarter-final.
The Nigerian youngsters produced a disciplined performance against Guinea, maintaining their composure in a closely contested encounter before pulling away to secure a five-goal victory.
Their qualification for the global tournament represents another significant milestone for Nigerian handball, with the team set to compete at the 2027 IHF Men’s Under-21 Handball World Championship in North Macedonia.
It will be Nigeria’s fourth appearance at the IHF Men’s Junior World Championship, underlining the country’s continued presence on the international junior handball scene.
The victory over Guinea came after Nigeria topped Group C during the preliminary phase of the African championship.
Nigeria had earlier defeated Madagascar 50-17 in their final group match to finish ahead of Angola and Algeria on goal difference after all three teams ended the group stage with four points.
The emphatic victory over Madagascar proved crucial, with Nigeria finishing the group stage with a +34 goal difference.
However, the knockout stage presented a different challenge against Guinea, with Nigeria having to produce another composed performance to secure passage into the last four.
The reward is a semi-final meeting with one of Africa’s traditional handball powerhouses in Tunisia.
Tunisia booked their place in the semi-finals in convincing fashion, dismantling DR Congo 36-20 to set up the mouth-watering clash with Nigeria.
The semi-final will therefore provide Nigeria with another major test as the Junior National Team seeks to progress to the final and compete for continental honours.
Beyond the quest for the African title, qualification for the 2027 World Championship gives the Nigerian players an opportunity to test themselves against the best junior teams from around the world.
The team’s progress in Abidjan has also provided a major boost for Nigerian handball development, with the next generation of players continuing to gain valuable international exposure.
Nigeria will now turn its attention to Tunisia, knowing that victory would take the team into the final of the African championship and further underline its status among the continent’s leading junior handball nations.
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