The battle for Africa’s sole ticket to the 2026 ICC Men’s U-19 Cricket World Cup in Namibia and Zimbabwe begins today as Nigeria hosts five other contenders in Lagos. 

Six of Africa’s most talented youth cricket teams—Kenya, Uganda, Namibia, Tanzania, Sierra Leone, and hosts Nigeria will compete for the ticket in a 50-over tournament over eight days. 

The matches will be held at two iconic venues: the Tafawa Balewa Square (TBS) Cricket Oval and the University of Lagos (Unilag) Cricket Oval, both facilities have been optimised and certified ready for the cricket action.

The qualifiers will kick off with two thrilling opening encounters today as Nigeria will face Namibia at the TBS Oval, while Kenya will take on Sierra Leone at the Unilag Oval. 

Following the arrival of the six teams on Wednesday ahead of the tournament, the teams took to the TBS Oval for practice as the captains also faced the media to talk up their ambitions in Lagos. 

As the six captains took turns to field questions from the Nigerian media, the underlying tone of their modest speeches was the desire to achieve. 

Nigeria’s Captain, Kareem Gafar, Yash Gohil of Kenya, Laksh Bakrania of Tanzania, Olipa Gerald of Uganda, Francois du Plessis of Namibia and Sierra Leone’a Raymond Coker all expressed their enthusiasm ahead of the tournament. 

President of the Nigeria Cricket Federation, Uyi Akpata,  expressed his excitement about hosting the event, stating, “Nigeria is thrilled to welcome these talented young cricketers and their supporters to Lagos. 

“Our nation is known for her warm hospitality and fascinating cricketing potential, and we are committed to making this qualifier a memorable experience for all. This tournament is not just about competition; it’s about celebrating the growth of cricket in Africa and inspiring the next generation of players,” concludes Dr Akpata.

Nigeria has previously achieved this feat, securing the African ticket in 2019 and competing in the ICC U-19 Men’s World Cup hosted in South Africa in 2020. The tournament is to come to a grand finale on April 6, 2025.