Rugby League: Nigeria becomes first African country in IRL accelerator programme

Nigeria has become the first African country selected for the International Rugby League (IRL) Accelerator Nation programme, a development initiative aimed at expanding the sport’s global reach and strengthening the competitiveness of emerging rugby league nations.

The Nigeria Rugby League Association (NRLA) said the selection would provide opportunities to improve its administration, develop players and coaches, and gain experience in organising elite international competitions.

France, Wales and Papua New Guinea were the initial participants in the programme in 2025. The initiative was subsequently expanded to include one country each from the Americas and Middle East Africa (MEA) regions.

According to the IRL, its Strategy Committee conducted a months-long selection process involving four invited applicants from the MEA region, from which Nigeria emerged. A decision on the Americas representative had yet to be made.

As part of the programme, NRLA Vice President and General Manager, Ade Adebisi, joined officials from France and Wales on a three-week placement with the IRL Rugby League World Cup 2026 operations team to gain experience in managing the sport’s biggest international event.

The deployment is the first outcome of the Accelerator Nation initiative announced by the IRL last year. Mr Adebisi will work alongside Mathilde Marchand of France and Rob Deeney of Wales.

“What I bring back will go straight into how NRLA operates,” said Mr Adebisi, Nigerian rugby league’s vice Chair and general manager.

“Our players have already shown they can compete internationally, and now our administration needs to match that standard. This experience will help us build stronger systems, better governance and a more professional environment for our athletes, coaches and partners.”

The programme is designed to strengthen development pathways from junior leagues to senior men’s and women’s 13-a-side competitions, improve coaching and high-performance training, and provide emerging nations with exposure to stronger international opposition.

It also seeks to create opportunities for youth and senior representative teams to attend training camps and tour established rugby league nations, while supporting selected players to gain experience through placements with elite overseas clubs.

ALSO READ: Rugby: Nigeria Stallions beat Ghana 28-5 in Kampala Sevens opener

Mr Adebisi said the NRLA would use the opportunity to expand participation in schools and universities, strengthen its men’s and women’s programmes, and improve the development of coaches and match officials.

“Our focus is on growth at every level: expanding the game in schools and universities, strengthening both our men’s and women’s programmes, and developing coaches and officials. We also want to ensure the MEA Championship takes place every year for both men’s and women’s international teams, delivered to an IRL-recognized standard. We’re grateful to Alaro City for their support as a key partner, which is helping us build a sustainable future for the sport in Nigeria. Our long-term ambition is for Nigeria to host a Women’s Rugby League World Cup, and this is an important step towards that.”

The association said it was also working with Alaro City on plans for a proposed N15 billion centre of excellence for rugby league and other sports.

The proposed facility is expected to support training and sports development, although details on its financing, construction timeline and delivery arrangements were not provided.

Nigeria’s selection for the accelerator programme offers the association an opportunity to strengthen its domestic structures and build the capacity required to compete more consistently at international level.

Hosting a Rugby League World Cup, however, would require further development of facilities, funding, administration and competition infrastructure.