Nigeria has made history by becoming the first African country chosen for the International Rugby League (IRL) Accelerator Nation programme. This initiative aims to grow the sport globally and boost the competitiveness of new rugby league nations.
The Nigeria Rugby League Association (NRLA) announced that this selection will help improve how they manage the sport, develop players and coaches, and gain skills in organizing top-level international competitions.
Initially, France, Wales, and Papua New Guinea joined the programme in 2025. Later, the programme was expanded to include one country from both the Americas and the Middle East Africa (MEA) regions.
According to the IRL, its Strategy Committee took months to select Nigeria from four invited applicants in the MEA region. The choice for the Americas representative is still pending.
As part of the programme, NRLA Vice President and General Manager, Ade Adebisi, is now on a three-week placement with the IRL Rugby League World Cup 2026 operations team. He will learn how to manage the sport’s biggest international event alongside officials from France and Wales.
This placement is the first result of the Accelerator Nation initiative that the IRL announced last year. Adebisi will work with Mathilde Marchand from France and Rob Deeney from Wales.
“I will bring back what I learn to improve how NRLA operates,” said Mr Adebisi, who is also the vice chair of Nigerian rugby league.
“Our players have shown they can compete internationally, and now our administration must match that. This experience will help us create better systems, improve governance, and provide a more professional environment for our athletes, coaches, and partners.”
The programme aims to strengthen development pathways from junior leagues to senior men’s and women’s 13-a-side competitions. It also looks to improve coaching and high-performance training while giving emerging nations a chance to face stronger international teams.
Additionally, it wants to create chances for youth and senior teams to join training camps and tour established rugby league countries. The programme also supports selected players to gain experience with top overseas clubs.
Mr Adebisi mentioned that NRLA plans to use this chance to increase participation in schools and universities. They want to strengthen their men’s and women’s teams and improve the training of coaches and match officials.
“Our goal is to grow the sport at every level. We want to expand in schools and universities, strengthen our men’s and women’s teams, and develop coaches and officials. We also aim to ensure the MEA Championship happens every year for both men's and women's international teams, meeting IRL standards. We appreciate Alaro City for being a key partner and helping us build a sustainable future for the sport in Nigeria. Our long-term dream is to host a Women’s Rugby League World Cup, and this is an important step toward that.”
The association is also working with Alaro City to plan a proposed N15 billion center of excellence for rugby league and other sports.
This proposed facility will support training and sports development, but there are no details yet on how it will be financed or built.
Nigeria’s selection for the accelerator programme gives the NRLA a chance to strengthen its local structures. This will help them compete more consistently on the international stage.
Yet, hosting a Rugby League World Cup will need more development of facilities, funding, administration, and competition infrastructure.
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