Nigeria Set to Defend African Scrabble Title in Liberia

The President of the Pan African Scrabble Association, Adekoyejo Adegbesan, has expressed confidence that Nigeria will keep its title at the 16th African Scrabble Championship in Monrovia, Liberia.

Adegbesan, also known as Sheikh, feels Nigeria's strong history in the tournament gives the country a good chance to defend its crown. This comes despite losing several players who have moved abroad. Nigeria has won 14 of the last 15 championships and is a top player in the sport across Africa.

“From what I see here today, even though we’ve lost a lot of our players who have relocated outside the country, I still think we have enough to win in Africa,” he said.

The PANASA president also warned that Uganda and Kenya should not be underestimated. He named them as Nigeria's main competitors. “I’ll put on my non-partisan hat here and say other countries too. Uganda are good as well. Kenya also would participate and would compete,” he said. “I think it’s between those three countries, but Nigeria will still have more than enough to retain their title.”

Adegbesan was happy with how Liberia is getting ready for the event. He said the Ministry of Sports has supported the national Scrabble association. They helped redesign the championship banner and organize the tournament. “Liberia is ready to host, and I think we’ll have the best tournament yet,” he said.

The championship will take place from October 22 to 25, 2026, in Monrovia.

Adegbesan has been involved in Scrabble since the 1990s. He is the chairman of Gateway Scrabble Club in Ijebu Ode, Ogun State, and the immediate past chairman of the Ogun State Scrabble Association.

In the meantime, PANASA has opened a new entry category for players who missed selection through their national associations’ qualification processes. In a statement dated October 9, 2026, they said these players can still enter if their applications are submitted and endorsed by their national Scrabble associations or federations.

PANASA made it clear that individual players cannot register by themselves. The registration fee is $300 per player, the same as for players from the diaspora, and national associations are encouraged to inform their members about this opportunity.