IJF Handball: Nigeria draw USA, Azerbaijan, Moldova in Group B
Nigeria’s Under-23 Men Handball team has been drawn against United States of America (USA) and Azerbaijan in Group B of the 5th IHF Emerging Nations Championship slated between 11 and 16 of March, 2025 in Vana, Bulgaria. The International Handball Federation revealed the championship groupings on Wednesday following the completion of the Draw at the IHF Headquarters in Basel, Switzerland. It can be recalled that the Nigerian side lost to the Americans in one of the group games in the first edition of the Emerging Nations Championship held in Georgia in 2019 and they defeated Azerbaijan in another group game in the 2023 edition hosted in Bulgaria. According to the President of the Handball Federation of Nigeria (HFN) Mr. Samuel Ocheho, assured that the Federation will ensure they succeed at the championship. “This is a tricky group for our boys but i see opportunities as it is an opportunity for the team to improve on their previous 7th place standings in the championship. “We also know our opponents in this competition and we will give all the necessary support for the team to succeed because we believe they will thrive in the championship,” he said. Ocheho also appealed to the National Sports Commission to also support the efforts of the HFN in their continued push to put Nigeria handball in the global space. The IHF Emerging Nations Championship is a competition organised by the World Handball governing body, the International Handball Federation (IHF) for countries participating in the four-year plan of the European Handball Federation and some of the best ranked countries that didn’t qualify for the World’s Men Handball Championship.
