Nigeria national rugby league team

Nigeria
Badge of Nigeria team
Team information
Governing bodyNigeria Rugby League
Region Middle East-Africa
CaptainSadiq Adebiyi
Home stadiumTeslim Balogun Stadium
IRL ranking37th
Team results
First international
 Nigeria 23 – 12 Ghana 
(Lagos, Nigeria; 2 October 2019)
Biggest win
 Nigeria 36 – 2 Cameroon 
(Lagos, Nigeria; 28 September 2022)

The Nigeria national rugby league team represents Nigeria in international rugby league football competitions. They made their debut in the 2019 Middle East Africa Championship with a 23-12 victory over Ghana.[1]

Current squad

Squad for 2019 MEA Rugby League Championship;[2]

  • Bolu Fagborun
  • Jude Abrackson
  • Joshua Effiong
  • Gabriel John
  • Alex Richard
  • Samuel Akpabio
  • Nuhu Ibrahim
  • Shakirudeen Alameen
  • Nelson Celestine
  • Habib Isazka
  • Steven James
  • Temitope Olawale
  • Kiki Stephen
  • Precious John
  • Kelvin Azuka
  • David Olwale
  • Sulymon Oyebola
  • Stephen Akpawan
  • Malu Williams
  • Sadiq Adebiyi
  • Jubril Olajude
  • Isah Lawal-Saulawa

Competitive record

Results

  Win   Draw   Loss

Date Home Result Away Competition Venue Crowd
2 October 2019  Nigeria 25–12  Ghana 2019 MEA Championship Nigeria Teslim Balogun Stadium, Lagos
5 October 2019  Nigeria 38–10  Morocco
28 September 2022  Nigeria 36–2  Cameroon 2022 MEA Championship Ghana University of Ghana stadium, Legon Accra
4 October 2022  Ghana 4–30  Nigeria
2 November 2025 Cumbria Cumbria 6–70  Nigeria Friendly Cumbria Craven Park, Barrow-in-Furness
23 November 2025  Ghana 36–24  Nigeria International Ghana University of Ghana stadium, Legon Accra

IRL Rankings

Official rankings as of December 2025
Rank Change Team Pts %
1 Steady  Australia 100
2 Steady  New Zealand 82
3 Steady  England 74
4 Steady  Samoa 56
5 Steady  Tonga 54
6 Steady  Papua New Guinea 47
7 Steady  Fiji 34
8 Steady  France 24
9 Steady  Cook Islands 24
10 Steady  Serbia 23
11 Steady  Netherlands 22
12 Steady  Ukraine 21
13 Steady  Wales 18
14 Steady  Ireland 17
15 Steady  Greece 15
16 Steady  Malta 15
17 Steady  Italy 11
18 Steady  Jamaica 9
19 Increase 1  Poland 7
20 Increase 1  Lebanon 7
21 Increase 1  Norway 7
22 Decrease 3  United States 7
23 Steady  Germany 7
24 Steady  Czech Republic 6
25 Steady  Chile 6
26 Increase 1  Philippines 5
27 Increase 1  Scotland 5
28 Decrease 2  South Africa 5
29 Increase 1  Canada 5
30 Decrease 1  Brazil 3
31 Increase 1  Morocco 3
32 Increase 1  North Macedonia 3
33 Increase 1  Argentina 3
34 Increase 1  Montenegro 3
35 Increase 4  Ghana 2
36 Decrease 5  Kenya 2
37 Increase 3  Nigeria 2
38 Decrease 2  Albania 1
39 Decrease 2  Turkey 1
40 Decrease 2  Bulgaria 1
41 Increase 1  Cameroon 0
42 Increase 1  Japan 0
43 Increase 1  Spain 0
44 Decrease 3  Colombia 0
45 Steady  Russia 0
46 Steady  El Salvador 0
47 Steady  Bosnia and Herzegovina 0
48 Steady  Hong Kong 0
49 Steady  Solomon Islands 0
50 Steady  Vanuatu 0
51 Steady  Hungary 0
52 Steady  Latvia 0
53 Steady  Denmark 0
54 Steady  Belgium 0
55 Steady  Estonia 0
56 Steady  Sweden 0
57 Steady  Niue 0
Complete rankings at
www.internationalrugbyleague.com

See also

References

  1. ^ "2nd MEA Rugby league Championship:Debutants Nigeria see off Ghana to set up Morocco final (audio)". Azu Emeh busybuddiesng.com. 3 October 2019. Archived from the original on 17 April 2021. Retrieved 5 October 2019.
  2. ^ "Domestic competition in Nigeria underpins MEA Championship". RLIF. 1 October 2019.