Cricket: Abuja hosts race for two places in 2027 African final
Nigeria and Uganda begin their campaigns in Abuja on 20 October. Two places lead to the 2027 regional final, on the road to the 2028 T20 World Cup.
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Six teams, fifteen matches and two places to keep the road to the 2028 T20 World Cup alive: the final African sub-regional qualifying tournament (C) gets under way in Abuja on Tuesday 20 October. Uganda open against Zambia, before Nigeria take on Gambia. For these sides, the immediate prize is a place in the 2027 African regional final.
Lesotho and Mozambique complete the group. Each team plays the other five once, at NCF Oval 1 and NCF Oval 2. The top two in the standings will advance to the next stage. A good week in Abuja will therefore not hand anyone a ticket to the World Cup directly: it will keep them in the hunt.
Uganda arrive with a clear goal: to return to the global tournament after their first appearance in 2024 and their absence in 2026. Captain Riazat Ali Shah leads a squad of fourteen players, with Kenneth Waiswa as vice-captain and Steve Tikolo as coach. The squad travels without Dinesh Nakrani and Cosmas Kyewuta, two absences the group will have to absorb.
For Nigeria, home advantage comes with a change of leadership: Chima Akachukwu takes over the captaincy. Isaac Okpe, Peter Aho and Sylvester Okpe are among the players selected. The Nigerians begin with Gambia, then face Zambia on Wednesday 21 October, before meeting Mozambique, Lesotho and finally Uganda.
The hosts' final fixture, against the Ugandans on Sunday 25 October, is a useful marker for following the week. How much it matters will depend on what has gone before, however: no place can be decided in advance. The other four teams also have five chances to finish in the top two.
The announced start times for Tuesday are 9:30 for Uganda v Zambia, then 13:50 for Lesotho v Mozambique and Nigeria v Gambia. Abuja and Brazzaville keep the same time. The match schedule runs until 25 October; the announced organising window of 18 to 26 October includes days without matches. The matches are announced as live on ICC.tv.