By Daily Sports Nigeria on January 29, 2026

Nigeria’s Golden Arrows will revive their bid for a place at the 2027 IHF Men’s Handball World Championship when they face Guinea on Thursday (today) at the BK Arena in Kigali, Rwanda, in the fifth to eighth place semi-finals of the 27th Africa Men’s Handball Championship, PUNCH Sports Extra reports.

The encounter represents Nigeria’s final route to global qualification after they failed to reach the semi-finals of the continental tournament, which serves as Africa’s qualifying event for the World Championship in Germany.

While the top four nations secured automatic tickets by reaching the semi-finals, a fifth berth will be decided through the placement matches involving Nigeria, Guinea, Morocco and Angola.

Nigeria dropped into the placement round after consecutive defeats in the main round, having opened the championship with three straight victories in the preliminary phase.

Their momentum stalled with a 27–24 loss to Angola, before a heavy 48–22 defeat by defending champions Egypt on Tuesday confirmed their exit from the semi-final race.

That result came despite Nigeria entering the final group match with hope, following Algeria’s earlier failure to beat Angola, which meant victory over Egypt would have kept the Golden Arrows in contention for a top-two finish.

Instead, the nine-time champions asserted their dominance from the outset, racing into a 24–10 half-time lead and maintaining control throughout the second period.

Despite the disappointment, Nigeria captain Sessugh insisted the team remain focused on the opportunity that still lies ahead.

“We gave our best, but Egypt is a strong team, and we knew it would be a tough game. However, we are still alive in this competition and have another opportunity to make history,” he said.

Nigeria’s route to the placement matches was shaped by a tightly contested Group I, where Egypt finished top with a perfect record, while Algeria, Nigeria and Angola ended level on two points apiece.

With each side recording one win and one defeat against the others, qualification was decided on goal difference, with Algeria edging through ahead of Nigeria and Angola.

Now, the Golden Arrows must win two matches to secure the continent’s final World Championship ticket.

Victory over Guinea would set up a decisive encounter against the winner of the tie between Morocco and Angola, with the ultimate prize being qualification for the World Championship for the first time since Nigeria’s last appearance in 1999.

As they prepare to face Guinea, Nigeria will draw belief from their strong start to the tournament and the performances of key players like Hakeem Salami, alongside Faruk Yusuf, John Shagari, Azeez Sulaiman and goalkeeper Micheal Solomon who have carried the team through difficult moments, the Golden Arrows know that only perfection in the remaining matches will be enough to keep their World Cup dream alive.

Source Punch Ng

Posted January 29, 2026

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