Lomé, Togo – The 2026 International Handball U-18 and U-20 Men’s Trophy Cup Zone 3 qualifications ended on Saturday, April 11, in Lomé, Togo, with Nigeria emerging victorious. The competition, which started on Tuesday, April 7, featured series of matches amongst Zone 3 member nations that were quite competitive. Zone 3 members include, Togo, Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast, Niger, Nigeria, Liberia, Benin and Ghana.
Nigeria’s U-20 team defeated Benin 39–29, and their U-18 team defeated Ivory Coast 32–18 to clinch a perfect sweep for the West African superpowers. Owing to their victories, both Nigerian teams have qualified for the Africa Handball Nations Cup, which is scheduled for later this year.
Liberia, meanwhile, placed last in Zone 3. The team’s campaign suffered greatly after they lost to host country, Togo in the placement category and missed their opening games owing to travel delays at the Ghana-Togo border.
On Monday, April 13, 2026, the Liberian delegation is scheduled to return home. Before taking an evening flight with Air Côte d’Ivoire from Kotoka International Airport at 5:30 PM and landing at Roberts International Airport at roughly 7:30 PM, the team will drive from Lomé early to Accra, Ghana.
Reported by: Sylvesre Tamba
