Nigeria Rugby League Association Joins IRL Accelerator Programme

The Nigeria Rugby League Association (NRLA) has reached a significant milestone by becoming the fourth country to join the International Rugby League (IRL) accelerator programme. This initiative aims to enhance the Rugby League World Cup's value by increasing the number of competitive nations.

Nigeria was selected from four invited applicants in the Middle East Africa region. Ade Adebisi, the NRLA Vice President, is currently embedded with senior officials from France and Wales on the IRL Rugby League World Cup 2026 operations team for three weeks.

This deployment is the first outcome of the Accelerator Nation initiative announced by IRL. Adebisi, along with Mathilde Marchand and Rob Deeney, will gain valuable experience to improve NRLA's operations.

Adebisi stated that the insights gained will directly influence NRLA's governance and professional environment for athletes and coaches. The accelerator project aims to develop pathways from local leagues to elite competitions and enhance coaching standards.