The Nigeria Rugby League Association (NRLA) has achieved a major milestone in its development after becoming the fourth country to join the International Rugby League accelerator programme.

The IRL Accelerator Nation project is designed to increase the value of the Rugby League World Cup by growing the number of competitive countries through activities.

France, Wales and Papua New Guinea were the initial cohort of Accelerator Nations in 2025, with the group subsequently extended to include one nation from each of the Americas and Middle East Africa regions.

IRL’s Strategy Committee managed a months-long application process which produced Nigeria from four invited MEA applicants. No decision has been made on the Americas nation.

Subsequently, Nigeria Rugby League Association Vice President, Ade Adebisi, joined senior officials from France and Wales as an embed on the IRL Rugby League World Cup 2026 operations team to gain experience and insights into the management of the biggest event in global rugby league.