Follow Us on Google
Preparations for the 23rd National Sports Festival, tagged the Coal City Games 2026 and set to be hosted by Enugu State, are moving into a new phase as zonal eliminations for team sports get underway across Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones from September 12 to 15.
The eliminations mark a key qualification stage ahead of the main event and will feature basketball, cricket, football and volleyball/beach volleyball, each contested in male and female categories.
Under the Festival’s rules, the first- and second-placed teams from each zone will qualify for the National Sports Festival, while Enugu, as host state, has been granted automatic qualification across all featured team sports.
The Main Organising Committee has already directed zonal coordinators to begin preparations and submit proposed venues for the competitions, with instructions to ensure strict adherence to the Games’ rules and regulations in order to guarantee fair play and a level playing field for all participating teams.
The 23rd National Sports Festival, themed “Excellence, Sportsmanship and Unity,” is scheduled to hold from November 27 to December 11, 2026.
This was disclosed in a statement issued on Thursday by Kola Daniel, Senior Assistant on Media in the Office of the Director General, National Sports Commission.
