By Dorcas Francis Koji
Nigeria’s senior men’s rugby sevens team, the Stallions, will begin their push for a historic appearance at the 2028 Olympic Games when they compete in the World Rugby SVNS 3 Qualifiers in Kampala, Uganda, from September 26 to 27.
The Nigerian side will face Zimbabwe, Ghana and Morocco in the qualification tournament, with a place on the World Rugby HSBC SVNS 2027 circuit at stake.
Beyond the immediate qualification objective, the Kampala tournament represents an important step in Nigeria’s wider ambition of securing a place in rugby sevens at the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games.
The HSBC SVNS is World Rugby’s premier global rugby sevens circuit, featuring tournaments across Dubai, Cape Town, Singapore, Perth, Vancouver and New York before the season concludes with the three-leg World Championship in Hong Kong, Valladolid and Bordeaux.
For Nigeria, the competition offers another opportunity to build on the progress made in the country’s sevens programme while strengthening the Stallions’ position within African rugby.
President of the Nigeria Rugby Football Federation, Dr Ademola Are, said the team would respect its opponents but travel to Uganda with confidence and a determination to deliver positive results.
“We expect to continue the steady progress we have been making with Nigerian 7s. We respect the quality of the teams in Uganda and know it will be a very competitive tournament, but we are going there well prepared and determined to do well,” Are said.
“We will take it one game at a time, compete hard and, as always, play to win while representing Nigeria with pride,” he added.
Sponsor of the Stallions and founder of OHC Trade Room, Gabriel Olumide Odediran, believes success in Uganda could play a significant role in raising the profile of rugby in Nigeria, where football remains the country’s dominant sport.
According to Odediran, achieving international success would help drive greater interest in the sport and bring Nigeria closer to its Olympic ambition.
“Success at Uganda is the first step towards the ultimate goal of qualifying to play rugby at the Olympics in 2028, which will go a long way towards making that vision a reality,” he said.
Rugby sevens, featuring seven players per team and seven-minute halves, is renowned for its speed, physical intensity and open style of play. Its Olympic status has also provided an important platform for emerging rugby nations to expand their international presence.
The Nigeria Rugby Football Federation, established in 1998, governs rugby union in the country and is affiliated with the National Sports Commission, Nigeria Olympic Committee, Rugby Africa and World Rugby.
As the Stallions head to Kampala, the team will be hoping to turn Nigeria’s growing ambitions in rugby sevens into tangible progress towards a historic Olympic appearance.
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