Preparations for the 23rd National Sports Festival, Coal City Games 2026, are gathering momentum as zonal qualifying competitions for team sports are scheduled to hold across Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones from September 12 to 15, 2026.
The four day eliminations will determine the teams that will represent each zone at the National Sports Festival. The competitions will cover basketball, cricket, football and volleyball, including beach volleyball, with both male and female teams expected to take part.
Under the Festival’s qualification rules, the top two teams from each zone will secure places at the national event. Enugu State, which is hosting the Games, will not need to go through the qualification process and will have automatic slots in all the listed team sports.
The Main Organising Committee has directed the zonal coordinators to begin preparations and forward proposed venues for the various competitions. They have also been instructed to ensure that all events are conducted in line with the Festival’s rules and regulations, with fairness and equal opportunity for participating teams given priority.
The 23rd National Sports Festival is scheduled to take place in Enugu from November 27 to December 11, 2026, under the theme, “Excellence, Sportsmanship and Unity.”
