Nigeria’s Green Arrows will confront defending champions Egypt in a high-stakes Group I showdown on Tuesday at the African Men’s Handball Championship, with a place in the semi-finals and a direct ticket to the 2027 IHF Men’s World Championship on the line.

Egypt head into the final round of group matches in commanding form, having won both of their fixtures to sit top of the group with four points. The North Africans have scored 83 goals and conceded 56, boasting a dominant goal difference of plus 27 that underlines their status as tournament favourites.

Nigeria, meanwhile, occupy second place with two points from one win and one defeat and a goal difference of minus one. They are level on points with Angola but sit ahead on goals scored, keeping qualification hopes firmly alive heading into the decisive final day.

Regarded as Africa’s most successful handball nation, Egypt bring formidable pedigree into the encounter. They are the first non-European country to reach the semi-finals of the IHF Men’s World Championship and the first African team to reach the last four at the Olympic Games, a legacy that has been reflected in their clinical performances so far in the tournament.

The Green Arrows are seeking a strong response after their first setback of the championship—a 27–24 defeat to Angola. The loss ended a remarkable run that saw Nigeria top their preliminary group with victories over Algeria, Zambia, and hosts Rwanda, fueling optimism of a first semi-final appearance since 1998.

Despite the defeat, Nigeria remain firmly in contention, and an upset against Egypt would mark one of the most significant results in the team’s history, keeping alive their hopes of returning to the global stage for the first time since the 1999 IHF Men’s World Championship.

Nigeria’s fate could also be influenced by earlier events on Tuesday, with Angola facing Algeria in the day’s opening match. Algeria sit bottom of the group with no points and a goal difference of minus 16, while Angola are third after edging Nigeria and losing to Egypt.

An Algerian victory over Angola would effectively seal Nigeria’s progression before their clash with Egypt, as Algeria would be unable to overturn Nigeria’s superior goal difference without an extraordinary margin of victory. However, if Angola win, they would leapfrog Nigeria on points, leaving the Green Arrows needing a win against Egypt to finish in the top two.

Failure to secure a top-two finish would see Nigeria drop into the fifth-to-eighth-place classification matches, where only the winner earns Africa’s final World Championship ticket to Germany in 2027.

As the group reaches its climax, all eyes will be on the Green Arrows as they prepare for a defining night that could reshape Nigeria’s handball history.