Nigeria’s top sprinters are set for a last-ditch campaign in the United States as the country races to secure qualification for the 2026 World Athletics Relays, with officials banking heavily on foreign-based athletes to keep the nation on the global relay map.

The Athletics Federation of Nigeria has turned its attention away from recent setbacks at the World Indoor Championships and is now zeroing in on relay qualification and broader preparations for the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. Federation president Tonobok Okowa made it clear that relay tickets are the immediate priority, with every race before the deadline treated as critical.

Nigeria’s women’s 4x400m squad currently occupy a precarious position on the qualification list. They sit 23rd out of 24 available slots, having initially climbed into contention with a 3:31.14 run at the MTN Champs Athletics Classics in Calabar. That time, once a source of optimism, is now under threat as rival nations continue to post faster marks.

With the qualification window running from early 2025 to April 2026, the federation has identified the “Battle on the Bayou” meet at LSU’s Bernie Moore Stadium in Baton Rouge as a decisive opportunity. The event, featuring strong collegiate line-ups from schools such as Texas A&M, UCLA and Ole Miss, will bring together many of Nigeria’s US-based athletes, who are expected to form the core of the relay squads.

Okowa has acknowledged that the qualification pathway is far tougher than in previous cycles, with countries required to rank among the top 24 globally to gain entry. He revealed that Nigerian athletes in the American collegiate system are tailoring their competition schedules specifically to chase relay standards and, where possible, improve existing times.

Before the Baton Rouge outing, Nigeria will test its depth at the Lefika International Relays in Gaborone, a key tune-up that doubles as an early qualification chance. There, Nigerian teams will contest the men’s and women’s 4x100m and 4x400m, as well as the mixed 4x400m, against opposition from Poland, South Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Lesotho and hosts Botswana.

Additional attempts are planned at the Jos leg of the MTN Champs, giving Nigeria multiple shots at securing places across the relay events ahead of the World Athletics Relays, which will be staged for the first time on African soil at the Botswana National Stadium in Gaborone.