Nigeria Make History With First-Ever World Junior Team Championship Victory

The women's team of Nigeria enjoyed a historic day at the 2026 World Junior Team Championships in Canada, recording the nation's first-ever victory in the competition.

After making their team event debut with a 3/0 defeat to hosts Canada on day one at Niagara-on-the-Lake in Ontario, Nigeria rewrote the script by stunning No.9 seeds Brazil - 'veterans' of eight championship appearances 1994 - 2/1 in a thrilling contest featuring two five-game battles.

With the match order set as 2-3-1, Nigeria struck first through second string Awawu Balogun, who opened up a commanding two-game lead and looked on course to secure the nation's first-ever match victory at the tournament.

However, her opponent Giulia Collenoni fought her way back into the contest to level the match at two-all. But with pressure mounting, Balogun refused to let the momentum swing completely in Brazil's favour, responding brilliantly to take the deciding game 11-3 and hand Nigeria an early lead.

And just when it seemed the drama couldn't get any greater, Nigeria's Delight Allison raised the stakes. Trailing 2/1 in games to her opponent Sara Guerra Barboza, Allison responded superbly under pressure, taking the fourth game 11-7 to force a decider. With the momentum firmly on her side, Allison looked increasingly confident in the fifth game, racing to an 11-2 victory to clinch the tie and seal the historic win.

Although the result had already been decided, the final match was played for valuable standings points - Brazil's top string Laura Silva claiming a straight-games victory over Mosturah Durosinlorun. But it was Nigeria who celebrated a landmark 2/1 triumph - the country's first-ever win at the World Squash Junior Team Championships.

After the match, head coach Jonah Ibrahim Attah said: "We are really excited. We are so happy to get our first win as a team. It feels so rewarding and gives us a lot more confidence."
"[On the two five-game matches] It was so tight, and there was a lot of expectation, but they were able to rise above it and get the first win.

"This will give us a lot of confidence, and we are telling them to express themselves and play their own way and have fun."

Nigeria will face favourites Egypt in their final women's group-stage match, with the defending champions securing a dominant 3/0 victory over hosts Canada.

Meanwhile, the men's competition delivered action-packed encounters across every court, with teams battling for places in the last 16 round. One of the matches of the day took place on Court 5 at White Oaks Resort & Spa, where No.19 seeds Hong Kong produced a stunning comeback to defeat No.14 seeds South Africa and secure second place in Group 3.

South Africa made the ideal start, with Joseph Feast completing a remarkable comeback from two games down to defeat Ting To Brogan Cheng 3/2.

However, this proved not to have any effects on Hong Kong who responded immediately as third string Pak To Lau levelled the tie with a commanding straight-games victory over Benjamin Newman, winning 13-11, 11-4, 12-10.

With the tie level at 1/1, everything came down to the deciding match, where Long Hin Larry Wong held his nerve to defeat Juan-Corné Brand in straight games, sealing a memorable comeback victory and confirming Hong Kong's unexpected place in the men's Round of 16.

Elsewhere, the Malaysian women's team, the fourth seeds, secured a vital 2/1 victory over No.5 seeds India in one of the ties of the day. But it was the second match of the contest that stole the spotlight, as Malaysia's Doyce Ye San Lee and India's Anika Dubey battled through a gripping five-game contest on the glass court.
After the pair had shared the opening three games, with Lee leading 2/1, the drama reached its peak as Dubey fought back from 10-7 down in the fourth to force a deciding game, winning 12-10.

And with momentum seemingly going the way of India, Lee was able to hold her nerve to come through to claim the fifth game, winning 11-9, drawing a huge roar from the Malaysian bench, and sealing the tie for her team.

With the outcome already decided, India's No.1 string Anahat Singh took to the court for the final match and recorded a straightforward straight-games victory over Whitney Wilson.

With one day of the women's group stage remaining, the race for the knockout places is set for an exciting conclusion.

Elsewhere in the men's draw, hosts Canada booked their place in the knockout stage with a comfortable victory over Macau. Germany secured second place in Group One with an upset over over 16th seeds New Zealand, while No.13 seeds Australia confirmed their place in the Round of 16 with a win over No.20 seeds Mexico. No.11 seeds Kuwait also progressed after a strong victory over Chinese Taipei.