Nigeria Secures Largest Share of Wild Card Slots for 2026 Africa Scrabble Championship
Oru Leonard
Nigeria has emerged as the biggest beneficiary of the Wild Card allocations for the 16th Africa Scrabble Championship (ASC) after the Pan African Scrabble Association (PANASA) announced the list of automatic qualifiers for the continental tournament scheduled to hold later this year in Monrovia, Liberia.
According to the statement issued recently by Spokesperson, Nigeria Scrabble Federation (NSF), Maxwell Kumoye, a total of seven players earned direct qualification through PANASA’s Wild Card system, with Nigeria claiming four of the coveted slots, while Kenya secured the remaining three.
Leading Nigeria’s contingent is reigning African champion Oluwatimilehin Doko, who qualifies automatically as the defending continental champion.
Also earning automatic qualification are President’s Cup champion Cyril Umebiye, African Under-19 champion Prestige Archibong, and African Under-15 champion Sophia Ekeruche.
Kenya’s Wild Card recipients are President’s Cup winners Allan Oyende and Nicholas Mbugua, alongside Bernard Amuke, who received the ECASA 2026 Wild Card slot.
PANASA President Adekoyejo Adegbesan explained that Amuke was awarded the ECASA Wild Card as the next eligible finisher after Oyende had already secured automatic qualification through his President’s Cup victory.
According to PANASA’s qualification guidelines, Wild Card slots are reserved for players who have won a PANASA-organised tournament, including sanctioned regional championships, since the conclusion of the previous Africa Scrabble Championship.
The association also clarified that the Wild Card allocations do not affect each participating country’s championship quota. Nations will still be entitled to register up to 15 domestic players and five diaspora players for the continental championship.
While the seven recipients have earned automatic qualification, PANASA noted that each player must complete the official tournament registration within the stipulated registration period in accordance with championship regulations.
The continental governing body for Scrabble in Africa congratulated all the qualifiers and expressed confidence that the 16th Africa Scrabble Championship in Monrovia, Liberia, will deliver another memorable edition of the continent’s premier Scrabble tournament.
