Safety Shooters, Babes Set for 2026 Handball League Title Defence
Oru Leonard
Defending champions Safety Shooters and Safety Babes will begin their respective title defence campaigns as the 2026 Ardova Handball Premier League commences in Lagos on November 7.
The two teams, owned by the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), will be seeking to maintain their dominance in the men’s and women’s categories following their triumphs in the previous edition.
Safety Shooters will be targeting another men’s title, while Safety Babes will aim to extend their remarkable record after securing an unprecedented fifth consecutive women’s league crown last season. The Abuja-based team has won six league titles since the competition’s inception in 2018.
Fixtures released by the Handball Federation of Nigeria (HFN) show that Safety Shooters will begin their campaign against newly promoted U & H Abia at the NIS Indoor Sports Hall, Surulere, while Safety Babes will face debutants Funad Academy at the same venue.
Other opening-day fixtures in the men’s category include COAS Shooters against Kano Pillars, Benue Buffaloes versus Niger United and Osun United against Correction Boys.
De Defenders will take on former champions Tojemarine Academy, while newcomers NAF Rockets will face Rima Striker of Sokoto.
In the women’s category, 2018 champions Plateau Peacocks will battle Defender Babes, Rima Queens will face Rivers Queens, while Imo Grasshoppers take on SOOF. Ekiti Queens will also confront Omo Ogiefo Academy.
The 2026 competition will feature 12 teams in the men’s category and 10 in the women’s division, with matches scheduled to hold at the NIS Indoor Sports Hall, Surulere, and Rowe Park Sports Complex, Yaba, from November 7 to 21.
The preliminary stage will run until November 17, with the top eight teams in each category qualifying for the quarter-finals scheduled for November 19.
The semi-final matches will follow on November 20, while the third-place encounters and grand finals are slated for November 21, when the new champions in both categories will emerge.
