Rachel Iliya

Rachel Iliya is a Nigerian amateur rugby league footballer who plays as a loose forward for Eko Trinity and the Nigeria women's national rugby league team.

Iliya was introduced to rugby league by Abiodun Olawale-Cole, the chairman of Nigeria Rugby League, after playing amateur flag football. Prior to this, Iliya worked as a part-time cleaner from a young age on a monthly salary of £7.50 to support her family, mainly her brother who has sickle cell disease, while also playing association football. She now works as a personal trainer and had a six-month training programme with Bradford Bulls.[1]

Iliya made her international debut in 2024 during Nigeria's 2026 World Cup qualification playoff against Kenya, in which she score two second half tries.[2] After playing in the second leg, she helped Nigeria hold out for a 22–22 draw, going through to the next round of goals kicked.[3][4]

The following year, Iliya was selected for the second and final round of World Cup qualification, an interconfederation tournament held in Canada.[5] In the semi-finals she scored a second half try to secure a 10–0 victory over Ireland,[6] thought missed out on World Cup qualification losing the final to Fiji.[6]

References

  1. ^ "Rachel Iliya bids to reach rugby league's Women's Word Cup with Nigeria". BBC Sport. October 2, 2025.
  2. ^ "Kenya 14 v 22 Nigeria". europeanrugbyleague.com.
  3. ^ "Kenya 8 v 0 Nigeria". europeanrugbyleague.com.
  4. ^ "'We will represent Africa well': Dramatic scenes as Nigeria earn World Series berth". Rugby League International Federation.
  5. ^ "IRL World Series 2025: Nigeria name extended squad". Rugby League International Federation.
  6. ^ a b "Match Detail". Rugby League International Federation.
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