The Nigeria Netball Federation was established in February 2026, with the national team assembled from trials in June (Voice of Nigeria). The Green Hawks' actual first-ever international outing was a 74–22 friendly defeat to Scotland in Glasgow ahead of the Commonwealth Games (Leadership). Their first competitive match came on 19 September, a 61–40 loss to Kenya at the Africa Netball Cup in Nairobi, part of the 2027 World Cup African qualifiers (Voice of Nigeria). A day later, a further defeat to Uganda, a team with a significant world-ranking advantage.

Leadership's reporting confirms the Green Hawks are composed entirely, not just mainly, of Nigerian players based in the diaspora. Jade Popoola captains the side, a former England Roses Academy player, England U21 vice-captain, and Netball Europe gold medallist with England.

Nigeria assembled its national programme's leadership, and largely its playing squad, from Nigerians already inside elite English netball systems, rather than building a domestic pathway first.

National Sports Commission chairman Olopade described the push into netball, tennis, and chess as a deliberate effort to broaden Nigeria's sporting ecosystem beyond its traditional strengths. On netball specifically, he said the aim was to give Nigerian girls "another option and another pathway" in sport.

A team built from diaspora talent in three months, against opponents with years of continuity, lost heavily on debut in both its first two matches. Whether the federation treats this as a multi-year investment, building a domestic pathway underneath the diaspora core it started with, or lets the Africa Netball Cup stand as a one-off appearance, will be visible in what it funds next.