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News, fixtures, squads, and analysis from major competitions.

  • How Nigeria have qualify and failed to qualify for the world since 1994 with their squad lists

    How Nigeria have qualify and failed to qualify for the world since 1994 with their squad lists

    In 1994, Nigeria qualified with 7 points in Group D ahead of South Africa.
    The team was dominated by players who are listed below

    1994squad
    Rufai, Peter PortugalSC Farense
    Agbonavbare, Wilfred Spain Rayo
    Agu, Alloy Turkey Kayserispor
    Shorunmu, Ike Shooting Stars
    Okechukwu, Uche TurkeyFener
    Eguavoen, Augustine SpainCD
    Iroha, Ben Vitesse Arnhem
    Okafor, Uche IsraelMaccabi Ironi
    Keshi, Stephen Belgiu RWD
    Nwanu, Chidi RSC Anderlecht
    Emenalo, Michael Notts County
    Ugbade, Nduka Calaber R
    Semitoje, Isaac Iwuanyanwu N
    Agbontaen, MondayPetrolofisi
    Akpele, Julius Stationery Stores
    Babalade, Ajibade Sports Abidjan 1
    West, Taribo France AJ Auxerre
    Orji, Bethel Iwuanyanwu Nationale
    Oliseh, Sunday ItalyACReggiana
    George, Finidi Ajax Amsterdam
    Augustine ‘Jay-Jay’Eintracht Frank
    Oliha, Thompson IsraelMaccabi I
    Adepoju, Mutiu Racing Santander
    Ezeugo, Emeka Denmark Fremad
    Daniel, Sunday
    Fuludu, Edema TurkeyAltay İzmir
    Monye, Precious Stationery St
    Nwaigwe, Tony Iwuanyanwu N
    Obanor, Peter Shooting Stars
    Okenla, Foley
    Ojigwe, Karibe Enyimba Aba
    Okocha, Emma SV Wehen
    Yekini, Rashidi Olympiakos
    Amokachi, Daniel Everton FC
    Amunike, Emmanuel Sporting CP
    Siasia, Samson FC Nantes
    Ikpeba, Victor France Monaco
    Ekoku, Efan Wimbledon FC
    Kanu, Nwankwo Ajax Amsterdam
    Babangida, Tijani Netherlands
    Bazuaye, Baldwin Concord
    Odegbami, Wole Austria

    Nigeria qualified for France’s 1998 World Cup with 13 points even after losing to Guinea 1–0 on 16 August 1997 at 16:30 with
    F. Camara 50 minutes goal
    It is my pleasure to list out the 1998 squad.
    which are

    1998 squad
    Rufai, Peter Spain Deportivo
    Okpara, Williams Orlando Pirates
    Shorunmu, Ike Fc Zurich
    Baruwa, Abiodun Sturm Graz
    Okpara, Williams Orlando Pirates
    Shorunmu, Ike FC Zürich
    West, Taribo Inter Milano
    Okechukwu, Uche Fenerbahçe
    Babayaro, CelestineChelsea FC
    Shakpoke, Jero AC Reggiana
    Ajide, Ganiyu Julius Berger
    Okafor, Uche Kansas City
    Obiekwu, Kingsley Al-Ahli Dubai
    Okpara, Godwin RC Strasbourg
    Iroha, Ben Watford FC
    Oparaku, Mobil Cappellen FC
    Eguavoen, Augustine Russia T
    Okunowo, Samuel FC Barcelona
    Babalade, Ajibade Sturm Graz
    Lawal, Garba Roda JC Kerkrade
    Oliseh, Sunday Ajax Amsterdam
    George, Finidi Real Betis
    Adepoju, Mutiu Real Sociedad
    Okocha, Augustine ‘Jay-Jay’psg
    Oruma, Wilson Turkey Samsunspor
    Garba, Ahmed ‘Yaro ‘Kano Pillars
    Onwuzuruike, HenryHeerenveen
    Ebiede, Emmanuel Netherlands
    Ojigwe, Karibe FC Kaiserslautern
    Udi, Duke Israel Hapoel
    Adu, Sunday
    Ilevbare, Sunday Shooting Stars
    Ikpeba, Victor AS Monaco
    Kanu, Nwankwo Arsenal FC
    Yekini, Rashidi Saudi Arabia Al-Sh
    Amokachi, Daniel Turkey Beşiktaş
    Okolosi, Gabriel Espérance Tunis
    Onya, Patrick Pascal Turkey Altay
    Babangida, Tijani Ajax Amsterdam
    Ottiji, Amaechi Germany SC
    Ayorinde, Samuel Tunisia Stade
    Siasia, Samson Tzafririm Holon
    Akpoborie, Jonathan VfB Stuttgar
    Obiorah, James Grasshopper Z
    Akpoborie, JonathanVfB Stuttgar

    Obiorah, James Grasshopper

    The 2002 Korean/Japan Fifa World Nigeria qualified to participate with 16 points after the last match against Ghana on 29-07-2001 ended Nigeria 3–0 Ghana.
    2002 squad
    Shorunmu, Ike Samsunspor
    Enyeama, Vincent Enyimba Abia
    Ejide, Austin Tunisia Étoile du
    Akanji, Murphy Malta Sliema
    Rotimi, SundayEl-Kanemi Warriors
    Yobo, Joseph Everton FC
    Okoronkwo, Isaac Shakhtar D
    Udeze, Ifeanyi West Bromwich
    West, Taribo Partizan Beograd
    Sodje, Efe Crewe Alexandra
    Ejiofor, Eric Maccabi Haifa
    Babayaro, CelestineChelsea FC
    Idahor, Benedict Iwuanyanwu
    Orjinta, Romanus Julius Berger
    Moneke, Temple Iwuanyanwu
    Ifejiagwa, Emeka Waldhof
    Olajengbesi, Seyi Julius Berger
    Ejedegba, Friday Enyimba Aba
    Kanu, Christopher TOP Oss
    Okechukwu, Uche İstanbulspor
    Usim, Bob Sunshine Stars
    Afolabi, Rabiu Belgium SLiege
    Enakarhire, Joseph Standard Liège
    Izuagha, Emmanuel Germany SV
    Ovie, Patrick Russia Krylya
    Abacha, Sari Sharks of port
    Akabogu, Okey Enyimba Aba
    Onyekwu, Friday Iwuanyanwu N
    Shittu, Danny EnglandQPR
    Augustine ‘Jay-Jay’BoltonWander
    Oliseh, Sunday VfL Bochum
    Christopher, Justice Levski Sofia
    George, Finidi Ipswich Town
    Lawal, Garba Levski Sofia
    Ikedia, Pius FC Groningen
    Oruma, Wilson FC Sochaux
    Ojigwe, Karibe 04 Leverkusen
    Shuaibu, Ishola Julius Berger
    Garba, Ahmed ‘Yaro’Kano Pillars
    Olofinjana, Seyi Kwara United
    Elvis, Kingsley Iwuanyanwu N
    Issah, Emmanuel Enyimba Aba
    Ayeni, Bosun Frem København
    Ekong, Ikpe PrinceAC Reggiana
    Udi, Duke Russia Krylya
    Abubakar, Musa Dolphins Ph
    Igbinadolor, Bright Jokerit Helsink Kaku, Blessing Hapoel Be’er
    Adepoju, Mutiu Turkey
    Ogbuaja, Alex
    Aghahowa, Julius Shakhtar Don
    Kanu, Nwankwo Arsenal FC
    Ogbeche, Bartholome Paris Saint
    Aiyegbeni, YakubuPortsmouth F
    Opabunmi, Femi Grasshopper
    Akwuegbu, Benedict Grazer AK
    Utaka, John RC Lens
    Agali, Victor Schalke 04
    Ileagu, Ogechukwu Rangers Int
    Obiorah, James Lokomotiv M
    Ikpeba, Victor Al-Ittihad Tripoli
    Ugali, Emeka Jude AC Monza
    Babangida, Tijani Al-Ittihad Jidda
    Ezenwa, Ekene Enyimba Aba
    Otegheri, Igho Wikki Tourists
    Idahor, Lucky Dynamo Kyi
    Iheanacho, KelechiWisła Kraków
    Ijeh, Peter Malmö FF
    Chukwunyere, NdubuisiHibernians
    Doda, Haruna Desportivo Aves
    Kumbur, Francis Haywards
    Nworgu, Chukwudi Israel Beitar
    Ogugua, Chike Gabros Int
    Ezeji, Victor Sharks of Ph
    Odemwingie, Peter RAA La
    Agoye, Edith Shooting Stars
    Anumunu, Ndidi Enyimba Aba
    Baita, Rabiu RAEC Mons

    Nigeria failed to win qualification for the World Cup in 2006 after losing to Angola 1-0 in the first leg and played a 1-1 draw at the Sani Abacha Stadium in Kano, Nigeria.
    On June 18, 2005, at 17 000 GMT
    The goal was scored by Augustine Jay Okocha at 5mint of the game equalized Paul’s Figueiredo on 60 minutes.

    .

    Starting Line-Up match against Angola on 18-6-2005 for World Cup qualifier 2006.

    Odemwingie, Peter

    Aiyegbeni, Yakubu

    Yobo, Joseph

    Udeze, Ifeanyi

    Enyeama, Vincent

    Okocha, Augustine ‘Jay-Jay’

    Olofinjana, Seyi

    Lawal, Garba

    Odiah, Chidi

    Nwaneri, Obinna

    Makinwa, Stephen Ayodele

    2006 full squad with team

    Enyeama, Vincent    Israel    Bne

    Taiwo, Taye    Olympique M

    Yobo, Joseph    Everton FC

    Odiah, Chidi    Russia    CSKA

    Enakarhire, Joseph France

    Ayila, Yussuf    Dynamo Kyiv

    Nwaneri, Obinna    FC Sion

    Abbey, George Port Vale FC Epl

    Obodo, Chris ItalyUdinese

    Oruma, Wilson        Olympique

    Obi, John Mikel Chelsea FC

    Olofinjana, SeyiWolverhampton W

    Lawal, Garba    Greece Irakli

    Okocha, Augustine ‘Jay-Jay’Qatar

    Kaita, Sani    Sparta Rotterdam

    Okonkwo, Onyekachi    Orlando Pir

    Martin Obafemi, Newcastle Un

    Utaka, John    Stade Rennais

    Obinna, Victor    Chievo Verona

    Odemwingie, Peter Lille OSC

    Aghahowa, Julius Wigan Athletic

    Makinwa, Stephen Ayodele Lazio

    Aiyegbeni, YakubuMiddlesbrough

    Obasi, Chinedu, Norway

    Kanu, NwankwoPortsmouth FC

    Okoduwa, Emmanuel Metalurh D

    In 2010, Nigeria was the first African to qualify for the World Cup after beating Ethiopia 2-0 at home. In the qualifying states, the Super Eagles conceded only four goals in their eight World Cup qualifiers to show how qualified the team are.

    Squad 2010
    Vincent Enyeama1 G-Austin Ejide16 G-Dele Aiyenugba-Danny Shittu D-Chibuzor Okonkwo D
    -Joseph Yobo D-Taye Taiwo3 D
    Elderson Echiéjilé D-Rabiu Afolabi D-Chidi Odiah D-Dele Adeleye D
    John Obi Mike M-Ayila Yussuf m
    Sani Kaita M-Lukman Haruna M
    Dickson Etuhu M-Kalu Uche F
    Kanu F-John Utaka F-Yakubu Ayegbeni f-Brown Ideye f-Obafemi Martins F-Joseph Akpala F-Peter Odemwingie f-Ikechukwu Uche F
    Victor Obinna F-Chinedu Obasi F

    In the world 2014 was able to to qualify for world with 12. Point on 16 November 2013.

    Squad 2014
    Agbim -Ejide -Enyeama Ambrose, E -Benjamin, F
    -Egwuekwe-Elderson -Oboabona-Okwuosa -Omeruo-Gabriel-Mba-Mikel -Nosa -Oduamadi-Ogu-Onazi -Ameobi-Dike -Emenike – Ideye-Moses, V-Musa, A -Obinna

    In 2018, Nigeria gained qualification after beating Zambia 1-0 to become the first African side to seal a place at the World Cup in Russia with 13 points,while the Zambians, who were second with 7 points before our last match against Algeria, lost 3-0 in June 2018.

    Squad

    Carl Ikeme,Daniel Akpeyi, Kenneth Omeruo, Elderson Echiejile, Leon Balogun, William Troost-Ekong – Ogenyi Onazi, Mikel Obi – Oghenekaro Etebo, Victor Moses, Alex Iwobi – Kelechi Iheanacho – Ahmed Musa please people shoul help me with others.

    In 2022 qualification, Nigeria qualified in the normal group but failed to qualify for the home and away third round group against Ghana with away goal rule after playing a 0-0 draw in Ghana and a 1-1 draw in Nigeria. Makes Nigerians react badly at the venue of the match.

    Ikechukwu EzenwaGoalkeeper
    Francis UzohoGoalkeeper
    Abdullahi Shehu Defender
    Brian Idowu Defender
    Chidozie Awaziem Defender
    Elderson Echiejile Defender
    Kenneth Omeruo Defender
    Leon Balogun Defender
    Tyronne Ebuehi Defender
    Victor Moses Defender
    William Troost-Ekong Defender
    Ahmed Musa Forward
    Alex Iwobi Forward
    Kelechi Iheanacho Forward
    Odion Ighalo Forward
    Simy Forward
    Joel Obi Midfielder
    John Obi Mikel Midfielder
    Johan Ogu Midfielder
    Ogenyi Onazi Midfielder
    Oghenekaro Etebo Midfielder
    Wilfred Ndidi Midfielder

    Here we are coming again struggling to qualify for the world. Maybe coaches should go back to how we started qualifying for the world in the 90s by giving home base players opportunities to play in teams,
    mostly on defense and midfield  Remember on 9 January 2013, Kenneth Omeruo, at the age of 19, played for the senior team for the first time in a goalless draw against Cape Verde to stabilize the defensive line and  good play maker . although I am very optimistic about Nigeria qualifying for the world 2026.

    2026Fifa World Cup squad
    Stanley Nwabali-Amas Obasogie
    Kayode Bankole-Calvin Bassey
    Igoh Ogbu -William Troost-Ekong Bruno Onyemaechi-Ola Aina
    Bright Osayi-Samuel-Raphael Onyedika -Wilfred Ndidi
    Joe Aribo -Alhassan Yusuf
    Papa Daniel-Nathan Tella -Alex Iwobi-Moses Simon-Samuel Chukwueze-Ademola Lookman
    Victor Osimhen-Victor Boniface
    Tolu Arokodare-Umar Sadiq

     

  • Qualifications for World Cup 2026 in African Analysis and Table Details

    Qualifications for World Cup 2026 in African Analysis and Table Details

    Qualifying for the 2026 FIFA World Cup began on Oct. 12, 2023,where most confederations now have qualifying, such as Japan becoming the very first country to qualify on March 20, followed by New Zealand and Iran. Just five days later Argentina joined the race by beating Brazil 4-1.

    But in Africa, the struggle still continues on country who will join 45 nations that will join hosts United States, Mexico and Canada in kicks off on June 11 and the final will take place on July 19. Remember in the African continent out of 54 FIFA-affiliated nations in the draw.

    9 qualify automatically plus 1 enters playoff.

    However, Eritrea subsequently withdrew their reason from the FIFA statement, and the Confederation of African Football (Caf) on Friday said that “all of Eritrea’s matches have been canceled”, a few days before they were due to travel to face Morocco in their first fixture, but provided no explanation.

    But people generally thought Eritrea’s football federation withdrew its men’s team from 2026 World Cup qualifying owing to fears that players would attempt to seek political asylum during trips abroad, according to sources close to the squad. Congo, in the same group, were suspended by FIFA on Feb. 6 due to government interference, though they had lost all three group games at the time.

    Below are resuit and table stands in Africa.

    Aubameyang’s two goals delivered Gabon a 2-1 victory against Kenya on Sunday 23march 2025.

     

    The match between Eswatini and Mauritius ended 3-3. It is just like war: no retrieving, no surrender for both teams.

    Action continues for the African continent on Monday 24th when Equatorial Guinea hit a 1-1 draw at Namibia home. Guinea-Bissau received a home beating by losing 1-2 against Burkina Faso. Liberia showed a difference by beating São Tomé e Principe 2-1. Central African Republic secured a 0-0 home draw against Mali. Haller 15-minute goal gave Côte d’Ivoire victory against the Gambia.

    Madagascar came out under football pressure from Ghana by losing 0-3. Tunisia showed a classic by beating Malawi 2-0 at home.

    Ethiopia beat Djibouti like kid 6-1 at home when Desta and Nasir scored hat-tricks.

    Coming into Tuesday’s World Cup qualifier, African continent South Africa kept showing a quality game by beating Benin Republic at home 2-0, while hopes for Nigeria are shaking with a 1-1 home draw. Below are other results.

    Tuesday 25 March

    Angola 1-2 Cabo Verde (Group D)

    Scorers: Mabululu 50’ / D. Rocha Livramento 45+2’, 63’

    Uganda 1-0 Guinea (Group G)

    Scorers: A. Okello 36’

    Rwanda 1-1 Lesotho (Group C)

    Scorers: J. Kwizera 58’ / L. Fothoane 82’

    Botswana 2-0 Somalia (Group G)

    Scorers: G. Mohutsiwa 73′, M. Johnson 82′

    Egypt 1-0 Sierra Leone (Group A)

    Scorer: Ahmed Sayed Zizo 45+3′

    Sudan 1-1 South Sudan (Group B)

    Scorer: M. Eisa 77′ / D. O. Sebit 90+8′

    Cameroon 3-0 Libya (Group D)

    Scorers: V. Aboubakar 26′ (pen), 61′, B. Mbeumo 53′ / E. E. Maremi 90+1′

    Burundi 5-0 Seychelles (Group F)

    Scorers: C. Nduwarugira 23′, B. Bimenyimana 25′, 31′, B. Kanakimana 50′, J. Girumugisha 56′

    Mauritania 0-2 Congo DR (Group B)

    Scorers: C. Pickel 4′, F. Mayele 83′

    Senegal 2-0 Togo (Group B)

    Scorers: P. Sarr 35′, K. Boma 67′(og)

    Algeria 5-1 Mozambique (Group G)

    Scorers: M. Amoura 8′, 31′, 80′, A. Mandi 24′, J. Hadjam 65′ / G. Catamo 40′

    Comoros 1-0 Chad (Group I)

    Scorer: R. Said 24′

    Morocco 2-0 Tanzania (Group E)

    Scorers: N. Aguerd 51′, B. Diaz 58′(pen)

    Below are Tables standing

    Standings:

    1)Egypt – 16pts
    2)Burkina Faso – 11 pts
    3)Sierra Leone – 8 pts
    4). Ethiopia – 6 pts
    5)Guinea-Bissau – 6 pts
    6)Djibouti – 1 pt

    Standings:

    1).DR Congo – 13pt
    2))Senegal – 12pts
    3) Sudan – 12pts
    4)Togo – 4 pts
    5) South Sudan – 3pts
    6)Mauritania – 2 pts

    Standings: c

    1)South Africa – 13pts
    2)Rwanda – 8pts
    3)Benin – 8 pts
    4)Nigeria – 7 pts
    5)Lesotho – 6pts
    6)Zimbabwe – 4pts

    Standings D
    1) Cape Verde 13pts
    2) Cameroon 12pts
    3)Libya. 8pts
    4)Angola. 7pts
    5) Mauritius. 5pts
    6) Eswatini. 2pts

    Standings E
    1) Morocco. 15pts
    2) Niger 6pts
    3) Tanzania. 6pts
    4) Zambia. 3pts
    5) Congo. 0
    6) Eritrea. 0

    Standings F
    1) Ivory’s Coast 16pts
    2) Gabon 15pts
    3) Burundi. 10pts
    4)Kenya 6pts
    5)Gambia. 4 pts
    6) Seychelles. 0
    Standings G
    1)Algeria. 15pts
    2)Mozambique. 12pts
    3)Botswana. 9pts
    4) Botswana 9pts
    5)Guinea 7 pts
    6)Somalia 1 pt

    Standings H
    1) Tunisia. 16pts
    2) Namibia. 12pts
    3) Liberia 10pts
    4) Equatorial.G. 7pts
    5) Malawi. 6pts
    6) Sao Teme 0
    Standings I
    1) Ghana. 15pts
    2)Comoros. 12pts
    3) Madagascar. 10pts
    4) Mali 9pts
    5)Central African. 5pts
    6) Chad. 0

    Standings for play off teams ‘j’
    1) Gabon. 15pts
    2) Cameroon. 12pts
    3)Senegal. 12pts
    4)Namibia. 12pts
    5)Comoros. 12pts
    6) Mozambique. 12pts
    7)Burkinafaso. 11pts
    8) Rwanda 8pts
    9) Niger. 6pts

     

     

     

     

     

     

  • Nigeria and Zimbabwe head to head history

    Nigeria and Zimbabwe head to head history

    Nigeria super Eagle are unbeaten to Zimbabwe in their past 6 meetings with four win and two draws, but it only one time Nigeria win over Zimbabwe at home was on 19-11-2025 with 5-1 victories while three other time were draws.

    The truth is Nigeria never won World Cup qualification at
    Adokiye Amiesimaka Stadium.

    Zimbabwe may shown resilience to Nigeria because of the 1-1 draw in their last previous meeting and for them to secured first win in World Cup qualifier.

    With Nigeria experience and new technical crews with strengthening their bid for the World Cup participation ,Super Eagles may change the whole history on 25 -03- 2025 17:00gmt at Adokiye Amiesimaka Stadium.
    Nigeria Predicted lineup (4-4-2)

    Chelle deployed his favored 4-3-1-2 formation against Rwanda with Osimhen and Moses Simon as the front , while Ademola Lookman played at back of two strikes in central area of the field.as it is in football no coach may like to change win it might go like this

    Nwabali (GK); Aina, Troost-Ekong, Bassey, Onyemaechi; Ndidi, Chukwueze, Iwobi, Lookman; Osimhen, Simon

    Zimbabwe Predicted lineup (4-2-3-1)

    Arubi (GK); Jalai, Garan’anga, Takwara, Lunga; Rinomhota, Munetsi; Zemura, Billiat, Musona; Chirewa

  • Victor Osimhen and Super Eagle set records in Rwanda as Nigeria had victory in Rwanda and other groups results and table.

    Victor Osimhen and Super Eagle set records in Rwanda as Nigeria had victory in Rwanda and other groups results and table.

    It was full of joy for Nigerians, the coaching crew, NFF and players for winning over Rwanda in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers in Rwanda, played 21 -3- 2025. Back to history, Nigeria has visited Rwanda three times. All three times Nigeria came back home with draws, and the only goal scored on Rwandan soil came from Obafemi Martins in a 2005 World Cup qualifier.
    As Nigeria secured a win in Rwanda victory Osimhen and Super Eagle set records.
    Firstly, the Super Eagles have secured their first win in Rwanda.


    Two goals scored by victory Osimhen broke the record for Obafemi. Martin is the only player to score in Rwanda and lifted Osimhen to second in the Super Eagle’s top five all-time scorers. The overall results of the Super Eagle match raise the hope of Nigeria qualifying for the 2026 World Cup.

    The Super Eagle coach and Technical crew did very well but needed to work on these two things.

    Nigeria’s wide players, struggling to stretch Rwanda’s defensive shape, showed that the Super Eagle technical department needed to work on penetration from the flanks and ball crossing for them to create more chances of scoring goals.

    The technical department should please work on how super Eagle can penetrate to attack through
    Penetrating pass because the combination of long ball and wing play failed to break down the Rwanda defensive structure.

    Results from other groups

    Wednesday, 19 March 2025
    Group D

    16:00: Eswatini 0-0 Cameroon
    Group H

    16:00: Liberia 0-1 Tunisia
    Group I

    16:00: Central African Republic 1-4 Madagascar
    Thursday, 20 March 2025
    Group G

    13:00: Mozambique 3-1 Uganda
    Group B

    16:00: Zimbabwe 2-2 Benin
    Group A

    16:00: Sierra Leone 3-1 Guinea-Bissau
    Group F

    16:00: Cape Verde 1-0 Mauritius
    Group C

    16:00: Malawi 0-1 Namibia
    Group F

    16:00: Gambia 3-3 Kenya
    Group B

    19:00: Libya 1-1 Angola
    Group F

    19:00: Gabon 3-0 Seychelles
    Group I

    21:00: Comoros 0-3 Mali
    Friday, 21 March 2025
    Group G

    13:00: Botswana 1–3 Algeria
    Group H

    13:00: Equatorial Guinea 2–0 São Tomé and Príncipe
    Group A

    16:00: Burkina Faso 4–1 Djibouti
    Group B

    16:00: DR Congo 1–0 South Sudan
    Group C

    16:00: Rwanda 0–2 Nigeria
    Group C

    16:00: South Africa 2–0. Lesotho

    Group G

    19:00: Burundi 0 vs. 1 Côte d’Ivoire
    Group G

    19:00: Ghana 5 vs. 0 Chad
    Group A

    21:00: Ethiopia 0 vs. 2Egypt
    Group G

    21:00: Guinea 0vs.0 Somalia
    Group E

    21:30: Niger 1 vs. 2 Morocco
    Saturday, 22 March 2025
    Group B

    16:00: Togo vs. Mauritania
    Group B

    19:00: Sudan vs. Senegal

    Tables stand

  • Two home-based players from the NPFL are found on Coach Eric Chelle’s list .Hear my fear.

    Two home-based players from the NPFL are found on Coach Eric Chelle’s list .Hear my fear.

    Two home-based players from the NPFL are found on Nigeria’s 23-man list by Coach Eric Chelle, but the question is, is this for integrating or development of talent from the Nigeria Professional league into the national team setup or to win and qualify for the World Cup.
    The two are Kayode Bankole Remo Stars goalkeeper and Papa Daniel Mustapha, Niger Tornadoes midfielder.
    Compared to his colleagues, Coach Adel Amrouche from Rwanda, who invited 13 local players and 15 others from the foreign leagues for the team, and coach Michael Nees of Zimbabwe, who only has fewer than 10 players as foreign base players.
    Although his final squad composition was picked according to the formation he intended to use. I think it is 4-4-2. It comprises three goalkeepers, six defenders, six midfielders, and eight attackers for the two crucial matches.
    But my fear is that here is African football, where our game is physical and powerful and the majority of our players are foreign-based players that don’t want to lose their job because of injuries.
    Our last encounter with the team at home, losing 1-2 to Rwanda, was basically about how our lovely players try to be very careful in contact with the ball and opponents so that they won’t have injuries.

    Nigeria and Rwanda have met in seven previous encounters, which Nigeria has won twice, drawn four times, and lost once. Interestingly, part of this is that Nigeria has visited Rwanda three times. All three times Nigeria came home playing draws, but the only goal scored on Rwandan soil came from Obafemi Martins in a 2005 World Cup qualifier.

    LIST OF 23 SUPER EAGLES FOR RWANDA, ZIMBABWE GAMES
    Goalkeepers: Stanley Nwabali (Chippa United, South Africa); Amas Obasogie (Singida Blackstars, Tanzania); Kayode Bankole (Remo Stars)

    Defenders: William Ekong (Al-Kholood FC, Saudi Arabia); Bright Osayi-Samuel (Fenerbahçe SK, Turkey); Bruno Onyemaechi (Olympiacos FC, Greece); Calvin Bassey (Fulham FC, England); Olaoluwa Aina (Nottingham Forest, England); Igoh Ogbu (SK Slavia Prague, Czech Republic)

    Midfielders: Wilfred Ndidi (Leicester City, England); Raphael Onyedika (Club Brugge, Belgium); Alhassan Yusuf Abdullahi (New England Revolution, USA); Alex Iwobi (Fulham FC, England); Joseph Ayodele-Aribo (Southampton FC, England); Papa Daniel Mustapha (Niger Tornadoes)

    Forwards: Samuel Chukwueze (AC Milan, Italy); Victor Osimhen (Galatasaray FC, Turkey); Ademola Lookman (Atalanta FC, Italy); Victor Boniface (Bayer Leverkusen, Germany); Simon Moses (FC Nantes, France); Sadiq Umar (Valencia FC, Spain); Nathan Tella (Bayer Leverkusen, Germany); Tolu Arokodare (KRC Genk, Belgium)

    List of four new players in the squad

    Tolu Arokodare (Genk), Igoh Ogbu (Slavia Prague), Papa Daniel Mustapha (Niger Tornadoes), and goalkeeper Kayode Bankole (Remo Stars).

    Rwanda vs Nigeria: Match details
    Competition: FIFA 2026 World Cup Qualifiers – Africa
    Fixture: Rwanda vs Nigeria
    Venue: Amahoro Stadium, Kigali
    Date: Friday, March 21, 2025
    Kick-off: 5 pm (Nigerian time)

  • 10 African stars doing wonderfully well in foreign leagues.

    10 African stars doing wonderfully well in foreign leagues.

    Mohamed Salah Hamed Mahrous Ghaly, known as Mohamed Salah, plays as a right-winger or forward for Liverpool. He was born 15 June 1992, joined Liverpool from Roma in 2017 and had 279 appearances with 182 goals for the
    Liverpool.

    Victor James Osimhen, a Nigerian professional footballer who plays as a striker, born 29 December 1998, joined Napoli 2020 with
    108 appearances and a 65-goal loan to Galatasaray in 2024 had
    20 appearances and 17goals for the team.

    Ademola Lookman is a professional footballer who plays as a forward for Serie A club Atalanta. From 2022 on
    Atalanta’s current African footballer of the year had 101 appearances. With 50 goals for the club.

    Simon Kofi Adingra is an Ivorian professional footballer who plays as a winger for Premier League club Brighton & Hove Albion. He had 61 appearances for the team with 12 goals, joined Brighton on 24 June 2022, and was born on Jan 1, 2002. Simon is on loan to union SG.

    Achraf Hakimi Mouh is a Moroccan professional footballer who plays as a right-back or right-winger for Ligue 1 club Paris Saint-Germain. Hakimi is rated as one of the best full-backs in the world. From 2021, he has joined the team and had 105 appearances with 17goals.

    Amad Diallo is an Ivorian professional footballer who plays as a winger, midfielder, or wing-back for Manchester United. Born 11 July 2002, he was signed by Manchester in 2021 and loaned to Sunderland had 37 appearances with 13 goals. Returning to Manchester, he played in the vast majority of their Premier League games in 2024/2025, making 22 appearances overall and playing 1,594 minutes, and scoring 7 goals.

    Victor Okoh Boniface is a Nigerian professional footballer who plays as a striker for Bundesliga club Bayer Leverkusen. Born 23 December 2000, joined
    Bayer Leverkusen in 2023 with 37 appearancess and 21 goals.

    Sébastien Romain Teddy Haller is an Ivory Coast professional footballer who plays as a striker for Eredivisie club Utrecht, on loan from Bundesliga club Borussia Dortmund. Born on 22 June 1994, on loan to Utrecht in 2025, he had 8 appearances with 1goal.

    Issa Kaboré is a Burkinabé professional footballer who plays as a right-back or right wing-back for Bundesliga club Werder Bremen, on loan from Premier League club Manchester City. Issa was born on 12 May 2001, signed for Manchester City in 2020 and had no appearances before loaning out to Mechelen, Troyes, Marseille, Luton Town, Benfica and is currently at Werder Bremen, still on loan.

    Omar Khaled Mohamed Marmoush is an Egyptian professional
    The footballer plays as a forward for Manchester City, born on 7 February 1999, joined Eintracht Frankfurt in 2023–2025 from VfL Wolfsburg, had 46 appearances with 27 goals for Frankfurt and later joined Manchester City this
    2025 with 6 appearances and 3 goals.

  • D pride  fc vs Teaf  fc  7-1 Ibadan football  Council  league – as it happened

    D pride fc vs Teaf fc 7-1 Ibadan football Council league – as it happened

    Exhibitions of skill and talent continued at Olubadan stadium Iyageku for the Ibadan football council league.

    3SC int’s feeders 0 vs 0 New Starlets
    It was the best game of football between 3SCINT’L and NEW STARLETS on Thursday 13th 2025 as the game went to a goalless draw between the two teams.

    PSI Int 2 vs 0 Jogbin fc
    It has been an unexpected success for PSI Int as they struggled to win 2-0 over Jogbin fc. The goals from Olalekan Ridwan on 50 minutes and Adeleke Ibrahim on 65 minutes of the game gave PSI leads because PSI didn’t play expected style.

    DRAGON FURY FC 2 vs 3 YOUNG STARS FC
    Young stars fc, after dropping two points in their last match, playing a goalless draw against fc peridot ,,went on to win 3-2 over Dragon Fury from
    Kehinde Abraham 32 mins
    Sheu Agunbiade on 48 mins and Dragon Fury got their fighting back by scoring their first goal on the spot through Ogunbunmi Azeez on 57 minutes with an equalizer goal on 75 minutes from Animashaun Kamal. The game keeps on drawing on till
    Quadri Raheem’s goal at 90 plus secs gives youngsters chances of claiming all three points on Friday.


    FC PERIDOT.0 VS 1 MARVELOUS
    Fc peridot have proven to be a tough team to beat in recent times, having avoided defeat in their last two games, but Friday’s match was a better impressive game for them, keeping ball possession 50.5% with the top team side MARVELOUS fc but age and experience judge at 73 minutes when a childish mistake at field from just introduced player from fc peridot resulted to goals scorers by Yemi Akanmu. Peridot got their chance to equalize but were quite unfortunate and were unlucky to miss them.


    DE PRIDE FC 7 VS 1 TEAF FC-2PM
    From the opening whistle, D Pride FC displayed their intent to dominate the game. Moments after, moments of relentless attacks bombarded the Teaf fc defense, setting the tone for the rest of the match.

    In just the view minute, Akande Bunmi announced his presence with a clinical finish, marking the beginning of goals.

    Busari Uthman continued his torment in the TEAF fc defense, netting the second goals in the short minutes shittu Basit and Akande Bunmi scored third and fourth goals.

    Raji Malik’s exquisite finishing granted him a sensational hat-trick in the game. TEAF fc struggling to find answers to D Pride fc relentless onslaught by returning a goal through Yusuf Azeez.


    12 ALIVE FC 0 VS 1 KARIM ADEYEMI FC

    It wasn’t an easy evening for Karim Adeyemi, but a goal from Victor Okeleke ensured the Adeyemi boys secured a 1-0 victory over 12Alive fc to move back into the Ibadan league’s top-leading team.

    Emotional, very emotional at Olubadan Stadium main bowl, iyaganku Area Ibadan It was a crucial victory over a crucial team. Elite Sporting fc defeated Saky United 2-0. The goals came from Adigun Yusuf on 56 minutes and Oyewole Taorid on 90 minutes of the game.

    ABIOLA BABES 4 vs1 SDK
    At the beginning of the game, Sdk showed strong teams ready to fight for survival and break down the opponent with a fast break attacking football which resulted in what bring their first goal on 37 minutes from Ayo Giwa and ABIOLA babes focused on ways to overcome Sdk, but that couldn’t. Archived due to waste of too many more chances. At the turn of the second half, ABIOLA Babes appeared to be providing more of an attacking threat after making two replacements and started building up the attack and the pressure resulted in Oladejo Jamal equalizing goal at 51 minutes and keeping it up to get the second goal through Adebayo Usman at 54 mint also third and fourth goal at 60 and 67 minutes from Wasiu Azeez aka Messi at exactly 90+2 minutes Refeer ended the match.

    Venue : Olubadan Stadium main bowl, Iyaganku Area, Ibadan.

  • Review of Round of 16 UEFA Europa League and UEFA Europa League quarter-finals pairing

    Review of Round of 16 UEFA Europa League and UEFA Europa League quarter-finals pairing

    United are through to the quarter-finals of the Europa League on a 5-2 aggregate. The Bruno Fernandes hat-trick gave them a 4-1 win over Real Socied in the second leg and United will play Lyon in the quarter-finals at Old Trafford for their first-leg tie on 10th April.


    After win yesterday United still continue unbeaten at UEFA Europa league The Skipo of team Bruno Fernandes: “This club is all about winning. We need to win games. We have a long way to go but we are confident, with the right mentality, we can win games.”


    Apart from a poor performance in the first leg last week in the Netherlands, losing 1-0, Tottenham made improvements at home on Thursday by winning 3-1 over AZ through a goal from Odobert in the 26th and 74 minutes of the game, accomplished by James Maddison’s goal on 48 minutes. Spurs are going to play Eintracht Frankfurt, who beat Ajax 4-1 in the second leg and qualify 6-2 on aggregate, in the quarter-finals.


    Athletic Bilbao regained their composure over Roma as Mats Hummels was sent off for a professional foul in the 11th minute, remembering Athletic Bilbao lost to the Italian side 2-1 in the first leg. Gaining an extra man count gave Athletic Bilbao a 3-1 victory over Roma with double goals from N. Williams at 45+3 and 82 minutes with 68 minutes from Yuri, making Athletic Bilbao progress to the quarter-finals on a 4-3 aggregate.


    First half match. Between. Lazio and Viktoria PLzan ended goalless. Shortly after resuming the second half, a good shot from Pavel Sulc gave Viktoria PLzan a chance to beat Lazio, but in the 77th minute, Lazio equalized with a goal from Romagnoli, who helped Lazio to the quarter-finals on a 3-2 aggregate, having won the first leg 2-1 in Plzen.


    The match between Rangers and Fenerbahçe ended 3-3 on aggregate after Fenerbahçe beat Rangers 2-0 at Rangers’ home yesterday with goals from S. Szymanski in 45 and 73 minutes of the game. After 90 minutes of playing, Grace gave Rangers a 3–2 win on penalties to face Athletic Bilbao in the quarter-final.


    Apart from Olympiacos beating Bodo/Glimt 2-1 from R. Yaremchuk’s 53’and 65-minute goals.
    With play Olympiacos on a man down from K. Tzolakis 88 minutes Red cards. Bodo/Glimt still qualify on a 4-2 aggregate with them getting consolation goals from K. Høgh on 36 minutes. Bodo/Glimt is playing Lazio in the quarter-final.

    🚨UEFA Europa League quarter-finals

    🇫🇷 Lyon vs Man United🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿
    🇩🇪Eintracht Frankfurt vs Tottenham🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿
    🇪🇸 Athletic Bilbao vs Rangers 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿
    🇳🇴 Bodø/Glimt vs 🇮🇹 Lazio

  • List of the players who set records in the Champions League in round of 16 in March 2025.

    List of the players who set records in the Champions League in round of 16 in March 2025.

    The Champions League Round of 16 in March 2025 produced a run of remarkable individual milestones, with three players in particular writing themselves into the competition’s record books. From a serial goalscorer to a record-breaking teenager, these performances captured why the knockout stages so often become a stage for history.

    Erling Haaland: Rewriting the Scoring Charts

    Erling Haaland continued his extraordinary relationship with the Champions League by reaching 49 goals in just 48 appearances in the competition. That scoring rate made him the fastest player ever to reach 30 Champions League goals, surpassing the previous best held by Ruud van Nistelrooy. For a forward still early in his career, moving ahead of one of the tournament’s most celebrated goalscorers underlined how consistently Haaland has delivered on Europe’s biggest club stage.

    Harry Kane Joins an Exclusive English Club

    Harry Kane added another landmark of his own. His assist in the round took him to 50 goal contributions in the Champions League — a tally made up of 39 goals and 11 assists. That milestone made Kane only the second Englishman in the competition’s history to reach 50 goal contributions, after David Beckham, who recorded 16 goals and 36 assists. The contrast between the two players’ breakdowns is telling: Beckham built his numbers largely through creativity and delivery, while Kane has reached the mark chiefly as a goalscorer who also creates.

    Lamine Yamal: A Teenager Making History

    Perhaps the most eye-catching record of all belonged to Barcelona’s Lamine Yamal. On 11 March 2025, at just 17 years and 24 days old, Yamal both scored and assisted in the same Champions League match — becoming the youngest player in the competition’s history to achieve that in a single game. The goal took his season contributions to three goals and two assists in nine appearances for Barcelona, a return that speaks to a maturity well beyond his years.

    Why These Records Matter

    (General football context) Individual records in the Champions League are more than statistical curiosities. The knockout rounds are where matches tighten, defences sharpen, and margins shrink, so producing decisive moments at this stage carries extra weight. A player who scores or creates in the Round of 16 is doing so against the continent’s strongest opposition, which is exactly why milestones set here tend to endure.

    The three players above also represent three different footballing stories: Haaland the relentless modern goalscorer, Kane the complete forward reaching a long-service milestone, and Yamal the prodigy signalling a bright future. Records like theirs help fans track the passing of eras and the arrival of new stars.

    Conclusion

    The March 2025 Round of 16 will be remembered not only for the ties themselves but for the personal landmarks reached within them. Haaland’s speed to 30 goals, Kane’s entry into an exclusive English bracket, and Yamal’s record-breaking youth each added a lasting line to the Champions League story. Together they were a reminder that, alongside the drama of qualification, the knockout stages remain a place where footballing history is regularly made.

  • See the quarter-final draws and can this record change as both are going to meet in the quarter final of the Champions League.

    See the quarter-final draws and can this record change as both are going to meet in the quarter final of the Champions League.

    The result is a massive disappointment for Lille as Dortmund fought back to beat them 2-1 in France in the second leg of their Champions League last round of 16 as both tie on Wednesday Goal from E. Can at 54 minutes of the game and M Beier on 65 minutes make Dortmund seal a 3-2 win on aggregate and going face Barcelona in quarter of Champions League.

    Barcelona and Dortmund have met 3 times in the Champions League. Barcelona won 2 and played 1 draw with a total of 9 goals between them. 6 goals were scored by Barcelona and 3 Dortmund.

    Aston Villa makes it classic football, beating Club Brugge 3-0 again to secure a 6-1 aggregate win. The first goal of the club was from M. Asensio in 50 and 51 minutes of the game, while the third goal was scored by me. Maatsen on 57 minutes.

    In the quarter-finals, Aston Villa will play Paris St-Germain.

    PSV’s fate of the victory led them to fight back yesterday. Arsenal scored their first goal 6 minutes of the game from O. Zinchenko. The next minutes later I Pensic equaled the goal, then O. Rice, at 37 minutes, scored the second goal. Within 70 minutes of the game, C. Driouech scored again to make the game-ending draw, but Arsenal qualified for the quarter-finals on a 9-3 aggregate to face 15 Champions League titles.

    An early 1-minute goal by C. Gallagher Atlético goal ‘messed up the quality of the Real Madrid game, and it took moments of composure for Atlético. The result made the game end draw on aggregate and went on penalties. Real Madrid won the penalty by 4-2 to make it a fourth time – now the outright most of any side in Europe’s premier competition.

    Real Madrid will play Arsenal in the next round and this team is the only team Real Madrid has never beaten or scored against in the history of the Champions League.

    After the match between Real Madrid and Atlético, Conor Gallagher, the goalscorer for Atlético, spoke to the media:

    “We are happy with the performance, but we came here to win and unfortunately fell short.

    “It was a massive game, it meant so much to the players, fans and clubs, but we left it all out there on the pitch but didn’t have enough in the end.

    “To play games like this is really special. It would have been nicer to get through, but we can all take the experience into the next games and next year in the competition.”
    The date for the quarter-finals and semi-finals?
    Both the first and second legs are in April.
    The first legs of the quarter-finals take place on 8 and 9 April, with the second leg taking place one week later.
    What do ever be will be semifinal still on April 29 and 30 April for the first legs, with the return leg coming on 6 and 7 May?

    When and where is the final?

    The final takes place on 31 May at the Allianz Arena in Munich.