FEDERATION CUP
At least five Premier League clubs set to exit President Federation Cup
In the tradition of knock-out competitions such as the FA Cups, shocks are always expected. For the President Federation Cup in Nigeria, multiple time winners as well as league leaders, Enugu Rangers are already eliminated.
No fewer than four Nigeria Premier League clubs are doomed to make the exit at the Round of 32.
Ten of the Premier League clubs are already paired and as such, half of that number will be eliminated before the Round of 16.
Paired are Lobi Stars and Shooting Stars both of which are prospective continental competition aspirants next season.
Similarly, Plateau United are pitched against Sunshine Stars just as Rivers United will face Niger Tornadoes. Doma United are up against Kano Pillars while a fifth clash of Premier clubs will see Bayelsa United who beat Nasarawa State’s FC Basira 2-0 facing fellow Premier League sides, Katsina United.
Those Premier League clubs doomed for elimination may also be joined by their clans who will be shocked by lesser clubs at that stage of the competition.
Seventeen of the 20 top flight clubs entered the national preliminaries of the Federation Cup. Sixteen of them are still in the race.
Full Round of 32 Match-up
Bendel Insurance (Edo) Vs Wikki Tourists (Bauchi)
EFCC FC (FCT) Vs Edel FC (Anambra)
ABS FC (Kwara) Vs Kebbi United (Kebbi)
Akwa United (Akwa Ibom) Vs Zamfara United Feeders (Zamfara)
Gombe United (Gombe) Vs El-Kanemi Warriors (Borno)
Lobi Stars (Benue) Vs Shooting Stars (Oyo)
Ikorodu City (Lagos) Vs Coal City (Enugu)
Hammola Int’l (Osun) Vs Inter Lagos (Lagos)
Warri Wolves (Delta) Vs Kwara United (Kwara)
Abia Warriors (Abia) Vs Sporting Supreme (FCT)
Nasarawa United (Nasarawa) Vs Sokoto United (Sokoto)
FC One Rocket (Akwa Ibom) Vs Enyimba FC (Abia)
Plateau United (Plateau) Vs Sunshine Stars (Ondo)
Rivers United (Rivers) Vs Niger Tornadoes (Niger)
Katsina United (Katsina) Vs Bayelsa United (Bayelsa)
Doma United (Gombe) Vs Kano Pillars (Kano)
The star match of the President Federation Cup Round of 16 is the potentially epic confrontation of Enugu Rangers and Bendel Insurance.
The history of the Nigerian National Cup is littered with the epic duels of the two who have three times contested the final matches in 1978, 1981 and recently in 2023.
They clash again four steps before the final match. The two teams were involved in two of the most memorable final matches of Nigeria’s Cup competition in its 80-year history, with honours shared in 1978 and 1981.
The Benin Arsenal tore apart the form books to shock the nation’s football fraternity by spanking Rangers 3-0 in the final in Lagos in 1978, but the Flying Antelopes somewhat repaid the compliment with a 2-0 win at the same venue in 1981.
The setting for this Round of 16 clash is also in Lagos, though a different venue. But fireworks are expected by the waterfront from two teams aspiring for continental football.
Two-time CAF Champions League winners Enyimba FC, who eliminated Cup holders El-Kanemi Warriors in the Round of 32, will take on Abakaliki FC at the Stephen Keshi Stadium in Asaba.
Nasarawa United and Bayelsa United will square up to each other in the university town of Anyigba, while Warri Wolves and Wikki Tourists battle things out in the Federal Capital, Abuja.
Two great entertainers, Ikorodu City and Beyond Limits will be at each other’s jugular at the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium in Benin City, where Solution FC will tango with Kwara United in an earlier game. Plateau United will confront Osun United in Anyigba.
Akwa United and Inter Lagos are at loggerheads in Abuja.
Round of 16 fixtures (Men) on Wednesday
- Enyimba FC (Abia) Vs Abakaliki FC (Ebonyi) – Asaba – 4pm
- Nasarawa United (Nasarawa) Vs Bayelsa United (Bayelsa) – Anyigba 10am
- Warri Wolves (Delta) Vs Wikki Tourists (Bauchi) – Area 3 Abuja – 1 pm
- Ikorodu City (Lagos) Vs Beyond Limits (Ogun) – Benin City – 4 pm
- Akwa United (Akwa Ibom) Vs Inter Lagos (Lagos) – Area 3 Abuja – 4 pm
- Solution FC (Anambra) Vs Kwara United (Kwara) – Benin City – – 10 am
- Plateau United (Plateau) Vs Osun United (Osun) – Anyigba – 1 pm
- Bendel Insurance (Edo) Vs Rangers Int’l (Enugu) – MJA Lagos – 4 pm
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BY IKENNA NWOKEDI
Nearly half of the Nigerian clubs that made it to the Round of 32 of the President Federation Cup are from the second-tier league, the Nigerian National League (NNL).
There are 15 clubs from the NNL and that has thrilled the president of the 36-club league, Godwin Enakhena, hailing the preponderance of the NNL clubs in the national cup as a positive development.
The body of club owners goes by the acronym, NALCOMA which translates to Nigeria National League Club Owners and Managers Association.
Enakhena described the dominance of the NNL clubs as an improved performance over that of the previous season.
He therefore foresees an NNL club winning the 2025 edition of the oldest football competition in Nigeria, replicating the feat of El Kanemi in last year’s edition when they outwitted Abia Warriors in the final match.
The 15 NNL clubs who made the President Federation Cup Round of 32 are Basira FC, Crown FC, Warri Wolves, Gombe United, Solution FC, Osun United, Beyond Limits and Inter Lagos. Others are Wikki Tourists, Adamawa United, Ijele FC, Abakaliki United, Zamfara United, Rovers of Calabar and Mighty Jets.
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FEDERATION CUP
President Federation Cup Round of 64 throw ups Rangers v Kano Pillars clash for the third time this season
In what is a repeat of the 2018 Federation Cup final, Kano Pillars and Enugu Rangers will clash again, but at the Round of 64 stage.
It will be the third time this season that both teams will clash having met twice in the Nigeria Premier Football League.
Incidentally, both matches were won by Kano Pillars in Enugu and Kano.
It is the only clash of NPFL clubs at the opening stage of the national finals.
In what looks like an employment of seeding, the remaining 15 NPFL clubs will not clash until the competition gets into the finals.
In the women’s category, Bayelsa Queens also must do battle with last year’s finalists Naija Ratels in the earliest stage possible in the women’s event – Round of 32.
ROUND OF 64 (MEN)
- El-Kanemi Warriors Vs Simon Ben FC
- Enyimba FC Vs El-Shama FC
- Yobe Desert Stars Vs Abakaliki FC
- Katsina United Vs Green Beret
- Nasarawa United Vs Flight FC
- Ijele FC Vs Lautau FC
- Bayelsa United Vs EFCC FC
- FC Basira Vs Atlantic FA
- Warri Wolves Vs Wilbros FC
- Shooting Stars Vs Zamfara United
- Wikki Tourists Vs Edel FC
- Rovers FC Vs Igbajo FC
- Ikorodu City Vs Sunshine U19
- Crown FC Vs NOSMAS FC
- Beyond Limit FC Vs Krusaders FC
- Rivers United Vs Barau FC
Mighty Jets Vs Imperial FC - Akwa United Vs Kebbi United
- Inter Lagos Vs Harmony FA
- Sokoto United Vs Jr. Danburan FC
- Lobi Stars Vs Discovery Talent FC
- Solution FC Vs Eagle Stars
- Kwara United Vs Cynosure FC
- Gombe United Vs Assemblies of God
- Sunshine Stars Vs FC Bako
- Plateau United Vs Ahudiyannem FC
- Osun United Vs FWC FC
- ABS FC Vs E-World
- Bendel Insurance Vs Dandidi Babes
- Adamawa United Vs Warinje Babes
- Heartland FC Vs CP Strikers
- Rangers Int’l Vs Kano Pillars
All matches will take place on Wednesday, 19th March
ROUND OF 32 (WOMEN)
- Rivers Angels Vs Moje Queens
- Gallant Queens Vs First Mahi Babes
- Remo Stars Ladies Vs Plateau United Queens
- Dannaz Ladies Vs GP World
- Delta Queens Vs Jacklyn Angels
- Ibom Angels Vs Sporting Angels
- Fortress Ladies Vs Onimarg FC
- Heartland Queens Vs Crystal Stars
- Osun Babes Vs N-Youth Ladies
- Edo Queens Vs Kada Queens
- Delta Babes Vs Mighty Jets Mata
- Adamawa Queens Vs Unification Ladies
- Sunshine Queens Vs Castmog Ladies
- Confluence Queens Vs Ahudiyannem Queens
- Nasarawa Amazons Vs Kwara Ladies
- Bayelsa Queens Vs Naija Ratels
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