FEDERATION CUP
Six-time Nigeria Federation Cup winners, Enugu Rangers eliminated!
Six-time winners Enugu Rangers have been booted out of this year’s President Federation Cup at the very first hurdle, as they lost 5-6 on penalties to Kano Pillars following 1-1 draw in regulation time at the Bwari Township Stadium, Abuja on Thursday.
Mustapha Umar scored for ‘Sai Masu Gida’ early on but Chiedozie Okorie equalized for the ‘Flying Antelopes’ in the 38th minute of the encounter. In the penalty shootout, both teams could still not be separated after the first five kicks each, leading to the session going to sudden death before the boys from Kano prevailed.
Cup holders Bendel Insurance are among the teams that have progressed to the Round of 32, after a slim 1-0 win over Stormers from Abeokuta, while Katsina United, Lobi Stars, Wikki Tourists, Warri Wolves, FC One Rocket, Kwara United and Inter Lagos took no prisoners with high-score wins over their opponents.
Former winners Shooting Stars and Enyimba barely scraped through by the skin of their teeth, needing penalty shootouts to overcome Solution FC of Anambra and Warinje FC of Bauchi respectively.
The Round of 32 is loaded with interesting fixtures, not the least a confrontation between Lobi Stars of Makurdi and Shooting Stars of Ibadan. Champions Bendel Insurance will be up against Wikki Tourists, while Gombe United will tackle El-Kanemi Warriors and Doma United take on Kano Pillars in flaming Savannah wars.
Two teams that made progress without kicking the ball, Plateau United and Sunshine Stars will be at each other’s jugular, and ambitious FC One Rocket will take their chances against two-time African champions Enyimba FC.
MEN’S ROUND OF 64 RESULTS
Bendel Insurance (Edo) 1-0 Stormers SC (Ogun)
Wikki Tourists (Bauchi) 5-0 Jr. Danburan (Katsina)
Osun United (Osun) 1-1 EFCC FC (FCT) – EFCC win 4-2 on penalties
Edel FC (Anambra) 4-0 Discovery Talent FC (Kebbi)
Zamfara United (Zamfara) 0-1 ABS FC (Kwara)
Kebbi United (Kebbi) 2-1 Ine Stars (Edo)
Akwa United (Akwa Ibom) 1-0 Cynosure FC (Ebonyi)
Mighty Jets (Plateau) 0-1 Zamfara United Feeders (Zamfara)
Gombe United (Gombe) 3-1 Karim United (Taraba)
El-Kanemi Warriors (Borno) 2-0 Adanimogo FC (Ondo)
Lobi Stars (Benue) 6-1 Delta Marine (Delta)
Shooting Stars (Oyo) 1-1 Solution FC (Anambra) – Shooting Stars win 3-2 on penalties
Ikorodu City (Lagos) 3-0 Green Berets (Kaduna)
Coal City (Enugu) 3-0 Ekiti United Feeders (Ekiti)
Beyond Limits (Ogun) 1-1 Hammola Int’l (Osun) – Hammola Int’l win 4-3 on penalties
Inter Lagos (Lagos) 6-0 May Frank (Cross River)
Warri Wolves (Delta) 5-1 Lautai FC (Jigawa)
Kwara United (Kwara) 4-1 Rovers FC (Cross River)
Abia Warriors (Abia) 4-2 Ilaji FC (Oyo)
Sporting Supreme (FCT) 3-0 PCM FC (Ebonyi)
Nasarawa United (Nasarawa) 1-0 FC Bako (Kogi)
Sokoto United (Sokoto) 2-2 Ofirima FC (Rivers) – Sokoto United win 4-1 on penalties
FC One Rocket (Akwa Ibom) 5-0 Fr. Eburuaja (Imo)
Enyimba FC (Abia) 1-1 Warinje FC (Bauchi) – Enyimba FC win 7-6 on penalties
Plateau United (Plateau) 3-0 Ekiti United (Ekiti) – W/O
Sunshine Stars (Ondo) 3-0 Jedo Academy (Sokoto) – W/O
Rivers United (Rivers) 1-0 Ikukuoma FC (Imo)
Niger Tornadoes (Niger) 3-1 Niger Tornadoes Feeders (Niger)
Katsina United (Katsina) 7-1 Dutse Strikers (Jigawa)
Bayelsa United (Bayelsa) 2-0 FC Basira (Nasarawa)
Doma United (Gombe) 3-0 Gamji Eaglets (Taraba)
Kano Pillars (Kano) 1-1 Rangers Int’l (Enugu) – Kano Pillars win 6-5 on penalties
FEDERATION CUP
Rivers Angels Crowned 2025 Female Federation Cup Champions After Penalty Shootout Thriller
Rivers Angels have clinched the 2025 Female Federation Cup title following a dramatic penalty shootout victory over Nasarawa Amazons at the Mobolaji Johnson Arena, Lagos.
The pulsating final lived up to expectations, ending 2-2 in regulation time after both sides traded goals in a fiercely contested encounter. With no breakthrough in added time, the match proceeded to penalties, where Rivers Angels prevailed 4-2.
This latest triumph reinforces the Port Harcourt-based club’s dominance in Nigerian women’s football. Already one of the most decorated teams in the country, Rivers Angels have now added yet another prestigious trophy to their ever-growing silverware collection.
Their resilience and composure under pressure once again highlight why they remain a benchmark in the domestic women’s game
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FEDERATION CUP
Kwara United Clinch Historic First Title as President Federation Cup Final Goes to Penalties for the 18th time
For the 18th time in history, Nigeria’s national cup final was decided by the lottery of penalties, and on Saturday in Lagos, it was Kwara United who emerged victorious, claiming their first-ever major trophy.
The President Federation Cup final between Kwara United and Abakaliki FC ended goalless after regulation time at the Mobolaji Johnson Arena, prompting a shootout to determine the 2024 champion. Kwara United triumphed 4-3 in the tense penalty decider.
This latest penalty shootout marked the 18th time since 1983 that the cup final has gone down to spot kicks. The first such instance was 41 years ago when Enugu Rangers edged DIC Bees of Kaduna 5-4 after a 0-0 draw.
Kwara United’s triumph writes them into Nigerian football history as the 33rd different club to win the country’s oldest football competition, previously known as the Challenge Cup and later the FA Cup.
With the victory, Kwara United also secured a continental ticket and will join Abia Warriors in representing Nigeria in the 2024/25 CAF Confederation Cup.
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A rich blend of political heavyweights, football stakeholders, and entertainment stars will converge on the Mobolaji Johnson Arena, Onikan, Lagos, this Saturday for the grand finale of the 2024 President Federation Cup.
In a throwback to the competition’s original identity as the “Governor’s Cup” in 1945, no fewer than four State Governors will grace the final, which pits surprise package Abakaliki FC of Ebonyi State against top-tier Kwara United.
Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos will serve as host, welcoming his counterparts — Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq of Kwara State, Governor Abdullahi Sule of Nasarawa State, and Rivers State Sole Administrator, Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ekwe Ibas (rtd) — to the historic venue.
Also expected at the event are high-ranking government functionaries, including the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila; Seyi Tinubu; the President’s Senior Special Adviser on Grassroots Sports Development, Anthony Adeyinka Adeboye; and other prominent figures in the Nigerian political and sports landscape.
Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) President and WAFU B boss, Ibrahim Musa Gusau, will lead the football governing body’s Executive Committee and Management to the event, while Alhaji Abubakar Lawal will head the delegation from GTI Asset Management, strategic partners of the NFF.
The Lagos State Football Association and the Lagos State Sports Commission will also have a strong presence, with several members of the State Cabinet scheduled to attend. Football greats, including former WAFU President Chief Jonathan Ogufere and sports journalism icon Segun Adenuga, have also confirmed their attendance.
As part of the celebration of Nigeria’s football heritage, the Lagos FA will honour Pa Biliaminu Thanni, the oldest living winner of Nigeria’s national cup competition.
Saturday’s spectacle will kick off with the women’s final at 1 p.m., featuring defending champions Rivers Angels of Port Harcourt against Nasarawa Amazons of Lafia. The men’s final between Abakaliki FC and Kwara United follows at 4 p.m.
The Mobolaji Johnson Arena, formerly known as King George V Stadium, is steeped in history. It hosted the inaugural national cup final in 1945 and remained the sole venue until 1972 when the final had to be replayed in Ibadan after a 2-2 draw between Bendel Insurance and Mighty Jets.
This year’s final promises to be a nostalgic yet contemporary celebration of Nigerian football, enriched by the presence of key political figures and icons of the game.
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