FEDERATION CUP
Nigeria’s national cup returns to birthplace as Mobolaji Johnson Arena hosts 2025 President Federation Cup final
Where the competition began 80 years ago as the Governor’s Cup will again be the theatre of action as the Onikan waterfront arena will again host the President Federation Cup final.
Last year’s final was also held at the now vastly upgraded arena, which before then, last hosted the national competition in 1972.
Now renamed Mobolaji Johnson Arena from the previous names of Association Ground, King George V Stadium, Lagos City Stadium, and lately Onikan Stadium, the waterfront stadium will host the encounter of Kwara United and Abakaliki FC.
The duel, which recalls a similar Middlebelt versus East Central encounter of 1976, will be played on June 28. In 1976, it was the Alyufsalam Rocks of Kwara versus Enugu Rangers of the old Anambra State, which incorporated the present-day Ebonyi State, where Abakaliki FC is based. At the time, Enugu Rangers comprehensively won against Alyufsalam Rocks, who had nine Ghanaians in their starting line-up.
The match was at the National Stadium in Surulere, Lagos. This time, the battleground has shifted to Onikan. Will the narratives change?
The compact but dainty facility by the waterfront hosted last year’s grand finale, in which El-Kanemi Warriors defeated Abia Warriors to winners of the men’s competition, while Rivers Angels edged Naija Ratels 1-0 in the women’s version.
Lagos State has hosted a total of 60 final matches of Nigeria’s oldest Cup competition.
Of the 60 Final matches, 27 were staged at the present waterfront ground between 1945 and 1972. The 1972 final match had to be replayed and moved for the first time, out of Lagos to Ibadan.
With no competition in 1973, the final returned to Lagos the following year, but to a new arena, the National Stadium, Surulere.
The National Stadium, Surulere hosted a total of 22 Final matches, with the last Final there in 2002, when Julius Berger defeated Yobe Desert Stars 3-0 to emerge champions.
Teslim Balogun Stadium, Lagos hosted eight Final matches (2007 & 2009, and 2011-2016).
The final has also taken place previously at the Tafawa Balewa Stadium, Bauchi (1989 and 1994), Aper Aku Stadium, Makurdi (1992 and 2008), Ahmadu Bello Stadium, Kaduna (1993, 1997, 2003 and 2019), Rancher Bees Stadium, Kaduna (1998), Sam Ogbemudia Stadium, Benin City (2004 and 2021), Liberation Stadium, Port Harcourt (2005), MKO Abiola Stadium, Abeokuta (2006), Sani Abacha Stadium, Kano (2010), Agege City Stadium (2017) and the Stephen Keshi Stadium, Asaba (2018 and 2023).
This year’s grand finale will see surprise packets Abakaliki FC of Ebonyi taking on Kwara United FC of Ilorin in the men’s final, while Cup holders Rivers Angels of Port Harcourt will tackle Nasarawa Amazons of Lafia in a much-anticipated women’s final.
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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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