Author: Enitan Obadina
A total of 20 players have arrived at the Super Eagles AFCON 2027 qualifiers camp in Uyo ahead of their opening clash against Madagascar. The first training session will take place on Tuesday at 6 pm as coach Eric Chelle kicks off preparation for the 2027 AFCON. Nigeria will host Madagascar’s Barea at the Godswill Akpabio Stadium, Uyo, on Friday, 25th September, before flying to Bissau to play the Wild Dogs in a Day 2 encounter on Tuesday, 29th September. However, talisman striker Victor Osimhen has been ruled out due to a recurring injury and replaced by Coventry City striker Taiwo Awoniyi…
Lagos, Nigeria, has earned a spot in the latest top sports cities ranking, placing 90th worldwide according to Burson’s 2026 global report. The annual ranking identifies the top 100 cities worldwide with the strongest association with sport. Now in its 15th edition, it is based on both perception and in-depth quantitative analysis, including feedback from international sports leaders, sports media representatives, and industry experts, as well as social media and media coverage analytics. How Lagos Retained its Elite Global Listing Lagos has consistently hosted major and growing sports like the World Athletics Gold Label Race, Lagos City Marathon, the premier…
Eric Chelle’s AFCON roster offers unique insight into the state of his work with the Super Eagles as he tries to be more intentional about replacements and problematic areas in his squad. Two players stand out from these insights: the left-back and another attacking profile. Isaac James Alverca defender Isaac James has received his first senior Super Eagles call-up after head coach Eric Chelle turned to the 22-year-old ahead of Nigeria’s 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers against Madagascar and Guinea-Bissau. James’ invitation comes as Chelle searches for another option at left-back following Zaidu Sanusi’s injury. James has been on…
Goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali returns to the Super Eagles after sorting out his club issues, as head Coach Éric Chelle lists team captain Wilfred Ndidi, midfielder Alex Iwobi, forwards Victor Osimhen, and Ademola Lookman in his 24-man roster for the 2027 AFCON qualifiers against Madagascar and Guinea-Bissau. The Super Eagles host Madagascar’s Barea at the Godswill Akpabio Stadium, Uyo, on Friday, 25th September, before flying to Bissau to play the Wild Dogs in a Day 2 encounter on Tuesday, 29th September. Chelle has also called goalkeeper Maduka Okoye, defenders Calvin Bassey and Bright Osayi-Samuel, midfielders Frank Onyeka and Raphael Onyedika, and forwards…
Coach Keith Andrews has revealed that Nigerian International, Benjamin Frederick Brentford debut will happen in the third-round Carabao Cup game against Reading on Tuesday. Fredrick, 21, returned from a 287-day layoff on August 31, 2026, after picking up an injury in November 2025 during Nigeria’s gruelling 2026 World Cup African play-offs. Benjamin Frederick Brentford Debut Speaking at the pre-match press conference, Keit Andrews said: “He hasn’t had a lot of football. We decided not to play him yesterday in the B Team game to make sure he was in the right place to be available (tomorrow).” Despite the injury, Frederick…
The total Team Nigeria prize money reached $130,000 across five events following the conclusion of the World Athletics Ultimate Championship in Budapest. Tobi Amusan recorded the highest placing among the Nigerian contingent, making her the country’s best-performing athlete at this year’s championships. Tobi Amusan finished 2nd in the women’s 100mH final at the World Ultimate Championship in Budapest. She clocked 12.34s, behind Masai Russell, who won in 12.22s. The silver medal earns Amusan $75,000 in prize money for her runner-up finish. Following Amusan closely is Ajayi Kanyinsola, who missed bronze by 0.004s, finishing 4th in the men’s 100m final at…
A glaring structural imbalance defines Nigeria’s performance in the mid-year FIFA 2026 transfer window, where local football purely acts as a raw export market while reinvesting virtually nothing back into incoming talent. Nigeria earned $9.9m on 231 outgoing transfers while spending $0 on incoming transfers in the mid-year FIFA 2026 transfer window. Spending on transfer fees reached more than USD 9.8 billion during the mid-year 2026 window, with Nigeria showing a 6.9% growth rate for outgoing and a %1.5 drop for incoming transfers. The figure is an increase from $7.5m received for 216 outgoing transfers in 2025 and the highest…
The D’tigress FIBA World Cup roster offers Rena Wakama and her girls a chance to turn African dominance into a competitive edge at the world level. Rena is graduating from a former D’Tigress player to attending her first World Cup as a coach. 34-year-old Rena Wakama will achieve another milestone in her young career, leading Nigeria into the FIBA World Cup tournament in Berlin. Rena Wakama: The History Maker Two years ago in Paris, she became the first coach ever to qualify a Nigerian team for the quarterfinals at an Olympic Games. Two years later, she defended her Afrobasket title,…
The Super Eagles’ absence from the 2026 FIFA World Cup has allowed rival nations to catch up, with several historic Nigeria World Cup records now being matched or surpassed across recent tournaments. From Morocco rising to the top as Africa’s all-time highest-scoring World Cup team to Spain’s Lamine Yamal matching Jay-Jay Okocha’s legendary dribbling benchmarks, World Cup records are being rewritten while Nigeria watches from home. Sportsintel.ng details six iconic World Cup milestones that are being reshaped in Nigeria’s absence at the 2026 FIFA World Cup. 1. Nigeria World Cup Records: Curaçao Matches Nigeria’s Early Debut Goal Curaçao made an…
For Miracle Ezechukwu, the 2026 Nigeria Commonwealth Games trials represent her coming-of-age performance as she lets everyone know she is the next big thing in women’s 100m, with two medals at the Yabatech Sports Center in Lagos. It’s not like we haven’t noticed her before, after making the roster for the World Athletics Relay Championships in Botswana, but many didn’t understand why Nigeria is betting on a schoolgirl to fill the absence of top professional women sprinters. A day after her runner-up finish in the 100m, where she ran 11.15s (PB), Miracle Ezechukwu ran a personal best of 22.77s (0.7) to…