The Nation Newspaper

Tag: 1XBET Cup

  • Winners  receives N20m  1XBET Cup ‘s prize moneys

    Winners  receives N20m  1XBET Cup ‘s prize moneys

    The CEO/Technical Director, 1XCup Grassroots Football Tournament, Engr Waidi Akanni, has confirmed that winners and all other awardees have received their prizes barely days after the 2025 edition.

    Ikorodu City Football Academy emerged winners of the 2025 1XCup Grassroots Football Tournament after defeating ISAGT FC 1-0 at the Mobolaji Johnson Arena on Lagos Island.

    The Ikorodu Oga Boys went all the way to the title unbeaten in the tournament and deservedly got rewarded with the N10 million winners’ prize money. Emmanuel Okeh scored the lone goal winner. ISAGT were rewarded with N5million as runners up of the 2025 edition of the biggest grassroots football tournament in the country.

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    Speaking yesterday in Lagos, Akanni who is the brain behind the tournament, expressed gratitude to sponsors 1XBET for fulfilling the promise of N20million prize money for the second year running.

    “The winners, Ikorodu City Football Academy have received their N10million winners’ prize money. Same way the runners up , ISAGT FC have also collected their N5million prize as runners up. All individual prize winners have been paid as well.

     “This is promise made and kept to the teams. We remain grateful to our sponsors, 1XBET,” noted the former Super Eagles player.

    Similarly, all the individual prize winners have also collected their moneys.

    Uche Emeribe emerged the Highest Goals Scorer with five goals and got N300,000 for his effort.  Abdullahi Suleiman emerged the Best Goalkeeper of the tournament while Adewale Quadri was the MVP.  Ikorodu City FA’s Wellington Egor was the Tournament’s Best Coach. They all received N300,000 each . Expectedly, Ikorodu City FA also emerged Team of the Tournament while Highlight of the 2025 edition was Dosu Joseph FC.

    Akanni also praised the fans of the various teams and other spectators that made the final played on Thursday October 17, 2025 memorable.

    He confirmed that preparations will commence in earnest for the 2026 edition.

  • FC Bethel crowned 2024 1XBet Cup champions 

    FC Bethel crowned 2024 1XBet Cup champions 

    FC Bethel are the champions of the 2024 1XBET Community Cup as they smiled out of the Mobolaji Johnson Arena yesterday with the mouthwatering ₦10million prize money. 

    Bethel defeated Gunners Link FC 2-1 to become the reigning champions of the biggest grassroots football tournament in the continent as Okechukwu Nnanna who emerged highest goals scorer with 12 goals, scoring the winner of the highly-fought winner.

    It was a fitting end for FC Bethel who were unbeaten throughout the tournament which reinforced their determination to pick the ultimate prize while they sent out defending champions, SBL FC, in the quarter final. They survived Emiloju FC in a penalty shootout victory in the semi-finals en route to the final. 

    Interestingly, FC Bethel swept most of the awards for the 2024 edition of the 1XBet Cup with coach Nathaniel Olagunju emerging the Best Coach of the Tournament.

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    Creative midfielder Caleb Okereke was voted the MVP of the tournament while the club also won the Best Goal and Team of the Tournament awards. 

    The runner team, Gunners Link FC who contested a dying minute equaliser in vain, received ₦5million for their efforts while Emiloju FC who won the Third Place match after 5-4 shootouts victory over Emaljus FC. Regulation time ended goalless just like in the team’s semifinal game. 

    The well attended final had in attendance Nigeria Football Federation(NFF) Board Member, Aisha Falode as well as the Technical Director of the NFF, Augustine Eguavoen.

    Former Super Eagles players were not left out with the like of Henry Nwosu, Friday Ekpo, Wasiu Ipaye, Godwin Okpara, amongst others also in attendance. 

  • 1XBET Cup 2024 to kick-off August 5 in Lagos

    1XBET Cup 2024 to kick-off August 5 in Lagos

    Defending champions of the 1XBET Cup, Shomolu/Bariga FC have been paired alongside Dosu FA, Collins Edwin FC, Team360 FC, and Ilupeju Pillars in Group B of the 2024 edition of the foremost community football competition in the country.

    Shomolu/Bariga FC defeated Odion Ighalo FC 2-0 to win the maiden edition of the tournament last year.

    At the draw ceremony in Lagos yesterday conducted by two ex-internationals, Victor Agali and Friday Ekpo, 20 teams that made it from the playoffs were paired into four groups of five teams each. The tournament is to kick off from August 5 at the Legacy Pitch of the National Stadium, Surulere, Lagos.

    Among the highlights of the day was the draw and the presentation of a new trophy for this edition.

    In Group A, it will be a battle for top spot between FC Bethel, G12 FA, 11 FA, Gunners Link FC and Wasola FC.

    Group C consists of Odion Ighalo FC, Young Strikers, Emiloju FC, Emajus FC and Ikorodu Eagles FA while completing the final group, the Group D has 36 Lion FA, Dominion Hotspur FC, Diadem Stallion FC, Royalty FC and China Sunstars FC.

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    Tournament Director,  former Nigeria international, Waidi Akanni, explained the process to get all the eight quarterfinalists with the winner of each group automatically getting to the final eight.

    “We are going straight to the quarterfinal stage after the group stage,” he said. “The champions in each group automatically qualify for the quarter  final stage. We are going to conduct another fresh draw for the teams that occupy second and third positions in each group and play one another in a form of knockout stage and winners among them would qualify for the quarter final, making a total of eight teams in the quarter finals.”

  • Bigger prize money pledged for 1Xbet Cup 

    Bigger prize money pledged for 1Xbet Cup 

    Organisers of the 1XBET Community Grassroots Football Tournament in Lagos  have  pledged a bigger and better  event next year following a successful  first edition that saw Bariga FC lifting the golden trophy after a  2-0  win over  Odion Ighalo .

    The Initiator of the competition, Waidi Akanni,  said  he was  already looking ahead towards a bigger edition next year .

    In his post-mortem of the maiden edition of the grassroots football tournament that involved all parts of Lagos State,  stressed that the 2024 tournament will be bigger and expand to other parts of the South West region.

    “Next year’s final may not be in Lagos because we are getting more states from the South West to participate,” enthused the Match International Limited CEO. “We are starting gradually to expand it to the South West and very soon, we will cover the entire country in the near future.”

    He added :“I must admit that the inaugural edition was a huge success. It went far beyond our imagination in terms of success recorded in planning and execution. My appreciation goes to all the participating clubs, members of the organising committee, stakeholders and the media, in particular, for putting up such a wonderful show.

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    Akanni said the high level of enthusiasm demonstrated by the clubs has forced the organisers and sponsors 1XBET to expand the scope of the competition. “From the next edition, teams will be involved in playoffs before they can qualify to take part in the conferences. We wanted just 40 clubs but after the press conference, there was a deluge of entries. As a matter of fact, some of the late entries complained to our sponsors that we eliminated them unjustly, which was not true,” he revealed.

    The month-long tournament kicked off on October with the final played at the magnificent pitch of the Mobolaji Johnson Arena at Onikan Waterfront on Lagos Island. As Bariga FC boys shocked  favourites Odion Ighalo FC to the maiden trophy.

    In the third place match, Young Strikers from Lagos Island back by their fans that took over all the stands, overcame  De Elite FC from the Epe Conference to win the bronze.

    One good news that will gladden the hearts of teams that will participate in the 2024 edition is the increase in the prize money for the winners.

     “Our sponsors, 1XBET have agreed to increase the prize money for next year. Without letting out the cat from the bag, I can tell you that it will be almost three times more than what we paid out for this 2023 edition,” concluded  Akanni.

  • 1XBET Cup: Chekas FC jumps to Group A lead

    1XBET Cup: Chekas FC jumps to Group A lead

    Chekas FC thrashed High Klass Football Club 4-1 to go top of group A in the LASU Conference of the ongoing 1XBET Cup Championship taking place at LASU Stadium, Ojo.

    Playing in the first game of matchday 2, Chekas FC took the lead through Henry Nwosu in the 14th minute and Victor Bruno got a quick response for High Klass in the 18th minute. Justin Hezekiah netted a quick fire brace in the 46th  and 48th  minutes.

    In the other group A game, Vinmo Energy defeated LASU Blazers 2-1 to go second on the log behind Chekas on superior goals difference. Earlier in the day, Young Stars defeated Ajegunle United 3-0 in a group B game.

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    Today’s games in the championship will see Chekas FC and Vinmo Energy clash to determine the winner of group A. In group B, Joint FC and Ajegunle United will face-off, while Badagry United tackles Young Stars FC in the second game of the group.

    With yesterday’s result, the contenders are gradually moving away from pretenders, as matches continue in the LASU Conference today.

  • 1XBET Cup 2023: Ighalo FC, De’Elites, hit Epe Conference finals

    1XBET Cup 2023: Ighalo FC, De’Elites, hit Epe Conference finals

    It was another time of goals rain in the matchday 3 of the ongoing Epe Conference of the 1XBET Cup Community Football Championship at the Odion Ighalo Sports Arena, Epe, Lagos.

    In a must-do encounter for fans favourites, Odion Ighalo FC, the Ambrose Duru handled boys left nobody in doubt, about their intentions, as they put their hapless opponents to the swords, in a 10-2 win. It began with a quick fire hattrick from the immensely talented striker Yusuf Fawaz in the 3rd, 10th and 17th minutes of the game.

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    Panthers FC refused to lie down and die, as they responded with two quick goals by Junior Gabriel and Segun Happiness in the 25th and 30th minutes of the game respectively. In the second stanza, however, Michael Nwachukwu scored four goals in between goals from Victor Whizojie and Dennis Kingsley, and with Yusuf Fawaz, also netting another one to make it four goals for himself, and his sixth in the championship.

    Meanwhile, in the second game of the group, De Porters hit Peckins FC 4-0 to also garner seven points, but could not dislodge Ighalo FC, for the conference’s final ticket.

    Group B leaders, De Elites FC drew 1-1 with hard-fighting Emperor FC to top the group with seven points, ahead of Emperor FC on five points to qualify for the conference’s final.

    Meanwhile, Odion Ighalo FC and De’Elites FC would today at the Odion Ighalo Sports Arena battle for the sole ticket in the Epe Conference, and for a place in the Lagos State final 8 of the 1XBET Cup Championship.