From July to October, get ready for Nigeria’s most exciting amateurfootball tournament! But the road to victory begins on June 2 — the opening day for applications. Global bookmaker 1xBet is committed to making the third edition of 1xCup reach new heights oforganization — bigger, more thrilling, and truly unforgettable.

1xCup 2025 will give you new opportunities — register and play!

1xCup is expanding faster than the world championships! This year, 64 teams will take part in the main stage of the tournament — 24 more than in 2024. The road to victory will begin in July with the group stage, followed by even more intense matches during theplayoffs, culminating in the final on October 9.

Participants will compete for a prize pool of 20,000,000 NGN, with half of that amount going to the champion. There will also be special awards for the most outstanding players: top scorer, MVP, best goal, best goalkeeper, best team of the tournament, best coach, and the fan favorite award. The player who scores the best goal will receive an unforgettable prize — a trip to AFCON in December 2025 with Bi Benard!

Do you already want to support the Nigerian national team with a star? If so, hurry up to training to make your mark in our favorite game!

First, don’t forget to register your dream team for 1xCup 2025! Applications are accepted from June 1 to June 22 inclusive, and thecomplete list of participants will be announced on July 3. Only football clubs from the Lagos area are eligible to participate, and the minimum age of players is 18 years old. You can apply on the officialwebsite of the tournament at https://1xcup.ng/.

1xCup has become a part of Nigeria’s football culture

It is already the third amateur tournament organized by 1xBet. The scale of 1xCup continues to grow.

In 2023, Bariga FC claimed the title, earning 1,000,000 NGN in prize money and outperforming over 40 other teams. By 2024, the prize pool had increased to 20,000,000 NGN, and the outstanding winners, FC Bethel Sporting, walked away with 10,000,000 NGN! We should also highlight the individual success of the tournament’s top scorer, Nwanna Okechukwu, who went on to sign a professional contract with Ikorodu City.

The organizers had to work hard even before kickoff — the 40 best teams were selected from over 160 applications, proving just how strongly the competition resonated with local communities!

You can apply on the official website of the tournament at https://1xcup.ng/.

1xCup is more than a tournament

The main achievement of 1xCup went far beyond the intense football struggles that pushed players to their limits and mesmerized the fans. It’s not just the results that matter, but also the sportsmanship shownby the teams, the atmosphere in the stands, the unification ofcommunities, and the chance to make football dreams come true forthe ordinary guys playing on the streets. “1xCup has become a tradition that teams from all over Nigeria aspire to. We are excited toopen the doors again to new heroes,” said the 1xBet press office.

As the organizer, 1xBet will do everything possible to ensure thetournament once again delights both participants and fans.

1xCup 2025 is your community’s cup and your personal chance to write your name in the history of Nigerian football!

Head coach of the senior national team of Jamaica Steve McClaren has praised the performance of the Super Eagles after his team’s 4-5 loss to the Nigerian team on penalties in the final of the Unity Cup after a 2-2 draw in normal time, OwnGoalNigeria.com reports.

McClaren watched his team recover from going behind twice to losing during shoot out, and while applauding this team he also admitted the quality of the Nigerian team led by Eric Chelle.

“I’ve got to say, a very good Nigerian team full of quality players who play across Europe and the United Kingdom,” McClaren said.

Speaking further he praised his team for sticking up to what he described as quality movement from the Nigerian team which he admired. “You see the way that they move the ball. They don’t give the ball away. Admiring them, but for our team to deal with that was a credit”.

Nigeria will now hope to build on the success of winning the tournament with another strong showing in another friendly game against Russia on the 6th of June.

Mohammed Mowiz Suleiman

Coach of the senior national team of Nigeria Eric Chelle has made slight adjustments to the squad of the team ahead of the friendly game against Russia on the 6th of June, OwnGoalNigeria.com reports.

Super Eagles have been in England for the past week where they won the Unity Cup friendly tournament with a 2-1 win over Ghana, followed by a 5-4 penalty kick win over Jamaica yesterday in the final after drawing 2-2 in regulation time.

The team will now travel to Russia for another friendly game, which the head coach drew up a separate list with some players who were not in the squad for the Unity Cup making it.

That list has now been modified with the addition of three players in Saviour Isaac, Ismaila Sodiq and Sikiru Alimi. Bar Saviour the other two played at the Unity Cup with Sodiq playing the entirety of both games.

Mohammed Mowiz Suleiman

The president of French Ligue 1 side Nantes Waldemar Kita has lamented the exit of Nigeria international winger Moses Simon from the club following the conclusion of his transfer to Paris FC.

Simon left the club to join the city rival of PSG for a fee rumoured to be in the region of €7m and will earn twice his salary at his new club. However his close associate Mohammed Mowiz Suleiman revealed that Nantes never wanted the 29 year old to leave.

” Although the transfer fee is decent for a transfer between Ligue 1 teams for a player with a year left on his contract and also the pay is good. Nantes were however not willing to let him leave and the president made it known”, Mowiz revealed.

” Kita ( president of Nantes) was willing to match the pay Simon will be earning at Paris FC. He was also willing to hand Simon the three year deal he signed as well. He made it known that he sees Simon as a family member and not just a player anymore.

” Their relationship and understanding made the deal happen, because Simon wanted to be close to his family in Belgium, which the club understood and granted him his wish as a loyal servant to the club all through his six years stay”, he concluded.

Speaking to the media after a meeting with the football authority on the finances of the club, Kita confirmed that they were were able to pass the hearing without the proposed sales of Moses Simon (29) to Paris FC for €7m and Douglas Augusto (28) to FK Krasnodar for €6.5m. As Kita left the hearing, he was met by the press, and he confirmed this by stating, “We didn’t have to sell players to validate the budget.”

Former captain and coach of the senior national team of Nigeria Sunday Oliseh says he is disappointed by the decision of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) to hire Eric Chelle as coach of the team, OwnGoalNigeria.com reports.

Chelle was appointed by the NFF in February replacing Austine Eguavoen, who held the role in interim capacity all through the qualifiers for the AFCON.

The French – Malian is the first foreigner from Africa to handle the Super Eagles, and Oliseh was left unimpressed terming his appointment as a disrespect to Nigeria coaches, who should have been allowed to do the job.

“Africans are not allowed to coach abroad, and Nigerians are not allowed to coach outside their shores. The only job that is the most prized one, leave it for the people to handle; that’s my opinion”, he said in an interview with Supersports.

“I am not a big fan of him, I feel it is a sign of disrespect to the coaches and people of Nigeria, I am not going to comment on how good he is but he looks like a nice guy but I feel my country has suffered enough; the coaches, players, ex players have suffered enough and they have paid the prize so, let them do their job.”

His claims is however not true as Nigerian coaches have coached abroad with the likes of Emmanuel Amuneke working in Tanzania recently. Former captain Stephen Keshi coached the national team of Togo and Mali respectively. Another former coach in Christian Chukwu also coached the national team of Kenya.

Mohammed Mowiz Suleiman

Wilfred Ndidi has praised the performance of young Brentford defender Benjamin Fredrick in the Super Eagles 5-4 penalty kick win over Jamaica in the final of the Unity Cup after a 2-2 draw in regulation time, OwnGoalNigeria.com reports.

Fredrick was handed a surprise start in the final of the tournament after getting called up as emergency cover for captain Ahmed Musa, who left the camp shortly after the 2-1 win over Ghana.

The 20 year old defender did enough in training to convince head coach Eric Chelle to hand him a start, and he didn’t disappoint in the match proper with a dominant display throughout the game “. This boy right here proper baller”, Ndidi wrote on Instagram with a picture he took with Fredrick after the game.

A graduate of the prestigious Simoiben Football Academy in Kaduna, which is ran by the wife of Nigeria international Moses Simon he joined Brentford on a permanent deal last summer after an impressive loan spell the previous season.

He was recently voted the club’s U23 player’s player of the year and many already tipped him to break into the first team of the club next season.

Mohammed Mowiz Suleiman

Head coach of the senior national team of Jamaica Steve McClaren says he is proud of the performance of his players in the final of the Unity Cup despite losing 5-4 on penalties that Nigeria after a 2-2 draw in regulation time, OwnGoalNigeria.com reports.

The coach saw his team twice come from behind to level scores almost immediately after going behind, leaving him with nothing but praise for the determination and fighting spirit of his players throughout the game.

“So proud of the players in terms of their preparation and the two performances that we put on. We always talk about fighting to the end and that’s what they did,” McClaren said.

“To lose by penalties was disappointing but, as I said the other day, it was a milestone and one which players and staff will all remember for a lifetime. Hopefully, we can do it again soon,” he added.

He went further to praise the speed at which the players have formed a unity among themselves, particularly the way the new players were integrated into the team by the senior players.

“It’s been a tough week. We started with 17 players. We got some reinforcements in and I can’t believe how they’ve come together which again is probably typical Jamaican in how they look after each other and instantly befriend each other and have that vibe and energy with one another. Credit to the senior players because we had a lot of youngsters come into the squad,” McClaren concluded.

Mohammed Mowiz Suleiman

Head coach of the senior national team of Nigeria Eric Chelle says young Brentford defender Benjamin Fredrick has almost everything needed by a top footballer after his fantastic senior international debut yesterday, OwnGoalNigeria.com reports.

Fredrick was called up as an emergency cover for Nigeria at the Unity Cup ahead of their final game against Jamaica, with captain Ahmed Musa departing shortly after the 2-1 win over Ghana in the opening game of the tournament.

He trained for just two days and Chelle handed him a start which he took with both hands much to the delight of everyone who watched the Super Eagles win 5-4 on penalties, after a 2-2 draw in regulation time.

Chelle who took the bold decision to include the 20 year old largely due to the fact that the tournament was taking place in the home ground of his team has nothing but praises for the Simoiben Academy graduate.

” Benjamin Frederick was good. He was very calm and composed. Technically, he’s close to perfect — especially when it comes to touching the ball and making strong passes,” Chelle said at the post match conference.

“He reads the game well, but of course, there’s room for improvement. We conceded a goal, and maybe he could have done something differently in that situation. Like I always say about our players — even when they play well — we still need to improve every day.

My assistant even joked that I should take credit for his performance because I selected him. But really, it’s just one game — a big one — and he needs to keep working hard and improving”, he concluded.

Mohammed Mowiz Suleiman

The senior national team of Nigeria have been crowned the champions of the Unity Cup in England with a 5-4 penalty win over Jamaica after a 2-2 draw in regulation time, OwnGoalNigeria.com reports.

Moses Simon put the Super Eagles of Nigeria ahead in the 9th minute following good works by Cyriel Dessers, but that lead didn’t last for long before Jamaica drew level through Kaheim Dixon drew Jamaica level in the 12th minute.

The teams went into the bank leveled at 1-1. Upon resumption for the second half Super Eagles once again went ahead in the 53rd minute through Samuel Chukwueze. The lead only lasted for ten minutes before Jamaica leveled again.

Jon Russell found space in the box of Nigeria to head the leveller unchallenged forcing the game to go straight into penalty kicks, where Nigeria succeeded with all of their kicks while Jamaica missed to hand Nigeria a 5-4 win.

Debutant Uche Chrisantus scored the decisive spot kick for Nigeria during the shoot out. Kelechi Iheanacho, Moses Simon, Tolu Arokodare and Bruno Onyemaechi all planted their spot kicks with conviction.

Mohammed Mowiz Suleiman

Head coach of the senior national team of Nigeria Eric Chelle has revealed his starting lineup for today’s Unity Cup final game against Jamaica, OwnGoalNigeria.com can exclusively reveal.

Chelle picked young Brentford defender Benjamin Fredrick to start in his first game for the team at the heart of the defence alongside Igoh Ogbu. Another debutant in Felix Agu will start at left back with right back Sodiq Ismaila keeping his spot at right back.

Nathan Tella returns to the team and starts in attack alongside the duo of Samuel Chukwueze and Cyriel Dessers who will lead the attack with Stanley Nwabali keeping his spot in goal ahead of Maduka Okoye once again.

In the midfield Papa Daniel drops out with Wilfred Ndidi, Frank Onyeka and Moses Simon playing in a role just behind the main striker.

Nigeria XI vs Jamaica: Nwabali; Benjamin, Ogbu, Sodiq, Felix; Wilfred, Nathan, Onyeka; Simon, Chukwueze, Dessers.

Mohammed Mowiz Suleiman