Nigeria’s Super Eagles began their 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying campaign with a 2-1 comeback win over Madagascar at the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium, Uyo, on Friday.

The victory was made more significant by goals from debutants George Ilenikhena and Moses Usor, who scored in either half to overturn Madagascar’s early lead.

Madagascar struck first after capitalising on a quick transition to beat goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali and silence the home crowd.

Nigeria responded before half-time, with Ilenikhena scoring in the first minute of added time to restore parity and mark his senior Super Eagles debut with a goal.

The equaliser sent the teams into the break level at 1-1.

After the restart, Nigeria increased the pressure, with captain Wilfred Ndidi and Alex Iwobi helping the hosts dominate proceedings in midfield.

The sustained pressure eventually paid off as Usor found the decisive goal in the second half to complete Nigeria’s comeback and give the Super Eagles all three points.

The result gives Eric Chelle’s side a winning start to their Group L campaign.

Nigeria will next travel to face Guinea-Bissau on Tuesday, September 29, while Madagascar will host Tanzania on the same day.

The Super Eagles will be without the services of Victor Osimhen for the opening qualifiers after the striker was ruled out with injury.

Nigeria sit second in Group L with three points, the same as leaders Guinea-Bissau,

The Super Eagles begin their 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying campaign with a crucial Group L double-header against Madagascar and Guinea-Bissau within the next five days.

The Super Eagles will host Madagascar today at 5:00 pm, with Nigeria looking to make a strong start to the qualifying campaign. They then travel to Guinea-Bissau for their second fixture on Tuesday at 5:00 pm.

Nigeria head into the qualifiers after finishing third at the 2025 AFCON in Morocco, having reached the final at the previous edition in Côte d’Ivoire. However, their failure to qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup after a difficult start to the qualifiers has added importance to the opening games of this campaign.

Both matches will air live on SuperSport, with Nigeria vs Madagascar and Guinea-Bissau vs Nigeria available on SS La Liga (DStv Ch. 204) and SS Pop-up (GOtv Ch. 59) for DStv Access and GOtv Value subscribers.

With Tanzania already guaranteed a place at AFCON 2027 as a co-host, Nigeria, Madagascar and Guinea-Bissau will compete for the remaining qualifying spot in Group L.

After struggling to build momentum early in their previous World Cup qualifying campaign, the Super Eagles will be keen to avoid another slow start and establish themselves early in the race for qualification.

Brentford defender, Michael Kayode has revealed that Nigeria approached him about a possible switch of international allegiance, but said he never considered turning his back on Italy.

Kayode, who was born in Borgomanero, Italy, to Nigerian parents, is eligible to represent both countries at senior level. However, the 22-year-old has represented Italy extensively at youth level and has now received his first senior call-up.

He received his first senior Italy call-up, having already made his mark with the Azzurri at youth level, scoring the winning goal in the European Under-19 Championship final against Portugal to help Italy win the title for the first time.

Speaking ahead of Italy’s international fixtures, Kayode confirmed that the Nigeria Football Federation had contacted him but said his decision to remain with Italy was straightforward.

“It was a very easy decision. I went through all the youth teams here. Nigeria approached me, but I never thought about changing national teams,” he said, according to Football Italia.

“I think Italy have always been a great national team, and playing here is an honour.

“I didn’t know about the Italy call-up before the game [against Chelsea]; I found out at the final whistle, on my phone. It was an incredible emotion, especially after such a big win.”

The 22-year-old joined Brentford on a €500,000 loan deal with an option to buy from Fiorentina in January 2025. The English club made his move permanent for €17.5m at the end of the campaign.

He has also made 63 appearances for Brentford, scoring two goals and providing three assists.

Tobi Amusan secured a silver medal and $75,000 prize money on the opening day of the inaugural World Athletics Ultimate Championships in Budapest, Hungary.

The former world record holder in the women’s 100m hurdles clocked  12.34secs behind the same American Masai Russell who erased her record  barely a fortnight ago.  Russell took the gold in the historic final with 12.22 secs.

Dutch sprint hurdler Nadine Visser completed the podium after crossing the line in 12.39 seconds.

Although Amusan missed out on the gold medal, her runner-up finish earned her a substantial $75,000 prize and gave Nigeria its first major result of the championships.

Amusan had earlier secured her place in the final after finishing second in her semi-final in 12.49 seconds.

In the women’s 400m, Nigeria’s Ella Onojuvwevwo was unable to progress to the final after competing in the opening rounds of the event.

Despite missing out on the championship race, the Nigerian quarter-miler ended her season on an encouraging note, having broken the 50-second barrier and gained valuable experience competing against some of the world’s leading athletes.

Nigeria’s opening-day campaign also suffered disappointment after the country was left out of the final start list for the mixed 4x100m relay.

Team Nigeria had secured automatic qualification for the event at the World Relays in Botswana, but the country was not included among the final confirmed entries in Budapest.

Consequently, Nigeria did not take part in the mixed relay on the opening evening of the championships.

With Amusan’s silver medal providing a positive start, Team Nigeria will now turn its attention to the remaining events as the inaugural World Athletics Ultimate Championships continue in Budapest.

The Flying Antelopes started brightly and were rewarded when Chidozie Iwundu put them ahead in the 23rd minute.

The goal gave Rangers the initiative and appeared to put them in a strong position to secure a first-leg victory.

However, AS Sobemap fought back to draw level in the second half and ensure both sides shared the spoils.

Rangers pushed for a second goal but could not find a way past their opponents as the encounter ended all square.

The result leaves the tie finely balanced heading into the second leg.

Rangers will be disappointed not to have secured victory after taking the lead, but they will draw confidence from getting on the scoresheet and will look to finish the job in the return fixture.

Sobemap, meanwhile, will be encouraged by their battling display to come from behind and secure a draw in Abeokuta.

With the tie level at 1-1, Rangers will need to be more clinical in the second leg if they are to progress, while Sobemap will also know that victory will be enough to send them through.

D’Tigress will play for pride when they face France in their final Group B game at the 2026 FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup on Monday (today), having already crashed out of the competition after two defeats.

The Nigerian women suffered a 99-81 defeat to South Korea in their opening game before losing 71-67 to Hungary on Saturday, ending their hopes of progressing from the group.

The clash with France will therefore be an opportunity for D’Tigress to bow out of the tournament on a positive note after a disappointing start.

However, their campaign has also raised questions about the team’s preparation, particularly the involvement of head coach Rena Wakama in the build-up to the tournament.

In an interview ahead of the World Cup, Wakama revealed that she only learnt a few days before leaving the United States that she would be travelling to Berlin for the tournament, after spending part of the period with WNBA side Chicago Sky.

Her late arrival meant she joined D’Tigress only four days before their opening game, after the team had already gone through a significant part of its pre-tournament programme in the United States, China and Spain.

Wakama’s absence was not, however, limited to the final days of the build-up.

In April, the Nigeria Basketball Federation announced that she would miss D’Tigress’ United States tour because of her commitments with Chicago Sky, with assistant coach Wani Muganguzi taking charge of the team during the trip.

Muganguzi subsequently led D’Tigress in games against WNBA sides Los Angeles Sparks and Minnesota Lynx as part of the team’s preparations for the World Cup.

D’Tigress lost 89-63 to the Sparks before putting up a stronger performance in an 88-79 defeat to the Lynx, with Muganguzi overseeing both games.

The assistant coach’s role was part of a wider preparation programme that continued while Wakama remained committed to her WNBA duties.

D’Tigress later travelled to China for a series of warm-up games before continuing their preparations in Spain ahead of their arrival in Berlin, all without Wakama.

The issue has gained more attention following D’Tigress’ disappointing start to the World Cup and the debate that has followed over the quality and age of the squad.

Wakama herself, after the defeat to South Korea, pointed to the cohesion of their opponents, noting that they had played together and were clear about what they wanted to do.

“It is tough when your shots weren’t falling. I thought we had great looks in the first half, really good looks. We got to the free throw line but finished the game shooting 12-23 from the free throw line. We just weren’t able to get it done,” she said.

Against France, D’Tigress will hope to produce a stronger performance and end their campaign with a victory despite having nothing but pride at stake.

The Nigeria Football Federation has revealed this, expressing confidence in the 10-time African champions’ ability to secure a back-to-back Olympic ticket after their participation at the 2024 Games in Paris.

Nigeria, one of the three highest-ranked teams in the qualifying competition, received a bye into the second round, where they will face Comoros in the two-legged encounter.

Comoros secured their place in the second round after defeating Sudan 30-0 on aggregate.

The Falcons must navigate four rounds of two-legged knockout ties to claim one of Africa’s two available places at the tournament in Los Angeles.

If Nigeria overcome Comoros, they will progress to the third round, scheduled for February 23 to March 6, 2027, where either DR Congo or Morocco will await them.

Progress to the fourth round will see the Falcons face one of Tunisia, Senegal, Benin Republic or Mali between October 4 and 12, 2027.

The final round of the qualifying race will hold from November 23 to December 4, 2027, with Nigeria set to face one of Guinea, Cameroon, DR Congo, Ivory Coast, Central African Republic, Algeria and Burkina Faso.

However, the Falcons could enter their Olympic campaign with a new technical crew, as the NFF intensifies efforts to appoint a coach before next month’s qualifiers.

Swedish coach Thomas Dennerby is in line for a return to the Super Falcons job, with the NFF considering his appointment as the team prepares for the Comoros fixtures.

In August, an embattled NFF board under former president Ibrahim Gusau asked the technical crew, led by coach Justine Madugu, to step down following the team’s disappointing campaign at the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco.

The Falcons failed to defend their title at the tournament and also missed out on a ticket to the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup.

Madugu and his crew had led the team to a record-extending 10th WAFCON title in 2025.

Director-General of the National Sports Commission, Bukola Olopade, had also said the team would get a new technical crew before the qualifiers.

“The Olympics are around the corner; we will see how we can tweak the technical team of the Falcons as we did for the U-23, which coach Eric Chelle will handle. This is because we are desirous of qualifying for the Olympics,” Olopade revealed in August.

Edo Queens were crowned 2026 WAFU B Women’s tournament winners following a 4-1 penalty shootout victory over the Ghanaian champions.

Both teams battled to a 2-2 draw in regulation time.

The Nigerian champions appeared destined for elimination after conceding an early penalty, but they fought back to equalise in the 90+3rd minute and force a penalty shootout, where they held their nerve to win 4-1.

Adegbuyi, a member of Nigeria’s U-17 women’s national team, was in impressive form throughout the CAF Women’s Champions League WAFU-B qualifiers, scoring two vital goals in Edo Queens’ 3-1 win over ASEC Mimosas.

She scored in her debut appearance before adding another goal in her second game, with her performances earning her the Golden Ball award as the tournament’s best player.

Adegbuyi’s rise has followed a sensational 2025/26 season with FC Robo Queens, where she scored 11 goals during the NWFL Premiership regular season and Super Six playoffs.

Her outstanding campaign also earned her the NWFL Premiership Player of The Season award.

The teenager has now added the WAFU-B Player of the Tournament accolade to her growing collection of individual honours, while helping Edo Queens qualify for the 2026/27 CAF Women’s Champions League.

She will be one of the stars to watch at the 2026 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup in Morocco from October 17 to November 7, 2026.

Galatasaray confirmed on Sunday that Osimhen is dealing with a groin injury, while Onuachu was also taken off in the 44th minute after scoring a brace in Trabzonspor’s 5-0 win over Gençlerbirliği.

Osimhen picked up the injury during Galatasaray’s thrilling 3-2 win over Istanbul Basaksehir after scoring the opening goal. He lasted 33 minutes before being substituted.

Onuachu was also reported to have broken his chin during a challenge, with both players adding to the growing list of injury concerns for coach Eric Chelle ahead of the two fixtures.

Already on the treatment table are Fisayo Dele-Bashiru, Sadiq Umar, Tochukwu Nnadi and Zaidu Sanusi, who all recently picked up knocks.

In an update provided on Sunday, Galatasaray said Osimhen and midfielder Mario Lemina had suffered moderate-to-advanced strains with bleeding in the right groin area.

“Following the completion of MR and advanced examinations at our sponsor Acıbadem Hospital, advanced-moderate level strain (bleeding and strain) has been detected in the right adductor (groin) muscle group of our footballer Victor Osimhen,” the club said on Sunday.

“Similarly, advanced-moderate level strain (bleeding and strain) has been detected in the right adductor muscle group of our player Mario Lemina, whose examinations have also been completed, and their treatment processes are ongoing.”

The update puts Osimhen in doubt ahead of Nigeria’s September fixtures, with the Super Eagles beginning their 2027 AFCON campaign against Madagascar on September 25 before travelling to face Guinea-Bissau four days later.

The two matches are part of Group L, where Nigeria were drawn alongside Madagascar, Guinea-Bissau and co-hosts Tanzania. Only the highest-ranked team apart from automatically qualified Tanzania will advance from the group.

Osimhen’s absence would leave Nigeria without one of their most important attacking players at the start of the campaign.

Missing the window could also delay his climb up Nigeria’s all-time goalscoring chart. The 27-year-old has scored 35 goals for the Super Eagles, two behind the late Rashidi Yekini, who remains the country’s all-time leading scorer with 37 goals.

At club level, Osimhen has also scored six goals and provided two assists in four games this season.