BY RAYMOND NWADUBA
All is now set for the kick off of the 2026 Lagos FA Cup competition with 77 teams vying for honours in both the male and female category.
Following a thrilling, colourful and successful official draw ceremony held on Tuesday at the Indoor Sports Hall of the National Stadium Surulere, Lagos, with media training involving all the Media Officers of the participating teams – which is aimed at enhancing quality of coverage and visibility for the tournament, the competition will commence on Sunday across designated centres in the state.
A total of 77 teams registered for this year’s edition, with 69 teams slugging it out in the male category, while 8 teams will lock horns in the female category.
New tournament sponsor, Cloud Sports has revealed some of the incentives and packages for participating teams this year to ensure Lagos keeps leading in sports excellence and remains a destination hub for football talents.
While addressing the media during the event, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Cloud Sports, Sheriff Tajudeen, stated that all 77 participating teams will receive three footballs each courtesy of Cloud Sports to aid their preparation and performance in the competition.
He also unveiled that concrete plans have been made to have all the games streamed live, to ensure fans worldwide enjoy the matches in real time.
“All participating teams will get three balls each for the tournament and we have also made sure every match will be live streamed”, he noted.
Tajudeen also further stated that prize money for the tournament has been jerked up for a bigger and better Lagos FA Cup competition.
“We as Cloud Sports have done everything possible to ensure that this year’s Lagos FA Cup competition surpasses what we’ve had in previous years in every sense of the word”, he said.
Meanwhile, one of the resource persons for the Media Officers training, beautiful Super Sports TV anchor, Chisom Mbonu, emphasized the importance of consistency in modern football media operations, admitting that the digital era has made media visibility an important element of club recognition.
She charged club owners to ensure they provide enabling environment for media departments to function well.
“This is a digital age where visibility defines relevance. Media officers must remain consistent and see this tournament as an opportunity to promote their clubs,” she stated.
Other speakers at the seminar include former Super Eagles Media Officer, Toyin Ibitoye, former aide to the former Sports Minister Sunday Dare, John-Joshua Akanji and Arise TV Sports Presenter, Aaron Akerejola.
The occasion was grandeur and it attracted
a wide range of participants, including top former Lagos footballers, revered traditional rulers, notably from Isheri Olofin and the Apa Kingdom in Apapa, Lagos, media professionals, Club Owners, Referees, LSFA board members amongst other critical football stakeholders.
The Hajji Gafar Liameed led Lagos State football Association (LSFA) board has continued to drive positive change in football administration in Nigeria – perfect example of square peg in square hole.
