Dearest readers,
What a week to remember! The Teranga Lions tamed the Three Lions in Nottingham, Ogazi and Nathaniel blazed the NCAA tracks, and Kamaru Usman rose from the ashes in the octagon. From Pretoria to London, courts to fields, Africans didn’t just show up, they made history in gold and glory – really a roaring week for LIONS”
Let’s catch up on all the biggest sports moments you might have missed but need to know about.
Senegal became the first African team to defeat England since 1986, securing a stunning 3-1 win in an international friendly, at the City Ground. Harry Kane gave England an early lead in the 7th minute, and Senegal responded fiercely with Ismaila Sarr, who equalized just before halftime, then Habib Diarra and Youssouf Sabaly clinically converted their chances to seal the historic win.
While Africa celebrated the win, the FIFA rankings came up. The nine-time champions, Super Falcons, remained the continent’s best and 36th in the world, with South Africa trailing at 54th despite a four-match winning streak. Morocco dropped to 60th while Cameroon climbed to 64th despite a loss to Nigeria. Zambia slipped to 65th following inconsistent results, as Ghana (66th) and Côte d’Ivoire (72nd) held steady. Mali(78th), Senegal(81st), and Algeria(82nd) also saw no movement. Egypt made Africa’s biggest leap, rising seven places to 93rd. Globally, the USA stays on top, with Spain, Germany, and Brazil close behind.
Back home, Bayelsa Queens, reigning champions of the 2024/25 NWFL season, moved into a new and improved camp after spending three years at the former camp courtesy of the Bayelsa State Government’s effort to demonstrate continued commitment to the team and sports excellence. The players welcomed the development with joy as the relocation serves as a booster in the preparations ahead of their second continental appearance at the 2025 CAF Women’s Champions League through the WAFU B zonal qualifiers, which will be staged in Ivory Coast from August 9 to 24.
Still at home, Chairman of Nigeria Premier League, Hon. Gbenga Elegbeleye announced August 22, 2025, as the official start date for the 2025/26 season, with the new season set to wrap up on May 24,2026. The Chairman revealed the dates during a media briefing session in Abuja, echoing the league’s commitment to maintaining a structured calendar.
On the international stage, Nigeria’s Eunice Yemisi Akintoye was selected as one of the top referees to officiate in the 2024 TotalEnergies CAF Women’s Africa Cup Of Nations to be staged in Morocco from July 5-26th. CAF, through the list of match officials released for the upcoming WAFCON, confirmed a total of 46 officials, which surpassed the previous 40 officials from the 2022 finals. The list includes 18 referees, 18 assistant referees, and 10 VAR operators from 30 different countries on the continent.
From the international stage to the world of bats and bowling, the Nigeria Women’s National Cricket team wrapped up their campaign at the 2025 Kwibuka Women’s T20i Tournament in Kigali with spirited performances, finishing 5th overall and With the ICC Women’s World Cup Africa Division 1 Qualifier looming in August, the Yellow Greens will take plenty of confidence from their Kigali campaign.
From the field to the tracks, Ezekiel Nathaniel, in his fourth appearance, claimed his first NCAA title in emphatic fashion, clocking 47.49s in the 400m hurdles, the third-fastest time in collegiate history, making him the 2nd fastest in the world in 2025, behind Karsten Warholm (47.28s), 3rd on Africa’s all-time list behind Samuel Matete(47.10s) and Amadou Dia Bâ( 47.23s) and 26th on the global all-time list.
Samuel Ogazi stole the spotlight at the NCAA Championships, storming to victory in the men’s 400m final with a dominant time of 44.84s. Ogazi became the first Alabama athlete to win the NCAA 400m title since Kirani James, and only the second Nigerian man ever to claim this crown after Clement Chukwu in 1999.
In the men’s 100m final, Kanyinsola Ajayi narrowly missed out on a podium finish, placing 4th in 10.13s, while his teammate Sunday Israel Okon came 7th in 10.18s. The title went to Jordan Anthony, who crossed the line in 10.07s.
Over in the field events, Vincent Ugwoke delivered a standout performance in the men’s discus throw, finishing 4th with a Personal Best of 63.73m.
In women’s actions, Tima Godbless brought home a bronze medal in the 100m, clocking 11.18s (-1.4) just 0.006s ahead of Anthaya Charlton. Samirah Moody won in 11.14s, while JaMeesia Ford also clocked 11.14s for silver.
Ella Onojuvwevwo came heartbreakingly close to a medal in the women’s 400m final, finishing 4th in 50.57s, just behind Rosey Effiong, who ran 50.51s. The race was won by Aaliyah Butler in a sensational PB of 49.26s, with Dejanea Oakley also running a PB of 49.65s.
Meanwhile, in Florida, Rosemary Chukwuma impressed at the Star Athletics Sprint Series, winning her 100m section in a Season’s Best of 11.03s (0.8).
On the basketball courts, Al Ahli Tripoli beat Petro de Luanda 88-67 at the SunBet Arena in Pretoria, South Africa, to win the 2025 Basketball Africa League (BAL) title becoming the first Libyan team to win the BAL. The win marked the first time a conference winner has won the BAL and the first time a BAL Coach of the Year has led a team to the championship title. Jean Jacques Boissy was voted for the 2025 BAL MVP.
In the NBA Finals, the Oklahoma City Thunders turned to their MVP, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander who delivered and scored 15 of his 35 points in the final 4:38 to cap their rally from 10 point, second-half deficit to a 111-104 win against the Indiana Pacers to tie the NBA Finals at two games apiece.
Over to the Octagon, Kamaru Usman snapped a three-fight losing streak at UFC Atlanta. The former welterweight champion outpointed Joaquin Buckley in a dominant unanimous decision, taking the first four rounds with ease.
It was Usman’s first win since 2021, marking a powerful return for the 38-year-old, who now reenters title contention. Usman’s last win came in November 2021 against Colby Covington. He dramatically lost his belt nine months later, knocked out by Leon Edwards, a moment that started his rough patch.
At the post-fight press conference, when asked if the victory reminded fans of his greatness, “It’s hard,” he said, fighting back tears. “It’s been a while, not just getting back in here, but getting back in the win.”
From first to forehand, in tennis, German qualifier Tatjana Maria beat America’s Amanda Anisimova to become the first women’s champion at The Queen’s Club in 52 years with a straight-sets final victory.
Maria completed a 6-3 6-4 win at the HSBC Championships against the eighth seed in an hour and 24 minutes to claim the biggest title of her career. The 37-year-old defeated Australian Open champion Madison Keys, 2022 Wimbledon winner Elena Rybakina and Karolina Muchova on her way to victory. The former Wimbledon semi-finalist became the oldest-ever WTA 500 champion since 2020, when Serena Williams, who also returned to tennis after having children, won in Auckland, aged 38. While Taylor Fritz earned a 6-3 7-6 (7-0) victory over German top seed Alexander Zverev in the Stuttgart Open final to land his first title of the year.
To wrap it up, on the F1 racing tracks, George Russell produced a stunning lap to beat Max Verstappen to pole position for the Canadian Grand Prix as McLaren was surprisingly outpaced in Montreal.
World championship leader Oscar Piastri was third and performed better than his teammate Lando Norris. Kimi Antonelli also beat Lewis Hamilton to fourth as Ferrari failed to deliver again with Charles Leclerc finishing eight.
