Athletics to AFCON: The Biggest Events for Nigerian Sport In 2025
by Devesh Jaganath | by Devesh Jaganath
NSC Bolster Sports Development in Nigeria
Following the dissolution of the Ministry of Sports, the newly established Nigeria Sports Commission (NSC) has launched the Reset, Refocus, and Relaunch initiative as part of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s “Renewed Hope Agenda for Nigeria’s Sports Economy.” This initiative sets aside ₦ 78 billion for the sports sector in 2025 - a significant increase compared to previous years’ allocations.
The additional funding is aimed at helping transform Nigeria’s sports ecosystem, focusing on long-term development and value creation. In addition to the main budget, there is a separate fund earmarked for the preparation of major tournaments, including the World Cup, AFCON qualifiers, the Olympics, the Commonwealth Games, the African Games, the Paralympics, the NUGA Games and a variety of School Sports.
Below we take a look at the events that are expected to shape the sporting landscape for Nigeria in 2025:
FIBA Afrobasket 2025
Africa’s top women’s basketball team, D’Tigress, will be aiming to build on their historic performance at the 2024 Paris Olympics, where they became the first African team (male or female) to reach the quarter-finals. After defeating formidable opponents like Canada and Australia, they were eliminated by the USA, but under Rena Wakama, the team is now looking to push forward and claim a fourth consecutive FIBA Women’s Afrobasket title in the Ivory Coast.
Meanwhile, the D’Tigers face a tougher challenge in the Men’s FIBA Afrobasket, as they need to win all their remaining qualifying matches which are taking place this month to earn a spot at the tournament in Angola in August.
African Nations Championship
The home-based Super Eagles - commonly referred to as Eagles B - will compete in the 2025 African Nations Championship (CHAN) against other African powerhouses like Morocco and Senegal in Tanzania, Kenya and Uganda later this year. After securing a 3-1 victory over Ghana in the qualifiers, their next aim is to go one better than the runners-up medal they received at the 2018 edition of the tournament.
The Eagles B had already begun preparations with a 26-player training camp at the Remo Stars Sports Institute in Ikenne, but the tournament was postponed until August after originally being scheduled for February. The team will reconvene after the conclusion of the 2024-25 NPFL season.
World Athletics Championship
The 2024 Olympics was a major disappointment for Nigeria, as the team returned from Paris empty-handed despite significant financial investment. The lack of medals was partly attributable to underperforming athletes, but also to poor management and lack of support for the teams. As the World Athletics Championship in Tokyo approaches, many hopeful Nigerian athletes, including the likes of Tobi Amusan and Ese Brume, will be looking to restore the country’s pride on the global stage.
Asuman, the 100m hurdles world record holder, has enlisted renowned coach Glen Mills, who guided Usain Bolt to success, while Brume, the African long jump record holder, has sought a training grant from NSC Director-General Bukola Olopade to support her preparations.
Africa Cup of Nations
Nigeria’s heroes, the Super Eagles, will face 23 other African nations in the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), which will be hosted by Morocco from December 21 to January 16. After a solid performance in qualifying, led by stars like Ademola Lookman (CAF Player of the Year), Victor Osimhen, and Victor Boniface, the team will be determined to upgrade their runners-up medal earned in the Ivory Coast earlier this year to a winner’s one. Whether the Super Eagles can achieve this goal will be revealed when the competition kicks off in late December.
As 2025 unfolds, these tournaments promise to be both thrilling and crucial, potentially shaping the future of Nigerian sports either positively or negatively by the year’s end.
