By Dayo Awoniyi
The 13th edition of the Gold Cup Preseason Tournament will take centre stage from October 16 to 25, 2025, at the modern FC Ebedei Stadium in Apele-Sagamu.
This year’s competition will feature a reshuffled lineup following the absence of defending champions Shooting Stars of Ibadan and other Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) teams, who are unavailable due to the league’s earlier kick-off.
Instead, top sides from the Nigeria National League (NNL) and Nationwide League One (NLO) will compete, with organisers promising a more competitive and diverse tournament.
Gold Cup General Coordinator Tunde Shamsudeen explained that the date shift was necessary after adjustments to the domestic calendar.
“The tournament was originally scheduled to begin on Thursday, September 25, 2025, but it has now been moved to October 16–25.
“This change was made in response to the Nigeria National League board’s decision to commence the 2025–26 league season on Saturday, November 8, 2025,” Shamsudeen stated.
Fans will enjoy full access to the action, with live streaming across the tournament’s digital platforms and highlight packages on YouTube. Match updates, including live scores and results, will also be available on the Sofascore app.
Organisers say the 2025 edition underscores the tournament’s vision of broadening participation while retaining its place as a staple of Nigerian football’s preseason calendar.
Samuel Ahmadu is a distinguished multimedia journalist and women's football expert with over 15 years of experience in the industry. On the back of domestic engagement since 2008, he began his international career journey at Goal.com in February 2014, where he served as an African women's football correspondent for nearly eight years. During his tenure at Goal.com, Samuel covered major events such as three Women's Africa Cup of Nations (2016, 2018, 2022) and the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup in Canada plus 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. His work at Goal.com earned him widespread acclaim, particularly for his in-depth profiles of African football stars, notably Asisat Oshoala, whose rise he documented from her early years to her breakthrough at the FIFA U20 Women's World Cup in 2014. Prior to his role at Goal.com, Samuel freelanced for various print and broadcast media outlets in Nigeria, including Graphics Newspaper, Radio Nigeria, Grace FM, and Savid Newspaper. His extensive experience and expertise led to his appointment to the Nigeria Football Federation's Standing Committee on Women's Football Development from 2016 to 2018. Since February 2018, Samuel has been the Social Media Manager for Nigeria's women's national teams.In 2019, Samuel joined the Confederation of African Football (CAF) as a women's football content contributor and was promoted to Women's Football Editor in 2021. His contributions to women's football continued as he worked as a Media Consultant for Content Creation and Editorials at the 2022 CAF Women's Champions League. Currently, Samuel also serves as the spokesman for the Nigeria Women Football League, further solidifying his influence and dedication to the growth of women's football in Africa.
