Bold Sports Weekly | Edition 010

Hello,

Last Friday, we were looking forward to the Falconets’ World Cup quarter-final. Their recovery had given us plenty to be excited about, but Colombia brought the campaign to an end with a stoppage-time winner. Another Nigerian team has returned home with a familiar question about what might have been.

Today, the Super Eagles begin their own campaign. They face Madagascar in Uyo without Victor Osimhen and with an important detail about their AFCON qualifying group: Nigeria, Madagascar and Guinea-Bissau are competing for one available place.

Elsewhere, the Flamingos have won four consecutive matches, Barau are leading the NPFL and Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury finally have a date for their fight. We also have updates from the Chess Olympiad, table tennis and Nigeria’s first major netball qualifying campaign.

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Welcome to Edition 010.

Let’s get into it.

Nigeria begin their AFCON 2027 qualifying campaign against Madagascar today, with less room for error than the group might suggest. Tanzania have already qualified as co-hosts, leaving the Super Eagles, Madagascar and Guinea-Bissau competing for the remaining place.

Eric Chelle must negotiate the opening two matches without the injured Victor Osimhen. There are other forwards available, but Nigeria need an attack that works immediately, first in Uyo and then away to Guinea-Bissau on Tuesday.

Qualification will be decided over six matches, including the games against Tanzania. A good opening would put Nigeria in a strong position; dropped points against their direct rivals would leave more work for the later windows.

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Nigeria’s Flamingos beat hosts Ivory Coast 2-0 on Thursday to maintain their perfect record at the WAFU B U17 Girls Cup. Oluwakemi Adegbuyi scored early before Pattra Oparanmegwa added the second in the closing stages.

The result follows victories over Niger, Ghana and Burkina Faso, taking Nigeria to 13 goals scored and two conceded. Togo are next on Sunday as the Flamingos continue their preparations for the U17 Women’s World Cup.

The Falconets’ recovery in Poland ended with a 1-0 quarter-final defeat to Colombia. Valerin Loboa scored in stoppage time after Nigeria had been reduced to ten players following Kafayat Mafisere’s dismissal.

Nigeria had recovered from a difficult start to reach the last eight, including an impressive victory over England. The team have now returned home, with the wait for a first U-20 Women’s World Cup title continuing.

Promoted Barau remain top of the NPFL with 11 points from five matches. Rivers United moved into second on Thursday after beating Kun Khalifat 5-0, taking their tally to ten points.

At the other end, Enyimba are still without a point after losing their opening four matches. Sporting Lagos came from behind to beat them 3-2 in Aba and now face Barau on Saturday in one of the weekend’s most interesting fixtures.

Nigeria’s Green Hawks lost all four group matches at the African Netball World Cup qualifiers in Nairobi. Defeats to Kenya, Uganda, Malawi and Zambia ended their hopes of reaching the 2027 tournament in Sydney.

They face Tanzania in the ninth-place playoff today, with a final opportunity to record a victory. Last week, we asked readers to follow this team from the beginning, and that includes reporting how their first campaign has unfolded.

Kelechi Iheanacho scored both goals as Bursaspor beat Batman Petrolspor 2-1, extending his scoring run to eight consecutive league matches. His second goal came five minutes from time and secured the victory.

The striker now has 11 goals and two assists from eight appearances in Turkey’s second division. He has scored in every league match he has played this season.

Gift Orban scored and provided an assist in Amedspor’s 3-2 victory over Beşiktaş. The Nigerian opened the scoring as his club secured a notable win against one of Turkey’s biggest sides.

Orban has seven goals and two assists from six league appearances. His latest contribution continues a productive start to the season and gives Amedspor another result to build on.

Ngozi Okobi-Okeoghene scored twice as Ottawa Rapid defeated Calgary Wild 3-1 in the Northern Super League. They were her first goals in the Canadian competition.

The Nigerian midfielder opened the scoring early and finished the match with a brace. Her contribution helped Ottawa take all three points and gave her a memorable afternoon with her new club.

Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury are scheduled to fight at Cardiff’s Principality Stadium on December 11, with Netflix broadcasting the contest globally. After years of negotiations, the meeting finally has a confirmed date and venue.

Getting there involved another argument over where it should happen. Joshua’s camp insisted on the UK while New York was pushed as an alternative, and Thursday’s announcement immediately produced a fresh dispute over promotional control.

Saudi involvement, a global streaming platform and the choice of Cardiff all help explain how the event has come together. They also show how much boxing’s business has changed while supporters have been waiting for the fight.

Entries are open for the AIPS Sport Media Awards, which recognise work in sports writing, photography, audio and video. Professional sports journalists aged 18 and above can enter from anywhere in the world.

Entry is free, with up to two submissions per person. Eligible work must have been published or broadcast between November 5, 2025 and November 4, 2026. Applications close on November 4, 2026.

The Super Eagles begin their campaign without Osimhen, while Moses Simon could make his 100th international appearance

The Green Hawks have one final opportunity to record a victory after losing their four group matches

The Flamingos are chasing a fifth consecutive victory as their World Cup preparations continue.

Isaac James has spoken about the emotion of receiving his first Super Eagles invitation. The full-back said the call brought him to tears.

He now has an opportunity to establish himself in Chelle’s plans during the opening AFCON qualifying window. Our report follows his reaction to a moment he had been working towards.

Quadri Aruna helped Amiens beat Lille 3-2 in their French Pro B opener. He recovered from losing the first game to defeat Iran’s Amir Hossein Hodaei 3-1.

Amiens are targeting promotion, and their new signing contributed an important point on his debut. Next comes a meeting with Nantes, where Segun Toriola is player-coach.

Nigeria won in both sections of the Chess Olympiad on Thursday. The Open team beat Guyana 3½–½, while the women defeated Lesotho by the same score.

Both teams had lost in the previous round, making the victories a welcome recovery. Nigeria’s Open team now face Tunisia as the competition enters its closing stages.

Tolu Arokodare needed only two minutes after coming off the bench to score against Excelsior. His equaliser helped Ajax secure a 2-2 draw.

The striker later thanked the supporters for their backing. His latest goal continued a promising start at the Dutch club ahead of his return to international duty.

Nigeria lost 4-0 to Morocco in their Davis Cup World Group II tie in Rabat. The hosts secured the decisive third point in the doubles before winning the remaining singles match.

Nigeria will contest the World Group II playoffs next year, while Morocco advance to the World Group I playoffs. Our report has the individual results and what comes next for the Nigerian team.

Abiola Kasimu Abdulsalam has been selected to officiate at the men’s U17 World Cup in Qatar. He is one of four African centre referees chosen for the tournament, having already gained experience at the U17 Africa Cup of Nations.

His appointment deserves a place in the week’s Nigerian football conversation. We spend plenty of time discussing refereeing when decisions go wrong; an official earning an opportunity at a World Cup should receive attention too.

Before next week: Nigeria turns 66 on Thursday. Which Nigerian sporting moment have you never forgotten, and where were you when it happened? Reply to this email with your memory. We may contact you about featuring it in our Independence Day coverage.

We will be back next Friday.

Oluwatosin Oluwalowo
Editor-in-Chief
Bold Sports

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