Gold Cup Pre-season Tournament gets August 13 kickoff date

Gold Cup Pre-season Tournament gets August 13 kickoff date

Sporting Lagos will defend their Gold Cup title as Nigeria's top off-season football tournament begins in Ikenne and Apele-Sagamu from Thursday, August 13 to 22nd.

Now in its 14th season, the Confederation of African Football (CAF)-certified Remo Stars International Stadium and FC Ebedei Stadium will host the 10-day football festival.

Sporting Lagos, which recently gained promotion back to the Nigeria Premier Football League, has the potential to become the second team, after Remo Stars, to win consecutive Gold Cup titles.

Tunde Shamsudeen, the pre-season tournament's General Coordinator, shared with Gold Cup Media Channel.

"We're excited to announce the kickoff date. It's always special to see top NPFL teams face each other or battle potential giant killers in thrilling matchups.

"Our goals remain the same: the Gold Cup serves as a competitive platform to prepare teams across Nigeria's three-tier league for the upcoming football season.

"We're confident that the 2026 edition of the Gold Cup will be a major success that surpasses all previous achievements," Shamsudeen added.

Previous winners of the Gold Cup include Sunshine Stars FC (in the inaugural edition), defunct Sharks FC, Kano Pillars, Lobi Stars FC, Niger Tornadoes, ABS Ilorin FC, Remo Stars, Beyond Limits and Shooting Stars.