Sports

Super Falcons to hosts Australia, Ireland and Canada at FIFA World Cup

Published

3 years ago

October 22, 2022

Nigeria will play joint-hosts Australia, Canada and Republic of Ireland in Group B of the 9^th FIFA Women’s World Cup finals happening in the summer of next year.

At the draw ceremony held in Auckland/Tâmaki Makaurau on Saturday, it emerged that Nigeria will play Canada in her first match of the competition to be staged in a total of nine cities (five in Australia and four in New Zealand), and which will boast 32 teams – the biggest in the history of the FIFA Women’s World Cup since it began in China in 1991.

Joint-hosts New Zealand will battle Norway, Philippines and Switzerland in Group A.

Nigeria, alongside USA, Brazil, Norway, Sweden, Germany and Japan are the only seven countries to have featured in all previous editions of the FIFA Women’s World Cup, between China 1991 and France 2019.

The Falcons were on tour of Canada six months ago, where they played two matches against Olympic champions Canada, losing one narrowly and drawing the other.

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Basketball

Team Plateau Crowned Champions of CDS U-18 Basketball Championship in Abuja

Published

4 hours ago

June 18, 2025

The Gleamer

…As FCT Defeats Kaduna 70–53 to Clinch Bronze

By Joel Ajayi

Team Plateau on Wednesday emerged champions of the second edition of the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) Democracy Day U-18 Basketball Championship after defeating M2 Academy 50-36 in a fiercely contested final.

The championship game, played at the indoor basketball court of the Moshood Abiola National Stadium, Abuja, was a thrilling display of grassroots basketball talent. Both Plateau and M2 Academy entered the final unbeaten, setting the stage for one of the tournament’s most intense matchups.

The Plateau boys started strong, edging the first quarter 8–6. They built on that momentum in the second quarter, extending their lead to 27–20 by capitalizing on defensive lapses from M2 Academy.

Although M2 Academy responded with a stronger third quarter, Plateau managed to maintain their advantage, finishing the quarter 36–32. The final quarter was all Plateau, as they pulled away to seal the victory with a final score of 50–36.

Earlier in the third-place match, also held at the indoor basketball court (Package B) of the stadium, the FCT U-18 boys’ team defeated their Kaduna counterparts 70–53 in a dominant performance.

The FCT side controlled all four quarters with superior teamwork, accurate shooting, and solid defensive play to secure the bronze medal.

The five-day tournament, themed “Encouraging Grassroots Basketball Talents”, aimed to identify, nurture, and promote young basketball talents capable of contributing meaningfully to national development.

A total of 16 teams—10 male and 6 female—participated in the championship, which tipped off on Saturday, June 14, and concluded on Wednesday, June 18, 2025.

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