IN NIGERIA
Nigeria is intensifying preparations to showcase some of its brightest young sporting talents on the global stage as anticipation builds for Africa’s first Olympic sporting event.
Director General of the National Sports Commission, Bukola Olopade, said the Commission is committed to using major international youth competitions such as Dakar 2026 to provide young Nigerian athletes with valuable exposure and experience.
He noted that the participation of Nigerian athletes at the Games is part of broader efforts to build a sustainable pipeline of talent capable of representing the country at future Olympic and international competitions.
The Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games are scheduled to take place across three host zones in Senegal, Dakar, Diamniadio and Saly from 31st October to 13th November, 2026.
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Super Eagles striker, Victor Osimhen who plays for Galatasaray, is expected to resume individual training before the end of this week as he continues his recovery from injury.
The Nigeria international sustained the injury during Galatasaray’s victory over Istanbul Basaksehir last month and has since missed the club’s last three matches across all competitions.
Osimhen was also ruled out of Nigeria’s 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying fixtures against Madagascar and Guinea-Bissau.
According to a report, the 27-year-old’s treatment is progressing successfully, with his recovery reportedly on schedule.
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Hamburg head coach, Merlin Polzin has provided an injury update on Super Eagles star Terem Moffi ahead of his side’s Bundesliga clash with TSG Hoffenheim.
The Nigeria international has been struggling with a knee problem since Hamburg’s last league game against FC Cologne, where he was replaced by Yussuf Poulsen after the break.
Polzin is keen to avoid rushing the striker back into action and says the club will continue to monitor his condition throughout the week.
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Comoros has named a twenty-two-player squad for their 2028 Olympic Games qualifying fixtures against Nigeria’s Super Falcons.
The squad comprises three goalkeepers, five defenders, seven midfielders and seven forwards.
Both legs of the second-round tie will be played at the Remo Stars Sports Complex in Ikenne, Ogun State.
Comoros will host the first leg on Friday, 9th October, while Nigeria will host the return leg on Tuesday, 13th October.
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Plymouth Argyle striker, Owen Oseni is expected to be sidelined for around six weeks after suffering an ankle injury.
The 23-year-old sustained the injury during Plymouth Argyle’s clash with Crystal Palace U-21s last month, featuring for 33 minutes before being forced off.
Plymouth head coach Tom Cleverley provided an update on Oseni’s condition, revealing that the club is taking extra precautions because of the striker’s previous history of ankle problems.
The 15th edition of the West African University Games will begin at Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, on Friday, October 2.
The Games, scheduled to run until October 12, will bring together student-athletes and university delegations from across West Africa for competitions in various sporting events.
The programme includes football, athletics, basketball, volleyball, swimming, table tennis, badminton and boxing, among other sports.
Preparations have been ongoing at the host institution, with arrangements covering sporting facilities, accommodation, transportation, security and medical services.
The Executive Chairman of Orile-Agege Local Council Development Area, Idowu Akinola, has unveiled a community-based sports initiative aimed at engaging youths and older residents, discovering sporting talents and creating economic opportunities within the council.
Akinola described the programme as a major achievement for the council, saying it was part of his long-term plan to use sports as a tool for community development and revenue generation.
According to him, the initiative is designed to transform Orile-Agege into a sports-oriented community where residents of different age groups can participate in various sporting activities.
Akinola explained that the council would organise the Orile-Agege Sports Games across different communities, with sporting activities taking place every Saturday and Sunday.
The Chairman of the sport committee, Dipo Liadi, stated that the council would use the programme to identify the hidden potential in sports and create opportunities for residents to benefit economically from the sector.
Nigeria has taken another significant step towards re-establishing its presence on the global junior table tennis stage following the selection of Umar Ayoola and Elizabeth Emelike for the prestigious ITTF World Hopes Week & Challenge 2026.
The event, scheduled to take place from 12th to 18th October at the English Institute of Sport in Sheffield, United Kingdom, will bring together 36 of the world’s most talented U-12 players from 26 countries.
Jointly organised by the International Table Tennis Federation and Table Tennis England, the programme represents the final stage of the ITTF’s talent identification pathway.
Anthony Joshua has predicted that his long-awaited showdown with Tyson Fury could end in the opening round, declaring that he wants to deliver a spectacular victory when the pair meet on December 11 at Principality Stadium in Cardiff.
The two-time world champions came face to face on Wednesday in London for the first time since their all-British clash, a decade in the making, was finally confirmed.
The fight looked set to collapse amid a venue dispute, with Joshua and his promoter, Eddie Hearn, pushing for it to be staged in the United Kingdom.
Speaking to Sky Sports News on what the fight means to him, Joshua said bringing it to the UK mattered deeply because of the fans.
Reality television star, Phyna, and skit maker, Carter Efe, emerged winners in the celebrity boxing bouts at Victoria Island, Lagos, on October 1, 2026, while Ghana’s Seth “Freezy Macbones” Gyimah dethroned Godday “Zodsolo” Appah in the main event.
Phyna, whose real name is Josephina Otabor, knocked out actress Nkechi Blessing in their scheduled four-round contest to make history as the winner of Nigeria’s first female celebrity boxing bout.
Speaking after the fight, the former Big Brother Naija winner named Nollywood actress, Etinosa Idemudia, as her next target, accusing her of disturbing her through direct messages.
IN ENGLAND
England star, Nico O’Reilly has withdrawn from the England squad for their final two Nations League matches of the international break because of injury.
The left-back played the full game for manager Thomas Tuchel’s side in the three-two defeat by Spain but missed Tuesday’s two-nil win against the Czech Republic.
O’Reilly has now returned to club side Manchester City for further assessment and will miss the trip to Croatia on Saturday and the return game against the Czechs on Tuesday.
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The chair of a cross-party group of Member of the Parliaments has written to His Majesty’s Revenue and Customs to urge the tax authority to scrutinise implications of the Premier League’s verdict on Manchester City.
It was confirmed that an independent commission found City guilty of all charges relating to breaches of the Premier League’s financial regulations between the 2009-10 and 2017-18 seasons.
City have repeatedly denied guilt, and have signalled an intent to lodge an appeal by Friday.
The club was found to have artificially inflated revenue through sham sponsorship agreements with the help of their owners.
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Downing Street says Manchester City are not above the rules after the U.K Prime minister Andy Burnham was criticised for his comments about the club’s breaches of Premier League financial rules.
The Prime minister said he would be really concerned if the club’s owners decided to sell up after City were found guilty by an independent commission of most of the 115 charges they faced.
In a statement following the backlash, Downing Street said the Prime minister had made clear the initial judgement is serious and there cannot be any suggestion that anyone is above the rules.
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England striker Ivan Toney has pleaded not guilty to assaulting a man at a central London nightclub.
The 30-year-old footballer, from Northampton, is accused of headbutting and punching Saber Da Silva at a nightclub in Wardour Street, Soho, on 6th December.
At Westminster Magistrates’ Court, Toney confirmed his name and age, and pleaded not guilty to a charge of assault occasioning actual bodily harm.
District Judge Briony Clarke said the case could be tried in the magistrates court, but Toney elected for a Crown Court trial in front of a judge and jury.
He was freed on unconditional bail until a hearing at Southwark Crown Court on 29th October.
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A Premier League player has been involved in a car crash near Hull City’s training ground weeks after a similar incident involving his teammate.
A black Mercedes, which Journalists understands belongs to midfielder Lucas Gourna-Douath, crashed on Millhouse Woods Lane in Cottingham, East Yorkshire.
Hull City said the club was aware of images circulating on social media following a road traffic accident near the training ground and can confirm that no one was harmed in the incident.
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OTHER LEAGUES
Germany Jurgen Klopp has earned his first win as Germany manager at the third attempt as they beat Serbia in the Nations League.
Klopp’s side had drawn with the Netherlands and then lost to Greece but a new-look team triumphed in Munich.
The ex-Liverpool boss had named a 44-man squad for the four games with most players changing over following the last match.
Tom Bischof smashed in Germany’s opener after Florian Wirtz had hit the post.
Liverpool’s Wirtz, who was impressive throughout, netted the second after a fantastic first touch in the box to give him space.
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Wales has claimed the most notable scalp of the Craig Bellamy era as they came from behind to end their winless run with a two-one Nations League triumph over ten-man Norway.
Bellamy’s team looked destined for a long night when Oscar Bobb poked Norway into an early lead at the Cardiff City Stadium.
But Wales deservedly levelled before half-time when Dan James swept in from Sorba Thomas’ cross.
Neco Williams ensured there was double punishment for Heggem’s foul, as he deceived Orjan Nyland with a clever free-kick which curled inside the Norway keeper’s right-hand post.
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Portugal fans got a look at what the post-Cristiano Ronaldo era might look like in their four-two Nations League victory over Denmark.
Joao Cancelo and Goncalo Ramos had twice given the visitors the lead with Mikkel Damsgaard and Rasmus Hojlund both levelling for Denmark.
Vitinha put Portugal ahead again with a header from Bruno Fernandes’ ball and Joao Felix added a late fourth in Copenhagen.
It was the first match since 41-year-old Ronaldo, the record goalscorer in men’s international football, left the camp after being put on the bench against Norway.
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Troy Parrott’s double was not enough to earn the Republic of Ireland a second straight win as Austria fought back to draw a Uefa Nations League game twice briefly interrupted by protests in the first half in Dublin.
Parrott opened the scoring with a superb solo effort before tennis balls were thrown on to the pitch in the 19th minute by those protesting the Republic of Ireland’s games against Israel.
Alexander Prass came off the bench to pull a goal back following a mistake from Republic of Ireland defender Liam Kitching before fellow substitute Michael Gregoritsch curled a free-kick past Caoimhin Kelleher to earn Austria a point that keeps Ralf Rangnick’s team top of Group B3.
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Belgium head coach Mark van Bommel has addressed Romelu Lukaku’s current role within the national team ahead of their UEFA Nations League clash against Turkey, making it clear that the country’s all-time leading scorer is not guaranteed a starting spot.
Speaking at a press conference, Van Bommel faced intense questioning regarding Lukaku’s limited minutes in recent fixtures against Italy and France.
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Northern Ireland manager Michael O’Neill says his side are in good shape ahead of their Nations League match against Ukraine in Slovakia.
O’Neill’s side beat Georgia one-nil in their opening match thanks to Shea Charles’ last-gasp winner, and held Hungary to a goalless draw in Belfast on Monday.
Despite looking tired in the closing stages of Monday’s draw, which came after a 5000-mile round trip to Tbilisi, O’Neill said that his squad was healthy and ready to go for the third game of the quadruple-header.
O’Neill conceded that Ukraine, who won one-nil in Hungary before a goalless draw with Georgia, are favourites to win on Friday but added his side thrive on the underdog tag.
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Manager Carlos Queiroz has released an emotional farewell statement after mutually parting ways with the Ghana Football Association as head coach of the Black Stars.
The Ghana Football Association confirmed that both parties have agreed to terminate his service agreement following discussions held in a spirit of mutual respect.
The decision comes just two days after Ghana suffered a shocking four-two home defeat to Gambia in the 2027 AFCON qualifiers at the Accra Sports Stadium, having surrendered a two-nil lead.
The defeat left Ghana bottom of Group C after an earlier two-nil loss to Ivory Coast.
Queiroz who was reappointed in September after leading Ghana to the Round of 32 at the 2026 World Cup, said it was not an easy decision.
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Lionel Messi has completed his purchase of Spanish second division club CD Eldense.
The deal is subject to regulatory approval and is the second Spanish club that Argentina great Messi has invested in, with the 39-year-old having bought Catalan side Cornella in April.
CD Eldense are 19th in the 22-team Spanish second division with one win and five points from their opening seven games.
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OTHER SPORTS
A game-worn jersey belonging to basketball legend Michael Jordan from Game 3 of the 1998 NBA Finals has sold at auction for nine point three million pounds, breaking the all-time record for a piece of Jordan memorabilia.
According to a report, The historic jersey, worn during his famous “Last Dance” final championship season with the Chicago Bulls, was sold by entrepreneur Ryan Gough through Pharrell Williams’ digital auction house, Joopiter.
The massive sum comfortably surpasses the previous record for Jordan memorabilia, which was set by his Game 1 jersey from the same 1998 Finals series that fetched seven point six million pounds.
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In Tennis, Men and women will receive equal prize money at all combined one thousand m events, the highest level of competition outside of the Grand Slams – from next year, the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) has announced.
Events at Indian Wells, California, Miami, Madrid and Beijing already met that commitment, as well as all four Grand Slams.
However, the Italian Open, Canadian Open and Cincinnati Open will now also fall into line to meet a long-standing aim of the WTA, at events where men and women both feature.
The WTA has also announced adjustments to the calendar to give players greater flexibility
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In Cricket, England have avoided defending champions Australia and world number one-ranked side India in the group-stage draw for the 2027 ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup.
India and Pakistan are, once again, placed in the same group, alongside Australia, Afghanistan, Zimbabwe and a qualifier.
England, who won the trophy in 2019, are in the same group as co-hosts South Africa, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, New Zealand and a qualifier.
Harry Brook’s side, who have enjoyed a resurgence in the 50-over format, begin their campaign against Bangladesh on 8th October, and Sri Lanka on 13th October in Windhoek, Namibia.
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In Formula one, George Russell says he does not feel lost any more as he seeks to end a difficult season on a high and chase down team-mate Kimi Antonelli’s championship lead.
Russell won his third race of the season in Azerbaijan last weekend, and his first for three months, and says he has made a breakthrough in terms of understanding how to drive the Mercedes car.
The Briton trails Antonelli by 66 points in the championship with either seven or eight races still remaining.
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In Rugby, Leicester Tigers head coach Geoff Parling says there is a beauty in defensive rugby that can be lost among the avalanche of tries being scored in the Prem.
There were a record 52 tries scored on the opening weekend of the campaign, with nine out of ten teams scoring at least twenty-four points.
A record number of points piled up across the five top-flight matches.
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TODAY’S FIXTURES
IN UEFA NATIONS LEAGUE
Belgium vs Turkey
France vs Italy
Cyprus vs Armenia
Latvia vs Montenegro
Hungary vs Georgia
Ukraine vs Northern Ireland
Bosnia-Herzegovina vs Sweden
Poland vs Romania
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ON SATURDAY
Finland vs Albania
North Macedonia vs Scotland
Switzerland vs Slovenia
Croatia vs England
Spain vs Czech Republic
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FOOD FOR THOUGHT.
