Nigeria’s football legends rolled back the years in Lagos, defeating Team Africa 2-1 in a star-studded Legends Football Game organised by TopTier Sports Management to bring CANEX WKND 2026 to a memorable close.

Played at the Mobolaji Johnson Arena, Onikan, the encounter reunited members of Nigeria’s celebrated football generation with some of Africa’s biggest names, in a celebration of the players who helped establish Nigeria as a continental football powerhouse.

The event marked 30 years since Nigeria’s historic Olympic gold medal triumph at Atlanta 1996, while also celebrating the legacy of the Super Eagles generation that won the 1994 Africa Cup of Nations in Tunisia. 

Nigeria paraded a formidable line-up featuring Austin ‘Jay-Jay’ Okocha, Samson Siasia, Daniel Amokachi, Finidi George, Mutiu Adepoju, Garba Lawal, Victor Ikpeba and Austin Eguavoen.

Team Africa, meanwhile, brought together a collection of continental icons, including former Ghana defender Samuel Kuffour, Cameroon’s Alex Song, Ivorian stars Salomon Kalou and Didier Zokora, Senegal’s El-Hadji Diouf and former Ghana captain Stephen Appiah.

Nigeria eventually had the final say, winning 2-1, with Victor Ikpeba opening the scoring before National Sports Commission Chairman Shehu Dikko struck the decisive goal to seal victory for the home legends. 

For TopTier Sports Management CEO Chichi Nwoko, the occasion represented the fulfilment of an idea that began with a conversation about bringing football into the CANEX WKND programme.

“I am fulfilled and glad that we had an opportunity to bring Africa to Lagos,” Nwoko said.

She explained that the initiative grew from discussions with the Vice President of Afreximbank, alongside her passion for sport and the support of Bet9ja Chairman Kunle Soname.

“It was perfect timing, a perfect storm to really celebrate and remember the legacy of Nigeria as the kings of football 30 years after 1996,” she said.

The match was more than an exhibition game. It was a reunion of a generation whose achievements remain deeply embedded in Nigeria’s sporting history, while also creating an opportunity to celebrate African football beyond national boundaries.

Nwoko expressed appreciation to the participating legends, the Federal Government, the National Sports Commission, the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment and Bet9ja for supporting the initiative.

“I want to thank the legends for coming out. We thank the Nigerian government, the National Sports Commission, the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment. Thank you to Bet9ja. CANEX WKND has been wonderful,” she said.

Organised by TopTier Sports Management in collaboration with Bet9ja, the Legends Football Game was also designed to draw attention to the welfare of former athletes and the need to create meaningful opportunities for sports personalities beyond their playing careers.

The football celebration formed part of the wider CANEX WKND 2026 programme, which brought together creatives, investors, policymakers and cultural figures from across Africa and the diaspora in Lagos. 

Earlier in the day, the organisers also held a football development clinic involving about 500 young players, extending the event’s impact beyond the legends themselves and connecting Nigeria’s celebrated past with the next generation. 

As the final whistle sounded at Onikan, Nigeria had secured another memorable victory but the biggest winner was African football, as its legends returned to the pitch to remind a new generation of the legacy they built.