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By Rasaq Oboirien
African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank), through its Creative Africa Nexus (CANEX) programme, and TopTier Sports Management, What Media Group, have announced plans for a landmark Legends Football Match as a cornerstone event of the CANEX WKND 2026 programme.
The Legends Football Match, scheduled for 8 November 2026 at Onikan Stadium, Lagos, will bring together football icons from Africa and beyond.
The event celebrates the 30th anniversary of the legendary mid-1990s Super Eagles squad—commemorating their historic 1994 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) triumph, 1994 FIFA World Cup run, and their defining 1996 Olympic Gold medal in Atlanta.
As part of CANEX WKND 2026—Afreximbank’s flagship platform for advancing Africa’s creative and cultural industries—the match will showcase the link between sports, entertainment, and the broader creative economy.
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The event is expected to attract significant interest from football fans, the creative community and the wider public, with local and international media also attending.
Speaking during the press conference, Temwa Gondwe, Director of Creatives and Diaspora at Afreximbank, said: “The 1996 Super Eagles did more than win Olympic gold; they rewrote the global narrative, proving to the world that African talent is an unstoppable force. Today, the intersection of sports, entertainment, and culture is the heartbeat of Africa’s creative economy. The Legends Game is more than a celebration of our glorious past – it is a strategic and formidable platform to discuss the future commercialisation and empowerment of African athletes and creatives globally.”
Chichi Nwoko, Founder and CEO of TopTier Sports Management, What Media Group, responsible for the planning and execution of the Legends Football Games, said, “Thirty years ago, a generation of Nigerian footballers showed the world what African talent was capable of. The Legends Football Game is our way of saying thank you to them, and our chance to ask harder questions: what are we building for this generation and the next? We want to build the infrastructure that lets African athletes turn a playing career into a lasting one, on and off the field; this huge gap must be addressed. That’s what this partnership with Afreximbank seeks to achieve.”
The Legends Football Match will also contribute to the broader CANEX WKND 2026 objective of positioning Lagos as a leading destination for Africa’s creative industries and demonstrating the power of major cultural and entertainment events to drive economic activity, tourism, investment, and international engagement.
