The 2025 edition of the Digital Scouting Africa U-20 Championship concluded in Lagos on Wednesday, 12 June, with Divine Praise Football Club emerging as champions after a tense final against Smart City at the Inspire Sports Arena in Cappa, Oshodi.

The match ended goalless in regulation time and was decided by a sudden-death penalty shootout, capping off four days of highly competitive grassroots football. The final brought the curtain down on a tournament that featured ten U-20 teams drawn from across Nigeria and West Africa.

Group A included Inspired SA, Divine Praise, Super Accurate, Samjason FC, and defending champions Super Stars, winners of the 2024 edition held in Ijebu Ode, while Group B comprised Smart City, Ikorodu City, Africa’s Elite, MKA FC, and Soleil FC — a side representing the Republic of Benin and the only non-Nigerian team in the tournament.

Organised by Tosmicom Sports Agency, the event served both as a competition and a scouting platform for emerging footballers, with matches closely watched by talent scouts, agents, and football stakeholders from across Europe and West Africa. This year’s tournament also featured a U-17 Talent Showcase, which included young sides such as Team 360, Ablaze FA, Inspire U-17, Goal Getter, and F8 Ballers, offering a glimpse into Nigeria’s footballing future.

The final between Divine Praise and Smart City was a tightly contested affair, with both sides creating chances but unable to break the deadlock in normal time. In the resulting shootout, Divine Praise held their nerve to claim the title.

The award ceremony was presided over by the Technical Adviser of Shooting Stars Sports Club and attended by several football dignitaries. Among the international guests were Milos Manojlovic, scouting adviser to the Sporting Director of Red Star Belgrade; Rhema Obed, a former Arsenal youth player and ex-Rapid Bucharest midfielder turned scout for European clubs; and Jeremiah Ogaga, a FIFA-licensed player agent based in Poland. Also present were Sanmi Doherty, chairman of Ikorodu City FC, and Anjorin Musharaf, former president of the Benin Republic Football Federation, who accompanied Soleil FC.

Speaking after the final, Adebayo Samuel Oluwasegun, founder of Tosmicom Sports and Digital Scouting Africa, described the tournament as a success and reiterated the agency’s commitment to youth development. He noted that the competition had showcased the depth of untapped football talent across the continent.

Plans are already underway for the next phases of the project, including the Digital Scouting Africa Championship 2.1 and potential editions in other West African countries. There is also a proposed Under-16 tournament to be held across four geopolitical zones in Nigeria, as part of a broader push to deepen grassroots development and international exposure for young players.
As the competition ends, attention now turns to how clubs, scouts, and national selectors will follow up on the talent unearthed over the past week in Oshodi.