No fewer than 120 football clubs from across Nigeria are set to compete in the 2026 AfriSportPro Youth League, as organisers intensify efforts to strengthen grassroots football development and create professional pathways for young talents.

Beyond the competition, it also noted that the league would provide opportunities for professional scouting, club recruitment, sponsorship activation, community engagement, coach development and international football partnerships.

 

The Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of AfriSportPro, Chukwuebuka Ugwu, disclosed this in Abuja, during a press briefing ahead of the commencement of the second edition of the competition.

 

Ugwu said the league, which will kick off on July 23 with the Kano conference at the Sani Abacha Stadium, will feature more than 3,000 under-19 players drawn from 10 states across Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones.

 

He described the competition as one of Africa’s largest structured youth football leagues, designed to identify and nurture young talents through a professionally organised and technology-driven platform.

 

Ugwu said: “I’m happy to be kicking off this 2026 season after our successful inaugural season in 2025. It’s really a great feeling to get to this point despite every challenge along the way. We aim to consistently organise this league every year while adding more states as we go.

 

“Our vision is to build not just Nigeria’s but Africa’s leading structured youth football ecosystem. Every young player deserves a pathway to opportunity, and AfriSportPro exists to ensure talent is discovered through structure, performance data and meaningful exposure rather than chance.”

 

According to him, the league will leverage technology to improve talent identification through match recording, player performance analysis, digital player profiles and digital scouting systems that will provide credible performance data for clubs and scouts.

 

Ugwu explained that the Kano Conference would officially launch the 2026 season, while conferences in the remaining participating states would commence in phases, with dates to be announced subsequently.

 

He said the season would culminate in the AfriSportPro National Championship, where the best teams from the various conferences would compete for national honours.

 

He added that the tournament is expected to attract grassroots football clubs, football academies, FIFA-licensed agents, professional clubs, scouts, corporate sponsors, football enthusiasts and government stakeholders committed to youth sports development.

 

According to him, AfriSportPro remains committed to creating a sustainable football development structure that bridges the gap between grassroots football and the professional game while giving young Nigerian footballers greater visibility both locally and internationally.