No fewer than 168 promising young footballers, aged between 13 and 15, participated in the second phase of the Next Gen Drafts held at the Mobolaji Johnson Stadium, Lagos, as part of the EA SPORTS FC FUTURES grassroots initiative.
The programme, designed to blend competition, structured coaching and life-changing opportunities, brought together boys and girls from diverse backgrounds to showcase their talents in a professionally structured environment.
Participants competed in high-intensity 5-a-side Rush matches inspired by the EA SPORTS FC 26 video game, before progressing into a tailored development pathway.
This included personalised coaching sessions delivered by LALIGA UEFA Pro-licensed coaches, focusing on technical improvement, discipline, teamwork and character development.
The programme culminated in an 11-a-side match against a local team, providing selectors with the opportunity to assess standout players under full match conditions.
At the end of the event, eight exceptional players — four boys and four girls — were selected to attend an exclusive LALIGA training camp in Madrid, Spain. The selection was based not only on footballing ability, but also on values such as commitment, effort, discipline and teamwork.
The selected boys are Samuel Okon, Timothy Ijachi, Idris Noah and Joseph Uloko, while the girls are Tosin Rafiu, Amaka Ibegbu, Rodiat Yusuf and Sanni Aishat.
Speaking on the impact of the initiative, Africa Managing Director, Tresor Penku, described the Nigerian edition as a powerful example of football’s ability to create opportunities and drive social impact.
“The event in Nigeria demonstrated how football can create meaningful opportunities for young people and their communities across Africa,” Penku said.
“Through the Next Gen Drafts and our partnership with EA SPORTS FC, we are not only identifying talented players but also providing elite training, values-based education and transformative experiences.
“Nigeria has shown exceptional passion, quality and commitment, underlining the importance of sustained investment in grassroots football as a catalyst for long-term development across Africa.”
The Next Gen Drafts programme will continue its global rollout with upcoming editions in Japan (March 13–15), Morocco (March 27–29) and China (April 17–19), following the same format used in Mexico and Nigeria.
At each stop, eight selected players will travel to Spain on an all-expenses-paid trip, joining a final international group of 32 young talents — eight drawn from each host country — for advanced training under the LALIGA development framework.
