The Men’s Football Category of the Sigma Sports Festival kicked off on Monday, August 31, 2026 with 16 football teams.
As against the typical groups A-D we have become used to in past editions, 2026 saw the adoption of a modified mini-version of the UEFA Champions League format. Each team played three matches, and the top eight teams in the combined league table have now advanced to the quarter-finals.
Matchday One
TomTom FC, the defending champions of the competition, played against Forza FC to kick off the competition. A first-half goal by Mujeeb, a Forza FC player, gave his team the lead. The match was seemingly in Forza’s favour until the final minutes, when Malik pulled off an equaliser for TomTom FC; and although they kept fighting to complete a comeback, a wasted last-minute free kick meant the game ended as a draw.
FC Galacticos and Samba Boys set their feet on the Old SUB pitch for the second match of Matchday One. A direct free-kick goal by Al-ameen gave FC Galacticos the lead going into half-time as Samba Boys continued to squander goal-scoring opportunities. On resuming the second half, Shina scored to give FC Galacticos a stronger foothold on the game before a few minutes later, Timilehin, a Galacticos’ defender added a third. And there was still time for more as five minutes to the end of the match, Gbolahan dribbled past the Samba Boys’ defenders to add another goal for his team. FC Galacticos recorded their first win in the competition, scoring four goals and earning themselves a clean sheet.
DA-EBS FC defeated Imperial FC 2-0 in the third and last match of the day after two Ifeoluwa goals in the second and last minutes of either halves respectively.
Matchday Two
Matchday two kicked off between Vipers FC and Tech Road FC on Tuesday, September 1. After multiple failed attempts at goal from Vipers FC in the first half, they finally got their win in the last minutes of the second half after Toheeb, Tech Road FC’s player, committed an own goal.
Epic Alliance showed attacking prowess in the second match of Matchday two against Valiente CF — with more of theball being played in their opponent’s half — but Valiente continued to show good defensive composure. In the end, the attacking power of Epic Alliance couldn’t produce any tangible result before Al-Azeem, a substitute for Valiente, scored in the second half, helping his team secure all three points.
Aquilas and United Superstars FC (USFC) delivered a thrilling match in the third face-off of the day. Yusuf scored for USFC in the first half, and a few minutes later, Aquilas’ Ammar responded to the pressure to bring the game back level. The second half resumed, and a rebounded free kick was headed in by Patrick to put USFC ahead again. With continued effort and a growing performance, USFC’s Opeadura also put another goal into Aquilas’ net, extending his team’s lead to two goals. However, Robert converted a penalty kick for Aquilas towards the end of the match, before the referee sounded the final whistle at 3-2 to USFC.
Matchday Three
On Wednesday, September 2, DA-EBS faced off against Forza FC. DA-EBS missed a penalty in the first half but Victor scored in the second half to give them the win and six points.
The second match of the day, a fate-deciding one, was between TomTom FC and Imperial FC — the former, who must win to signal its presence in the competition as the defending champions, and the latter, who, having lost their first match, must secure at least a point to keep their hopes of qualifying alive. And it would be TomTom to hit first, through a Stephen header in the first half. TomTom FC continued to show great enthusiasm and had a second goal ruled out by the referee, who called for a foul in the buildup. Imperial’s Malik, however, punished an error in TomTom’s backline with a goal, but this was only short-lived and Abdullahi soon struck to give his team the lead again. That marked the second loss and end of the road for Imperial FC having scored just one goal and conceded four.
In the third match of the day, AAH Rangers took all three points with a win over Black Titans thanks to a header from Alfapol in the second half. The last match, and fourth for the day, was between Starlight FC and SFA; it ended as a goalless draw, the first of such so far in the competition.
Matchday Four
On Thursday, September 3, Tech Road FC got their first win in the Sigma competition against Aquilas FC. It was a second loss for Aquilas, coming from the single goal scored by David for Tech Road. In the second match, a first-half goal by Kevwe put United Superstars FC ahead of Vipers FC. In the second half, however, USFC couldn’t maintain their composure as they kept committing multiple fouls, which ended up earning Vipers FC a penalty. Abiola went up to take the penalty and wasted no time in putting the ball past the goalkeeper, and the match ended 1-1.
The second goalless draw of the competition came between Valiente and FC Galacticos in the third match of Matchday four. The result took the total points of both teams to four points each; with one match apiece yet to be played. Epic Alliance dominated Samba Boys, securing a four goals to nil victory in the last match of the day, including three first-half goals, one a penalty, and one goal in the second half. Samba Boys are the worst team defensively, as they have now conceded eight goals and not scored any yet.
Matchday Five
TomTom FC and DA-EBS, with four and six points respectively, faced off in the first match of Matchday five and their last in the group stage. A direct freekick goal in the first half and a penalty goal in the second half were all TomTom FC needed to take their total points in the competition to seven.
In the other matches, a last-minute equaliser by SFA earned them a point against AAH Rangers in the second match of the day, which ended 1-1. The third match of the day was won by Black Titans against Starlight FC with just a single goal in the first half.
The match between Forza FC and Imperial couldn’t be held because neither team showed up. The match was rescheduled to Monday, September 7, which neither of them graced, and they were awarded zero points.
Matchday Six
On Saturday, September 5, Epic Alliance, on three points, faced Galatcicos on four points in their last match in the group stage. Primus of Epic Alliance scored the first goal to give his team an early lead, but just a few minutes before the end of the first half, Azeez equalised for Galacticos. In the second half, Primus scored his second goal of the day and the match ended 2-1 in favour of Epic Alliance, and the League table started to take shape before its final form.
In the second match of the day, Vipers FC and Aquillas FC ended their game in a one-goal draw. Afterwards, having suffered two consecutive losses, Samba Boys didn’t show up against Valiente FC, giving the latter three free points and bringing their total to seven. In the last match of Matchday six, Tech Road defeated United Superstars with one goal from Semiu.
Matchday Seven
On Sunday, September 6, Black Titans faced SFA in the penultimate match of the group stage. A first-half goal from SFA and a second-half equaliser by Black Titans sealed the match as a 1-1 draw.
In the last group stage match, Starlight FC, with one point so far in the competition, locked horns with AAH Rangers, with four points. Although confusion in Rangers’ backline led to an early goal for Starlight FC, AAH Rangers were able to equalise before the first half ended. Afterwards, two second-half goals sealed the win for AAH Rangers and they finished with seven points, ranking second on the table with a +3 goal difference, just behind Valiente FC, also with seven points, but with a +4 goal difference.
Qualified Teams for the Quarter-finals
Valiente FC: 7P, +4 GD
AAH Rangers: 7P, +3 GD
TomTom FC : 7P, +3 GD
Epic Alliance: 6P, +4 GD
DA-EBS FC : 6P, +1 GD
TechRoad FC: 6P, +1 GD
Vipers FC: 5P, +1 GD
The defending champions TomTom are through to the next round, while rivals and serial winners SFA, who have the most titles in Sigma Cup history, failed to make it out of the group stages for the first time.
Omoyemi Adeoye Abdulgafar
