Two of the 16 Nigeria’ s Premier League clubs in the Round of 64 will be eliminated by the time the Federation Cup gets to the next round.
This is owing to the none application of seeding which would have seen the top flight clubs moving to the next sage which would also sustain interests.
Virtually all top flight football competitions and even other sports employ seeding to sustain great interests.
By the draw for what is the premier national clubs competition in Nigeria, reigning league champions and Nigeria’s only remaining flag-bearers in African club competitions this year, Rivers United FC will be up against two-time CAF Champions League winners Enyimba FC of Aba in what is indisputably the star match of Round of 64 of this year’s Federation Cup competition.
Thus by Round of 32, one of the big names in Nigeria will have to be eliminated. Similarly, the 2020/21 Nigerian champions, Akwa United are pitched against Wikki Tourists of Bauchi in another match-up that will see the depletion of premier league sides in the Federation Cup.
That is the highlight of the draw held inside the NFF Secretariat on Wednesday. For years, the oldest national competition in the country has lost glamour as big teams have had to clash at the early round of the competition while the lower rated teams revelled and often navigate to the finals and often pick tickets to represent the country at the second-tier continental clubs’ competition – the CAF Confederation Cup.
The women’s Round of 32 fixtures were also drawn on Wednesday, with Rivers Angels of Port Harcourt up against Golden Sun of Bayelsa State and Naija Ratels of FCT to play Adamawa Queens
All Round of 64 matches in the men’s competition and Round of 32 matches in the women’s competition will hold on Wednesday, 26 April.
The Round of 32 matches in the men’s competition have been scheduled for Wednesday, 3 May, with the Round of 16 on Wednesday, 10 May. Quarter final matches are to take place on Wednesday, 17 May.
The semi-finals of both competitions will come up on Wednesday, 24 May with the men’s and women’s grand finale on Saturday, 27 May.
ALL THE ROUND OF 64 FIXTURES (MEN)
- Heartland FC (Imo) vs Jedo FC (Sokoto)
- Bayelsa United (Bayelsa) Vs Essien Ayi FC (Cross River)
- Ahudiya FC (Abia) Vs Jigawa Golden Stars (Jigawa)
- ABS FC (Kwara) Vs Bendel Insurance FC (Edo)
- Standard FC (Kaduna) Vs Ekiti United (Ekiti)
- FC Basira (Nasarawa) Vs Sunshine Stars (Ondo)
- EFCC FC (FCT) Vs Katukan Tsafe FC (Zamfara)
- Wikki Tourists (Bauchi) Vs Akwa United FC (Akwa Ibom)
- Warri Wolves (Delta) Vs Beyond Limit FC (Ogun)
- 3SC (Oyo) Vs Adamimogo FC (Ondo)
- Mighty Jets (Plateau) Vs Niger Tornadoes Feeders (Niger)
- Malumfashi FC (Katsina) Vs Gombe United (Gombe)
- Osun United (Osun) Vs Katsina United (Katsina)
- Bendel Insurance Feeders (Edo) Vs Maikunkele FC (Niger)
- Cynosure FC (Ebonyi) Vs Kano Pillars Jnr (Kano)
- Lobi Stars (Benue) Vs FC One Rocket (Akwa Ibom)
- Jama United (Zamfara) Vs Plateau United (Plateau)
- Rivers United (Rivers) Vs Enyimba FC (Abia)
- Ingas FC (Enugu) Vs Novia FC (Adamawa)
- El-Kanemi Warriors (Borno) Vs De Cardinal FC (Rivers)
- Nasarawa United (Nasarawa) Vs Kebbi United (Kebbi)
- DMD FC (Borno) Vs ABJ FC (Bauchi)
- Ikorodu City (Lagos) Vs Crusader FC (Bayelsa)
- Gateway United (Ogun) Vs Kwara United (Kwara)
- FC Ebedei (Ekiti) Vs Hope of Glory FC (Cross River)
- Yobe Desert Stars (Yobe) Vs Igbajo FC (Osun)
- Adamawa United (Adamawa) Vs Rangers Int’l (Enugu)
- Ilaji FC (Oyo) Vs Kano Pillars (Kano)
- Green Berets FC (Kaduna) Vs FR Ebunuja (Imo)
- Ozalla FC (Anambra) Vs Doma United (Gombe)
- Kogi United Feeders (Kogi) Vs Edel FC (Anambra)
- Mailantarki FC (FCT) Vs kogi United (Kogi)
ALL THE ROUND OF 32 FIXTURES (WOMEN)
- Bayelsa Queens (Bayelsa) Vs Maureen Mmadu KFC (Anambra)
- Akwa Angels (Akwa Ibom) Vs Dannaz Ladies (Lagos)
- Owo Itan FC (Akwa Ibom) Vs Fortress FC (Edo)
- Honey Badgers (Benue) Vs Kada FC (Kaduna)
- Heartland Queens (Imo) Vs Confluence Queens (Kogi)
- Lakeside FC (Ogun) Vs Kwara Ladies (Kwara)
- Sunshine Queens (Ondo) Vs Edo Queens (Edo)
- Maureen Mmadu KFC (Abia) Vs Green Foot (Enugu)
- FC Robo (Lagos) Vs Immaculate Queens (Enugu)
- First Mah FC (Imo) Vs Royal Queens (Delta)
- Nasarawa Amazons (Nasarawa) Vs Gallant FC (Kaduna)
- Naija Ratels (FCT) Vs Adamawa Queens (Adamawa)
- Rivers Angels (Rivers) Vs Golden Sun FC (Bayelsa)
- Osun Babes (Osun) Vs Awka Angels (Anambra)
- Ekiti Queens (Ekiti) Vs Moje Queens (Kwara)
- Paul E. FC (FCT) Vs Delta Queens (Delta)