Veterans, newcomers clash as 1xCup 2025 play-in round heats up

Football fans across Nigeria are in for a thrilling midweek spectacle as the 1xCup 2025 play-in round reaches its peak with four must-watch matches scheduled for Wednesday, July 17.

As Nigeria’s biggest amateur football tournament gathers momentum, the spotlight is firmly on the intense face-offs between seasoned campaigners and ambitious debutants.

The play-in round, which features 64 teams battling for a coveted spot in the group stage, has already delivered drama and upsets.

Only 16 teams will advance to join last year’s top four – FC BETHEL Academy, Community Gunners FC, Emaljus FC, and Emiloju FC – who earned automatic qualification based on their 2024 performance.

Thursday's matches are expected to be explosive with Young Strikers FC taking on Fortune FC.

In other fixtures, ECAS FC will face Edunz FC, Great Olympics FC will battle Africano FC for a place in the semi-final just as Delites FC and ISGAT Athletic FC will lock horns.

These games are more than just a fight for qualification—they are battles of experience vs raw ambition.

Young Strikers FC, Great Olympics FC, and Delites FC are veterans of past 1xCup editions.

They are hoping to use their tournament know-how to navigate the tricky play-in round.

But they face bold opposition in Fortune FC, Africano FC, and ISGAT Athletic FC—three fearless newcomers eager to make their mark and shake up the order.

"Matches like these always excite fans because anything can happen," said a 1xCup analyst. "You can’t rely on past glory.

In knockout football, it's about who delivers on the day."

Indeed, the tournament has already seen shocking exits.

Last year’s quarter-finalists Dominion Hotspur FC were knocked out, and China Sunstar FC, who featured in the 2024 group stage, have also crashed out.

Even top-eight sides from the previous edition found qualification tricky, underlining the fierce competition at this year’s play-in stage.

One of the most evenly matched games is expected to be ECAS FC vs Edunz FC—two newcomers who had to overcome intense competition just to register for the tournament. Now, only one of them will move forward.

Fans are encouraged to pick their sides and back their favorites on the https://1xCup.ng platform, which is accepting wagers on the 1xCup 2025 matches.

Whether you support the tried-and-tested or you’re rooting for the underdogs, one thing is certain—July 17 promises drama, passion, and potentially historic moments in Nigeria’s top grassroots football showdown.

Ifeanyi Emmanuel