Interest is surging ahead of the Victor Ikpeba 5-A-Side Football Challenge, where organisers have boosted the prize pool for the Lagos 2026 instalment to N1 million (one million naira), underlining how high the tournament stakes have become.
With the expanded funding in place, the champions will collect N500,000, an improvement on last year’s N300,000. The runners-up are set to earn N250,000, while teams finishing third and fourth will receive N150,000 and N100,000 respectively.
Backing for the initiative comes from Bet9ja alongside Victor Ikpeba, who stated that the prize money has been increased with the aim of drawing more young players into the competition.
“This is our own way of contributing to keeping young people engaged and away from the streets, with something real and tangible. We’ve increased the prize money to make the competition even more exciting. I believe this adjustment will add value to the tournament as a whole. We’re taking it step by step, and we’ll continue to grow and broaden the event by the grace of God,” Ikpeba said in Lagos.
Matches are scheduled for the Community Centre on Fujiah Street in Surulere. The sixth edition will run through to June 12, marking the birthday of Victor Ikpeba, the 1997 African Footballer of the Year.
Already, eight teams from the Shitta/Akerele/Masha area have been confirmed for the event, with the organisers continuing to finalise the venue details and other arrangements ahead of the tournament’s featured grand finale.
