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It’s been a whirlwind week in the world of sports, both at home and abroad! Nigerian football dominated the headlines with Troost-Ekong’s retirement following the release of the Super Eagles’ provisional squad for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON).

The FIFA World Cup draw, Real Madrid’s renewed interest in Osimhen, and the disturbing assault on Terem Moffi by Nice fans also kept people talking.

On the domestic front, Edo State has been confirmed to host the next Niger Delta Games, while in the US, Lionel Messi reached yet another remarkable milestone as the sports action rolled on.

First 11 — the weekly recap of the biggest stories in sports— brings you the major talking points from the world of games this week. 

Troost-Ekong  retires

Topping the headlines in Nigerian football was defender Troost-Ekong’s retirement from international football, which took many fans by surprise. The former Watford man leaves the Super Eagles just three weeks ahead of the 2025 AFCON. He had 83 caps for the three-time African champions, having started playing for them in 2015. 

Super Eagles AFCON Provisional list

His sudden exit comes as Nigeria finalise their preparations for the AFCON, marked by the release of a provisional 54-man squad list for the competition. Regulars like Victor Osimhen, Ademola Lookman, Calvin Bassey, Alex Iwobi, Simon Moses, among others, were included. Some returnees included Kelechi Iheanacho, Francis Uzoho, and Taiwo Awoniyi. The Super Eagles will begin camp on December 10 ahead of the tournament, which starts 11 days later. 

AFCON: FIFA Gives Clubs More Time

As the AFCON draws closer, FIFA says it will give clubs until December 15 to release players for the competition. 

Top European clubs such as Mohamed Salah’s Liverpool, Bryan Mbeumo’s Manchester United, and Achraf  Hakimi’s Paris Saint-Germain, among others, face losing key players for up to five weeks for the 24-nation tournament in Morocco from December 21 to January 18. But they had feared it could be even longer until FIFA amended its rules to soften the blow for clubs by delaying the release date by a week.

READ ALSO: Brazil Have ‘Difficult’ World Cup Group With Morocco, Says Ancelotti

World Cup: Spain, Argentina Get Kind Draws

Though Nigerian stories dominated the headlines, the World Cup draw got global attention. The ceremony in Washington featured some intriguing matchups, setting the tone for an exciting tournament in the US, Canada, and Mexico. The opener will be South Africa and co-hosts Mexico. 

FIFA Mulls  New VAR Rule

During the competition, FIFA, the world football ruling body, said it will try VAR reviews for corner kicks.  The decision was made during an October meeting of the International Football Association Board (IFAB). It said VAR will now be expanded to cover wrongly issued second yellow cards that led to red cards.

Real Madrid Renews Interest in Osimhen

Meanwhile, Real Madrid has renewed interest in signing Nigerian forward Victor Osimhen to bolster their attack. 

Ex-Super Eagles coach and captain, Sunday Oliseh, sparked discussions about Osimhen’s potential move to the Spanish capital, citing credible sources in the Galacticos. According to him, the Galatasaray striker is seen as a possible replacement for Brazilian star Vinicius, who is expected to leave Real Madrid this summer. 

OGC Nice Fans Assault Moffi 

Osimhen’s compatriot and Super Eagles teammate, Terem Moffi, was on the receiving end of an assault by fans of French club Nice. The 26-year-old was reportedly beaten and spat on, alongside Ivorian star Jeremie Boga, following a 3-1 loss to FC Lorient, a defeat that added to their poor form this season. 

McGregor’s Sexual Assault Case Dropped

Away from football, a US woman who accused Conor McGregor of sexually assaulting her at an NBA basketball game has dropped her lawsuit against the Irish mixed martial arts fighter. The 37-year-old, one of Ultimate Fighting Championship’s most famous and bankable fighters, had denied the allegations of sexual battery following a 2023 Miami Heat game.

Messi Reaches Historic Milestone

Still in the US, Lionel Messi became the all-time assists leader after reaching 405 in Inter Miami’s win over New York City. He assisted Tadeo Allende to hit the milestone and surpassed the legendary Ferenc Puskas’s tally of 404. 

Edo To host Niger Delta Games

On the home front, Edo State has been confirmed as the host for the Niger Delta Games. The Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) said the South-South state will host the event billed for next year. Akwa Ibom hosted the first edition in April. Nine states, including Edo, Imo, Cross River, Ondo, and Rivers, participated in the maiden edition. The rest were Abia, Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, and Delta.

Nnadozie’s Super Save!

Nigerian women’s football continues its global rise as Super Falcons’ goalkeeper, Chiamaka Nnadozie, won the English Women’s Super League Save of the Month for November 2025. She got the recognition for her acrobatic save in her clubside Brighton and Hove’s 1-1 draw with Liverpool. The Nigerian tipped Fuka Ngano’s effort onto the crossbar before the ball went out of play. 

The path to glory at the 2026 World Cup has now been laid out after the contenders discovered their tournament fate at Friday’s draw ceremony in Washington, which Donald Trump dominated.

The US President received FIFA’s new peace prize on stage at the Kennedy Center before the draw for the first 48-team World Cup, which offered kind starts to the tournament for holders Argentina and, in particular, the much-fancied Spain.

While the make-up of the groups was revealed along with the potential path through the knockout rounds for all the potential winners, the precise schedule for the competition will only be confirmed later Saturday.

FIFA president Gianni Infantino will unveil the venues and kick-off times for all games from 1700 GMT, after which the teams will be able to focus on fine-tuning their preparations with barely six months left until the World Cup kicks off on June 11.

Lionel Messi’s Argentina begin their defense of the trophy they won in Qatar in 2022 by facing Algeria, and will also play Austria and debutants Jordan in Group J.

Reigning European champions Spain will kick off their campaign against first-time qualifiers Cape Verde before also taking on Uruguay and Saudi Arabia in Group H.

“We want to do something big at this World Cup, and that means making sure we do well in the group stage, then carrying on from there,” said Spain coach Luis de la Fuente.

Thomas Tuchel’s England, seeking to win a first World Cup since 1966, will be expected to top Group L ahead of 2018 finalists Croatia, Ghana, and Panama.

Two-time winners France face awkward tests against Senegal and Erling Haaland’s Norway in Group I, which will be completed by a play-off winner from either Iraq, Bolivia or Suriname.

For the first time, the draw was done in such a way as to ensure the four highest-ranked nations were kept apart — Spain, Argentina, France, and England cannot meet before the semi-finals, if all top their groups.

– ‘Can’t Get Carried Away’ –

However, the path to that stage — with an extra knockout round now following the group phase — looks perilous.

If the top seeds all win their groups, England could find themselves playing co-hosts Mexico in Mexico City in the last 16 and then Brazil in the quarter-finals, before a semi against Argentina.

Other possible match-ups include France and Germany being on a last-16 collision course and a potential meeting between Messi’s Argentina and Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal in the quarter-finals.

“You cannot get carried away with building your way with who you are going to meet if you win the group, if you are second, or whatever,” insisted Tuchel. “You just focus on the group, this is what you do.”

The tournament will be held across the USA, Mexico, and Canada from June 11 to July 19, with 16 more teams added to the global showpiece, up from the 32 nations involved in 2022.

While the US will host most matches, including the final at MetLife Stadium outside New York, three of the 16 venues will be in Mexico and two in Canada.

The opening game sees Mexico play South Africa at the Estadio Azteca in Mexico City.

The host nations have experienced turbulent relations since Trump came to power, but he brushed that aside on Friday.

“We’ve worked closely with those two countries, and the coordination and friendship and relationship have been outstanding,” Trump said after receiving his peace prize from Infantino.

READ ALSO: Trump Wins FIFA’s Inaugural Peace Prize

– ‘Like 104 Super Bowls’ –

Carlo Ancelotti’s Brazil and surprise 2022 semi-finalists Morocco will meet in Group C, which also features Scotland and Haiti — Scotland and Brazil will meet for the fifth time at a World Cup.

Germany’s opponents in Group E will be Ivory Coast, Ecuador, and Caribbean minnows Curacao, while Portugal face Uzbekistan, Colombia, and a play-off winner.

The United States got a manageable draw, with Paraguay, Australia, and a European play-off winner in Group D.

“Our first game is the final of the World Cup. And the second needs to be the final of the World Cup. That is the mentality, the mindset that we want to build,” said USA coach Mauricio Pochettino.

The top two teams in each group advance to the last 32, joined by the eight best third-placed teams.

“It will be the greatest World Cup ever,” Infantino claimed. “This is like 104 Super Bowls in one month — this is the magnitude of what we are organizing.”

Brazil coach Carlo Ancelotti reflected on a “difficult” group after being paired with surprise 2022 semi-finalists Morocco at the 2026 World Cup draw on Friday.

The five-time winners are in Group C with Scotland — playing at a World Cup for the first time in 28 years — and Haiti, whose only previous qualification was in 1974 when they lost all three of their matches.

“Morocco were very good during the last World Cup” in Qatar, Ancelotti told Brazilian television station Sportv.

“Scotland are a solid team, very solid, (it will be) pretty difficult,” the Italian added.

Brazil will start their campaign against Morocco on June 13 before playing Haiti six days later and rounding out the group stage against Scotland on June 24.

“We have to prepare well and try to win the group,” Ancelotti said.

READ ALSO: Trump Wins FIFA’s Inaugural Peace Prize

Brazil have been far from their best since the last World Cup and are already on their fourth coach since then.

In March, they suffered a chastening 4-1 defeat to reigning world champions Argentina in their World Cup qualifying group.

Brazil played both Scotland and Morocco in the group stage in 1998 where they reached the final before losing to hosts France 3-0.

They beat Morocco 3-0 and Scotland 2-1 back then.

Six years after that they played a historic match in Port-au-Prince, running away 6-0 winners against hosts Haiti having lined up with the likes of Ronaldo and Ronaldinho.

Spurred on by World Cup 2026 fever, US President Donald Trump said Friday that American football should be renamed as the game played with a round ball, soccer, was the one true football.

“We have a little bit of a conflict with another thing that’s called football, but when you think about it, shouldn’t it really be called … football, there is no question. We have to come up with another name for the NFL (National Football League),” Trump said at the World Cup draw.

“It really doesn’t make sense when you think about it.”

READ ALSO: Trump Wins FIFA’s Inaugural Peace Prize

For Americans, the word “football” refers to American football, a sport primarily played with the hands — completely different from what the rest of the world calls football.

Almost the entire country tunes in each year to the NFL championship final, the Super Bowl, and FIFA President Gianni Infantino made sure on Friday to emphasize to Americans that the 2026 World Cup would be the equivalent of 104 Super Bowls.

An all-round sports enthusiast, Trump has developed a particular affection for soccer that continues to grow as the 2026 World Cup, which will take place next summer in the United States, Mexico, and Canada, approaches.

According to the draw made on Friday in Washington, reigning champions Argentina will face Algeria, Austria, and Jordan, who has qualified for the 2026 World Cup.

In their group, five-time champions Brazil take on Morocco, Scotland, and Haiti, while France takes on Senegal, Norway, and a playoff qualifier in their group.

In the competition’s opening game, South Africa will face Mexico, which hosts them.

Trump Wins FIFA’s inaugural peace prize, read more.

Groups competing in the World Cup in 2026

The United States, Canada, and Mexico will host the 2026 World Cup in the following 12 groups:

Group A

A qualifier includes Mexico, South Africa, South Korea, and South Korea.

Group B

Qatar, Switzerland, Qatar, and Canada are all qualifying.

Group C

Brazil, Morocco, Haiti, and Scotland

Group D

United States, Paraguay, and Australia as a qualifying country.

Group E

Curacao, Ivory Coast, Ecuador, and Germany

Group F

Tunisia, Japan, Netherlands, and a qualifier.

Group G

Iran, New Zealand, Belgium, and Egypt

Group H

Uruguay, Saudi Arabia, Spain, and the Cape Verde.

Group I

Norway, Senegal, France, and qualifier

Group J

Jordan, Algeria, Austria, and Argentina

Group K

Portugal, a qualifier, Uzbekistan, and Colombia

Group L

Ghana, Panama, Croatia, and England

At Friday’s 2026 World Cup draw, US President Donald Trump received the first-ever Nobel Peace Prize as a compensatory award for a leader whose unfulfilled Nobel ambitions are still unfulfilled.

The 79-year-old was presented with the award during the ceremony at the Kennedy Center in Washington by Gianni Infantino, the head of the world football organization and a close ally of Donald Trump.

“Thank you very much. One of my greatest pleasures is undoubtedly this. Gianni and I discussed this while talking about the awards, adding that they had saved “millions and millions of lives.”

Infantino claimed that Trump received the award for “exceptional and extraordinary” actions that helped bring about world peace and harmony.

FIFA announced the annual prize in November, saying that winners would be honored for their “hope for future generations.”

Its debutant didn’t come as a surprise to anyone.

Also read: FIFA Gives Clubs An Extra Week Before Releasing AFCON Stars &nbsp

Infantino, 55, and Trump have a close relationship, having been in office since January when they last last spoke.

The US president frequently asserts that he deserves the Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts to put an end to what he claims is an illustrious year of conflicts, including a flimsy ceasefire in Gaza.

Last month, the Norwegian Nobel Committee awarded Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado the Nobel Peace Prize.

Infantino also attended the signing of the peace agreement in Egypt, and Trump has taken the place of a “board of peace” for the war-torn region of Gaza, while his administration renamed a Washington peace institute this week after him.

The US president’s second presidency has focused on the World Cup.

FIFA, a sporting body that extols its political neutrality, made an extraordinary move with this.

#FIFAWorldCup image twitter.com/Nm2ELMh8bh

The prize hasn’t been disclosed in much detail. Human Rights Watch claims to have written to FIFA asking for a list of the nominees, judges, the selection criteria, and selection procedure, but has not received a response.

Trump is receiving criticism from Democrats and civil rights organizations for a variety of issues.

The self-declared “president of peace” has ordered deadly airstrikes against alleged drug-smuggling boats and launched a massive US military presence in Venezuela.

He has also ordered a hardline immigration crackdown, threatening to move World Cup contests from cities where he has deployed troops, and halting asylum applications from 19 nations, including Haiti and Iran, who are World Cup participants.

And he has retaliated against political rivals, those who refute his false claim that he won the 2020 election, and other candidates.

Trump declared himself the winner this year at the Kennedy Center, which he called a war against “woke” culture.