African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank), through its Creative Africa Nexus programme, is partnering with TopTier Sports Management and What Media Group to stage a Legends Football Match in Lagos as part of efforts to strengthen the commercial links between sports, entertainment and Africa’s creative economy.
The match, scheduled for Nov. 8, 2026, at Onikan Stadium, will bring together football icons from Africa and beyond and serve as a cornerstone event of the CANEX WKND 2026 programme, Afreximbank’s flagship platform for advancing the continent’s creative and cultural industries.
The event will mark 30 years since the celebrated mid-1990s Super Eagles squad’s defining achievements, including Nigeria’s 1994 Africa Cup of Nations triumph, its 1994 FIFA World Cup campaign and the Olympic gold medal won at the 1996 Atlanta Games.
Temwa Gondwe, Director of Creatives and Diaspora at Afreximbank, said: “The 1996 Super Eagles did more than win Olympic gold, they re-wrote the global narrative, proving to the world that African talent is an unstoppable force. Today, the intersection of sports, entertainment, and culture is the heartbeat of Africa’s creative economy. The Legends Game is more than a celebration of our glorious past, it is a strategic and formidable platform to discuss the future commercialisation and empowerment of African athletes and creatives globally.”
Chichi Nwoko, Founder and CEO of TopTier Sports Management and What Media Group, which is responsible for planning and executing the Legends Football Games, said the partnership is intended to address gaps in the infrastructure available to athletes beyond their playing careers.
“Thirty years ago, a generation of Nigerian footballers showed the world what African talent was capable of. The Legends Football Game is our way of saying thank you to them, and our chance to ask harder questions: what are we building for this generation and the next? We want to build the infrastructure that lets African athletes turn a playing career into a lasting one, on and off the field; this is a huge gap that must be addressed. That’s what this partnership with Afreximbank seeks to achieve.”
The organisers expect the event to draw football fans, members of the creative community and the wider public, alongside local and international media.
The match will form part of CANEX WKND 2026’s broader effort to position Lagos as a leading destination for Africa’s creative industries, while demonstrating how major sports, cultural and entertainment events can generate economic activity, tourism, investment and international engagement.
