Babayanju, Oremeji Streets Storm Lagos Street Soccer Semi Finals

By Dorcas Francis Koji

Babayanju Street and Oremeji Street have secured their places in the semi-finals of the second edition of the Lagos State Street Soccer Stars Oshodi 2026 after recording impressive victories in the round of 16.

Babayanju Street produced one of the biggest results of the knockout stage, thrashing Oluwani Street 7-1, while Oremeji Street edged Oloyede Street 3-2 in a closely contested encounter.

The matches were played at Oloyede Street, Oshodi, Lagos, as the competition continues under the theme “Oshodi Hidden Talents.”

Toheeb Tairu was named Man of the Match for his outstanding display during the round-of-16 action.

The second edition of the Community Street Soccer Lagos State Street Soccer Stars Oshodi 2026 features 64 teams and 640 players, with the tournament running from August 2 to August 15. A total of 32 teams have already progressed to the knockout stage.

The competition is powered by the Senior Special Assistant to the Lagos State Governor on Grassroots Sport Development, Adebanji Atewogboye, with Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu serving as Chief Host.

FirstBank is partnering with the organisers through its First@Sports programme, an initiative focused on youth development, community engagement and mass participation in sports across Lagos State. The sponsorship also promotes healthy living, social development and youth empowerment.

Speaking during the tournament, Atewogboye said the competition was designed to keep young people meaningfully engaged during the long holiday while creating a platform for talent discovery.

“We want to keep the youths busy during this long holiday. For the next two weeks, we are keeping them together through football,” he said.

He also highlighted the growing scouting opportunities created by the tournament, noting that talented players could attract the attention of academies and football clubs.

“Many people are scouting them for academies and clubs that can help push their careers further,” he added.

According to Atewogboye, the success of the competition has already generated interest from other local governments seeking to host similar activities in their communities.

The tournament offers a total cash prize of ₦3.5m, with the champions set to receive ₦1m, the runners-up ₦750,000 and the third-placed team ₦500,000.

Individual awards, including the Golden Boot, Most Valuable Player, Young Player of the Tournament and Goal of the Tournament, will attract ₦100,000 each. The Best Street Team, Fair Play Team and Community Spirit awards will also come with ₦100,000 prizes.

The Star Player of the Match receives ₦10,000 and an award after every game.

The Best Street Team Award will be presented to the most disciplined and exciting side, while the Fair Play Team Award will recognise the team with the fewest cards and fouls. The Community Spirit Award will go to the team that mobilises the largest number of supporters and residents to its matches.

Following his impressive performance, Tairu expressed confidence that his team could go all the way and lift the trophy.

“It is a very good move for us, and I believe we can do better than this. We can proceed to the semi-finals,” Tairu said.

“My expectation is just to win the final. That is my expectation, and to be one of the best.”

With the knockout stages heating up, Babayanju Street and Oremeji Street will now turn their attention to the semi-finals as they continue their pursuit of the Oshodi 2026 Street Soccer Stars title.