Herizon Cup Draws Massive Crowd As Grassroots Women’s Football Takes Centre Stage
By Saheed Afolabi
The 2026 edition of the Herizon Cup got off to an exciting start, with the opening ceremony attracting a mammoth crowd as football enthusiasts, supporters and stakeholders turned out in large numbers to witness the commencement of the grassroots women’s football competition at Bariga Stadium, Lagos.
The tournament, which features eight teams, lived up to expectations as the quarter-final fixtures produced entertaining encounters, with four sides securing their places in the semifinal.
Bariga Stars kicked off their campaign with a narrow 1-0 victory over Wazbak Queens to advance to the next round, while CATS Ladies also recorded a hard-fought 1-0 win against Victory Queens.
Unification Ladies were equally impressive, securing a comfortable 2-0 victory over Ghetto Tigers Ladies to book their place in the last four.
However, the most emphatic result of the quarter-finals came from Asisat Oshoala Academy, who delivered an outstanding performance to defeat Phoenix Queens 4-0 and emerge as the biggest winners of the opening round.
The impressive turnout at the opening ceremony added colour to the competition which showed the growing interest in grassroots women’s football and the importance of providing platforms for young female footballers to showcase their talents.
Attention now shifts to the semi-finals, where the remaining four teams will battle for places in the final and a chance to emerge as champions of the Herizon Cup.
The competition also features attractive incentives, including ₦500,000 for the winners, ₦300,000 for the runners-up and ₦200,000 for the third-placed team.
Every participating team is also guaranteed ₦100,000, while individual awards will be presented to the Most Valuable Player, Highest Goal Scorer and Best Goalkeeper. Player of the Match awards will also be given after every game.
