By Fawaz Balogun

It is that time of the year again when the University of Ibadan witnesses one of its most prestigious football tournaments.

The highly anticipated inter-departmental competition, Seals Cup, has returned, with teams contesting for the ultimate prize.

The tournament, now themed “Seals Cup World Cup Edition”, commenced on Friday, April 17, 2026, with an opening fixture between the defending champion, MBBS and Veterinary Medicine.

Contrary to expectation, the defending champion, MBBS failed to capitalise on their pedigree, suffering an early setback in the competition.

This year’s edition promises to be bigger and more competitive as a total of 48 male teams, up from 32 in the previous edition, will compete, alongside 16 female teams, whose number remains unchanged.

As the tournament grows, it continues to promote sportsmanship across both genders, showcasing talents from departments such as MBBS, Civil Engineering, Nursing, Law, Political Science, Linguistics, and Human Kinetics Education.

The competition follows a group-stage format, with 72 matches scheduled at this stage alone. This will be followed by 16 matches in the Round of 32, eight in the Round of 16, and then the quarter-finals, semi-finals, and final.

The 48 teams have been drawn into 12 groups, with the top two teams from each group advancing automatically to the knockout stage.

This edition also introduces several new teams, with sixteen departments making their debut. Notably, Educational Management, Faculty of Education, returns after a three-year absence.

Other new or returning participants include Nursing, Botany, Music, Dentistry, Linguistics, Computing, and Mathematics. However, Library and Archival Information Studies (LARIS), present in the last edition, is absent this year.

Group Analysis

Group A features the defending champions MBBS alongside Veterinary Medicine, Arabic and Islamic Studies (AIS), and Environmental Health Science.

Following a disappointing start, MBBS are unlikely to progress despite their depth and quality, having lost two of their opening three matches. AIS and Veterinary Medicine seem to stand a high chance of advancing to the next stage of the competition, given their strong starts.

In Group B, Human Kinetics Education (HKE), Urban and Regional Planning, History, and Dentistry will compete, with HKE and Dentistry promising to progress based on recent form.

Group C stands out as the tournament’s “group of death,” comprising Petroleum Engineering, Agricultural Engineering (AEE), Philosophy, and Physiology. Qualification remains uncertain.The Group D includes Civil Engineering, Quantity Surveying, Sociology, and Forestry.

Group E sees last edition’s semi-finalists, Industrial and Petroleum Engineering (IPE), grouped with Science and Technology Education (STE), Music, and Chemistry.

Group F features Geology, Botany, Educational Management, and Statistics. Fresh from winning the Edu League, Educational Management are expected to qualify alongside Geology.

Group G comprises Wood and Biomaterial Engineering (WBE), Microbiology, Nursing, and Animal Science, with WBE and Microbiology likely to advance, given their current form.

Group H includes Political Science, Biochemistry, Food Technology, and Physics. Political Science and Food Technology have proven to be strong favourites in this group.

In Group I, Law and Psychology are expected to progress, while Group J may see Pharmacy and ASSE advance.

Group K is tipped to be dominated by Electrical and Electronic Engineering and Computing, while Group L is promising to produce Mechanical Engineering and Economics as qualifiers.