By Adekunle-Oni Daniel

The University of Ibadan male football team, the UI Pioneers, was paired in the Group B alongside Usmanu Danfodio University, Lagos State University (LASU), and the University of Calabar (UNICAL) in the ongoing 2025 NUGA Tournament.

The first match for the UI Pioneers took place on November 9, 2025, against Lagos State University (LASU). The UI pioneers put out an outstanding performance against LASU, securing a 2 – 0 victory against their opponent. The two goals were scored by Obinna and Korede.

In the  second match which held on November 10, 2025, the UI Pioneers played against the University of Calabar (UNICAL). Despite playing the day before, both teams came out and performed well on the football field. The game ended in a goalless draw, as neither of the two teams was able to draw first blood.

UI and UNICAL stayed on top of the table with 4 points shared by both sides.The UI Pioneers  then faced  Usman Danfodio University in the final match of the  group stage on November 11, 2025.

The  final match of the group stage ended in  a 1-1 draw .The Pioneers conceded few minutes into the first half but was resilient to return the favor throughout the rest of the match.

Few minutes before the end of the second half, Ayodeji was able to score a goal for the University of Ibadan to fetch  his team a one point lead and a  qualification for the quarter finals stage of the NUGA 2025 competition.

The UI Pioneers will face the Federal University of Technology, Minna (FUTMINNA) on November 12, 2025, for the quarter final showdown.