In a drive to promote sports participation across Nigeria’s higher education institutions, 54Footballx kicked off the maiden edition of the UNITECOL Cup, a higher education football tournament endorsed by the Lagos State Sports Commission. The tournament aims to provide a competitive platform for students in tertiary institutions, showcasing local football talent while promoting unity, inclusion, and patriotism through sport. Held at the Yaba College of Technology Sports Complex, the competition features six institutions from Lagos State vying for glory and an opportunity to spotlight standout student-athletes. Director General of the Lagos State Sports Commission, Hon. Lekan Fatodu, praised the initiative and expressed optimism about its long-term impact on the country’s sports development and talent discovery. “This is a very innovative and outstanding football tournament dedicated to students in our tertiary institutions. It’s a way of promoting inclusivity in sports and an opportunity to discover talents who could become future superstars for Nigeria.” The participating institutions are Yaba College of Technology (Yabatech), Lagos State University (LASU), Lagos State University of Education (LASUED), Federal College of Education (Technical), Akoka (FCE), St. Augustine College of Education, and Federal College of Fisheries and Marine Technology. In Thursday’s fixtures, LASU delivered a dominant performance, thrashing Federal College of Education, Akoka (FCE) 6–0 in a one-sided affair. In the second match of the day, host team Yabatech secured a 3–0 victory over a resilient LASUED side. Despite a strong first-half showing from LASUED, they were ultimately overpowered by the hosts’ energy and technical brilliance. A brace from Kolawole Timothy and a fine solo strike from Akinyemi Yusuf sealed the win for Yabatech, earning them a place in the semi-finals of the inaugural UNITECOL Cup.