By Ademuyiwa Balikis
The Lagos State University (LASU) women’s football team, popularly known as the LASU Queens, are set to fly Africa’s flag at the 2025 FISU University World Cup Football holding in Dalian, China.
The tournament, which kicks off on Tuesday, 16th September, and runs until Sunday, 28th September 2025, will feature some of the best university teams from across the globe.
Drawn in Group A, LASU will battle against the Shanghai University of Sport (China, hosts), the University of the Extreme South of Santa Catarina (Brazil), and the University of Valencia (Spain). Group B comprises Beijing Normal University (China), University of Sydney (Australia), Polytechnic University of Hauts-de-France (France), and Laval Rouge et Or (Canada).
The top two teams from each group will advance to the semi-finals, with the winners progressing to the grand finale.
Ahead of their departure, the LASU Queens held their final training session on Saturday, 13th September, at the university’s Sports Centre, Ojo campus.
According to the Centre for Information, Press and Public Relations (CIPR), the players displayed strong determination and tactical readiness, including focused drills on penalty shoot-outs.
Speaking after training, the team’s Assistant Captain, Busayo Kushoro, a final-year Marketing student, expressed confidence in their chances.
“We are excited to be carrying the banner of LASU and representing Africa. The training has not been easy, but we have put in our best. We are not afraid of any opponent, we’ll take each game as it comes,” she said.
Kushoro further called on the LASU community and football supporters across Nigeria to rally behind the team, adding that the squad has studied their opponents and believes they have what it takes to spring surprises on the global stage.
The LASU Queens earned the right to represent Africa after defeating the University of Lagos (UNILAG) in the final of the All Africa University Games hosted at LASU Sports Centre earlier this month.
With spirits high and preparations complete, the African champions are now focused on making history in China as they aim to prove themselves among the world’s best student football teams.
