After overcoming Mexico in a pulsating final, Nigeria triumphed in the second annual Consulate Cup. The event hosted by New York City Football Club at Socceroof in Brooklyn, brought together 16 nations in total, with players representing their respective consulates in New York City.
The fundraising tournament connects the international diplomatic community and makes the sport more accessible for youth.
Mexico’s route to the final saw them overcome talented teams from Peru and the United Arab Emirates in the knockout stages, while Nigeria’s path to the cup included a victory over spirited Slovak Republic and Swiss teams.
Cheered on by a spirited contingency of fans, more than 100 players competed in the competition, representing countries across every continent.
For the second year in a row, the tournament was won by an African team, following Burkina Faso’s victory in the inaugural competition.
“It was really exciting to compete in our first Consulate Cup and the atmosphere was great,” said Lami Adamu, the captain of the Nigerian team. “As a team, we had a special cohesion and after losing early in the tournament group stage, we came back, regrouped and we focused our attention. I felt great pride winning. Green, white, green pride,” she reflected, noting the striped colors on the Nigerian flag.
In addition to the teams that qualified for the knockout stages, the following nations battled tirelessly in their group matches:
Angola, Australia, El Salvador, Germany, Indonesia, Japan, Pakistan, Panama, Slovak Republic, Türkiye and the United States of America.
The Consulate Cup, now in its second year of running, focuses on bringing together New York City’s international diplomatic community to make the sport of soccer more accessible for New York City youth.
Thanks to the registrations of the various consulates, funds raised from the event will be going towards supporting City in the Community, the nonprofit proudly supported by the club. Those contributions will help to expand the nonprofit’s free soccer programming across all five boroughs.
Alongside NYCFC, the Consulate Cup was organized in partnership with the Mayor’s Fund to Advance New York City, Consulate General of Mexico in New York, Consulate General of Switzerland in New York, Consulate General of United Arab Emirates and the NYC African Advisory Council. Etihad Airways served as the main partner for the tournament.
