The 2025 edition of the High Protein Cheetah Cup, Africa’s largest youth football festival, has come to a successful end with Obuasi based Nacoro Sporting Academy and Dansoman Faith Ladies Football Club emerging as the male and female champions, respectively.
The tournament, which took place from August 18 to 24, 2025, at the Yartel Okoso park in Senya Breku, Central Region, featured 24 male clubs from across Africa and 4 Ghanaian female clubs.
The men’s final was a closely contested match that saw Nacoro beat MSK Zilina 5-4 on penalties after a stalemate in regular time. The tournament’s top three teams in the men’s category were Nacoro Soccer Academy, MSK Zilina Africa FC, and Cheetah FC. Individual awards were also given out, with Desmond from Cheetah FC named Best Keeper, Nathaniel Addo from MSK Zilina Africa FC named Goal King, and Matthew Addai from Cheetah FC named Best Player.
In the women’s category, Dansoman Faith Ladies emerged champions after defeating Samartex Ladies 4-3 on penalties following a goalless draw in regular time. The top three teams in the women’s category were Faith Ladies FC, FC Samartex Ladies, and Cabfix Ladies FC. Jafaro Rahaman from Cabfix Ladies FC was named Goal Queen, while Patricia Nyanful from FC Samartex Ladies was named Best Player.
The organizer of the event, Abdul Hayye Yartey, in an exclusive interview emphasized the need for continuous promotion of African players through such tournaments.
As the president of Cheetah Football Club, Yartey believes that the tournament serves as a platform to create wealth for African clubs, develop career paths for players, and showcase African talent to the world. Since its inception in 2022, the Cheetah Cup has proven to be a major platform for certified scouts and agents from across the world to discover new talents.
This year’s edition of the tournament recorded a total of 98 goals, highlighting the progress and excitement of the event. Other notable awards included the Fair Play Team award, which went to BeSport Academy from Senegal.
The tournament’s success is a testament to the growing popularity and importance of youth football in Africa, and its attracted top football and political dignitaries including the president of the Ghana Football Association, Mr. Kurt Simeon Okraku, coaches, agents and scouts from accredited FIFA agency Signature, and among others.
