On 29 May 2026, The Sun reported that Buruj Sports Academy had secured six acres in Ikorodu for a stadium with a standard pitch, an athletics track and a 5,000-capacity pavilion. That is what a working academy looks like. We rechecked every football academy in Lagos on our old list on 18 October 2026 and kept only those with public activity in 2025 or 2026.

At a glance
Academies confirmed active	Six, each with a dated 2025 or 2026 trace
Removed from our old list	Over 70 names, Pepsi Football Academy included
Kosach Football Academy	Exists at Cappa-Oshodi; no 2025-2026 press found
Published fees	None of the six posts a full price list
Latest camp	Greensprings, 26 April to 1 May 2026
Golden rule	Never pay a trial fee to an unlicensed agent

The academies we could verify

Our old page listed more than 70 academies with phone numbers. Most came from directories nobody updates. For many, we found no website, no match report and no press mention since 2024.

They have gone.

Academy	Area of Lagos	What we verified
Buruj Sports Academy	Ikorodu	Stadium project reported in May 2026
Ikorodu City academy	Ikorodu	Won a grassroots final at Onikan in October 2025; academy graduate signed a senior deal in July 2026
Greensprings Football Camp	Lekki-Awoyaya	12th edition in 2026, ages five to 17
The Future Academy	Players from Ajegunle, Ikorodu, Agege, Ikeja	Under-12s entered for the Porto International Cup, April 2026
Edufoot Sports Academy	Base not published	Featured by Daily Trust, December 2025
Lagos Soccer Academy	Base not published	B12 team entered for the 2025 Donosti Cup in Spain

Ikorodu City stands apart because its academy feeds an NPFL club, and the three-year contract handed to Ikechukwu Junior in July 2026 shows that the step from youth football to the first team is real rather than a promise in a brochure.

Greensprings is a five-day school camp, not a year-round academy. It says it has trained more than 2,200 children in a decade. Five alumni have played for Nigeria at Under-17 level. Thirteen children have won full scholarships to the school, and in April 2026 its scouts ran a talent challenge in Awoyaya and Ibeju-Lekki that handed four local youngsters sponsored places.

The Future Academy's director, Abiola Fabio, told The Guardian in February 2026: “These boys have ability, but ability needs structure.”

What happened to Kosach Football Academy

Many readers come here looking for Kosach. The academy is real. It runs Instagram and Facebook pages under the handle thekosacharmy, and the Finelib directory places it at 1 Nitel Road, the former NITEL Training School in Cappa-Oshodi. We found no newspaper report, tournament result or official website for Kosach dated 2025 or 2026. That does not mean it has closed. It does mean we cannot vouch for its coaches, schedule or fees, so visit the Oshodi ground before you pay anything.

Pepsi, Barça and the other famous names

Pepsi Football Academy, founded by the late Kashimawo Laloko in November 1992, produced Mikel John Obi. It is still the most searched name in Lagos football. But the latest detailed press account of its centres we could find dates from 2016, and the “2025/2026 registration forms” on classified websites carry phone numbers we could not link to any official channel.

The Barça Academy opened at the Teslim Balogun complex in February 2017 has the same problem. No 2025 or 2026 confirmation.

MILO sponsors youth competitions. It is not a Lagos academy.

Advice for parents before you pay

Start with a trial session. A serious academy will tell you which competitions its age groups play in, and it will name its coaches. Greensprings, for one, publicises the coaches it brings in from the Netherlands and the English Football League. Fees are rarely published. Edufoot's Komolafe Shina told Daily Trust that new intakes make “a one-time payment” for registration, uniform and equipment, but gave no figure. Get every charge in writing.

Then come the fake recruiters. In September 2026, SaharaReporters published a family's account alleging that a man who presented himself as a licensed FIFA agent collected N4.7 million to take their son to Egypt, where the promised trial never happened; he had not responded when the report went out. In 2021, The Guardian traced seven Nigerian teenagers sent to Uzbekistan on tourist visas.

Since 1 October 2023, FIFA rules have required players to use licensed agents only. No licence, no deal. Walk away from anyone who asks for a visa or trial fee up front.

Beyond Lagos

Moving city? We have run the same checks for the football academy in Abuja market and for the football academy in Port Harcourt scene. Older players ready for senior football can turn to our guide to football clubs in Lagos.

This article was most recently revised and updated 8 seconds ago