Founder of the Game On Africa Tournament (GOAT), Prince Emeka Nwankwo, has outlined his long-term vision for the fast-growing talent-discovery project after Team Nigeria defeated Team Ghana 4–2 on penalties to win the maiden international edition on Saturday.
The fiercely contested final ended 1–1 in regulation time before Nigeria held firm in the shootout. Team Nigeria was drawn from standout players at the Nigeria GOAT Tournament, won by Enugu GOAT, while Team Ghana emerged through a similar national selection process.
Reflecting on the tournament’s success, Nwankwo — the driving force and visionary behind GOAT — said the initiative was born out of passion, personal experience, and a deep desire to give back to Africa.
Nwankwo, who is from Imo State and currently based in England, revealed that football has always shaped his life.
“I played football extensively in the UK at amateur and semi-professional levels. I always wanted to play professionally, but age wasn’t on my side. My passion came from my father — football is in my DNA,” he said.
He explained that the GOAT concept was deliberately crafted to align with the global understanding of the term “Greatest of All Time,” but with a uniquely African twist.
“In football, everyone knows GOAT means Greatest of All Time. We named ours the Game On Africa Tournament with the ambition that one day, this platform will produce the world’s next GOAT.”
Nwankwo admitted the journey was filled with challenges, especially at the start.
“I had no funding when the idea began. My first daughter, whose mother is Ghanaian, encouraged me to start small — just a proof of concept — and grow from there. I must appreciate my family for standing by me.”
He also extended appreciation to the project manager, coordinators, volunteers, and partner institutions whose commitment made the maiden edition possible.
“It is not easy to organize anything in Africa. The project manager did a tremendous job bringing some of the best hands together. Institutions supporting youth development across the continent contributed immensely. We wouldn’t be here without them.”
Nwankwo praised fans for their overwhelming support and promised that the next edition will be bigger, more polished, and more impactful.
“This is just the first edition. By next year, we hope to deliver a more sophisticated tournament. The dream is to keep improving until we produce football’s next greatest.”
With its mission to connect grassroots talent to global football opportunities, the GOAT Tournament is positioning itself as one of Africa’s most ambitious and transformative player-discovery platforms.
