Since the 2026/27 season, Nigeria’s top football league has been operating under the name Euromatch NPFL. Under the agreement, the competition’s name and logo were updated, along with branding elements placed on club shirts and in stadiums. The deal also covers arrangements for match broadcasting. The new season began over the weekend of August 28–30.

“When we enter a new market, we first listen, then we act. That’s why we know what this league is for Nigerians. This is not the whole plan, but the first step. But every journey starts with the first step,” said Utku Sarper, CEO of Euromatch Group.

Nigeria is expected to be the first stage of Euromatch’s wider expansion across the Global South. The company is already active in Nigeria and is seeking licenses in other African countries, as well as in parts of Latin America.

As Sarper explains, Africa may be an attractive destination for Polish companies at a time when traditional European markets are growing more slowly, while geopolitical tensions and trade disputes are increasing uncertainty.

“The answer I hear more and more often is: to the Global South,” Sarper writes. At the same time, he notes that only about 1% of Polish exports currently go to the entire continent.

Euromatch says it wants to use an approach different from conventional exporting. “We do not export anything that goes in a container. We export the service, the entertainment platform, the technological layer that powers it, and the teams responsible for customer relations: service, web, and the call center,” Sarper added.

The company emphasizes that, before entering the Nigerian market, it assessed local language, regulations, and the role of football. “We have not moved a European product with a different flag. We built the brand from scratch for this market,” Sarper said.

Euromatch views football as a long-term platform for market entry. The NPFL has been in operation since 1972 and currently includes 20 clubs. Euromatch’s sponsorship is also part of the league’s planned commercial modernization, including expanding its digital presence.

“You don’t sponsor a league to add a name to the coat of arms for one photo. You sponsor it because you plan to stay here—and support what it is becoming,” said Sam Sacli, President of Euromatch Group.

For Euromatch, Nigeria is only the beginning. The company argues that expansion into Global South markets requires not only investment, but sustained commitment and a deep understanding of local conditions.

“The architecture of the new economic order will not be built solely at the level of treaties and credit lines between governments. It will also be built by private capital, patient, ready to stay for more than one quarter, and ready to listen first,” Sarper concluded.

Euromatch Group sp. z o.o. is headquartered in Warsaw. The group includes several companies, including some that operate sports betting and others that provide support services such as IT, marketing, and communications.