Fulham and Super Eagles midfielder Alex Iwobi has been included in the 2026 Football Black List’s Players Off the Pitch category, recognised for five years of sustained community work through his Project 17 initiative.
Alex Iwobi has joined British football’s roll of honour for something that has nothing to do with goals or assists. The Fulham and Super Eagles midfielder has been named in the 2026 Football Black List, placed in the Players Off the Pitch category alongside Arsenal’s Eberechi Eze and England and Lionesses defender Jess Carter. The announcement was made on Tuesday via the Football Black List’s official platform, with all three honourees set to be celebrated at a ceremony in Westminster on 14 April 2026, supported by the Premier League.
Iwobi’s recognition is built on the work he has been doing since 2021 through Project 17, an initiative he founded and named after his squad number. The project targets underserved Black youth, offering football clinics, education workshops, mentorship programmes, and the annual P17 Cup tournament, which gives young players a structured platform to develop and showcase their ability. The Baobab Award in Sport, which Iwobi recently received for his leadership and positive influence on young people in Nigeria and internationally, adds another layer of formal recognition to what he has been building quietly off the pitch. Super Eagles fans who want to back Iwobi’s Fulham side in upcoming Premier League fixtures can grab the Bet9ja’s YOHAIG welcome bonus before the next round kicks off.
A Landmark Year in More Ways Than One
The Football Black List honour arrives at a remarkable point in Iwobi’s career. In late 2025, the 29-year-old became the first Nigerian player to reach 300 Premier League appearances, breaking a record that had previously been held by former Sunderland and Newcastle striker Shola Ameobi. He also holds the all-time record for the most assists provided by a Nigerian player in Premier League history, a testament to the consistency with which he has performed over a decade in England’s top flight.
Those numbers tell one story. Project 17 tells another. What makes Iwobi’s standing distinctive among his peers is the combination of sustained on-field output and a genuine, documented commitment to the communities around him. The P17 Cup in particular has grown into a meaningful fixture in the football community calendar, giving young players experiences that extend well beyond the ninety minutes. As reported by FootballInNigeria.com.ng, the Super Eagles national team account on X expressed the sentiment of Nigerian football supporters simply and directly when the news broke: “We are proud of you, Alex.” Anyone looking to engage with Bet9ja’s welcome offer ahead of Super Eagles fixtures can find everything they need on the how to claim your Bet9ja bonus page.
The Wider List and What It Represents
The Football Black List was founded in 2008 by Leon Mann MBE and Rodney Hinds, and has grown steadily into one of British football’s most respected annual recognitions. This year’s edition carries a historic distinction: for the first time since the list began, more women than men feature across its nine categories. Mann acknowledged the significance of that shift, noting that Black women continue to face compounded barriers in sport and wider society, and that the increased visibility carried particular weight.
Among the other notable figures included are former Manchester City, Arsenal and Liverpool defender Kolo Toure, now recognised for his coaching work, former Premier League winger Nathan Dyer in the commercial category, and Manchester United chief executive Omar Berrada in the leadership section. Eberechi Eze, who is of Nigerian heritage, was recognised for his foundation’s work empowering south London youth through education and sport, making the Nigerian connection running through this year’s list particularly striking. New Bet9ja users inspired to back Nigerian talent in the Premier League can use the Bet9ja bonus code page to get started with an enhanced opening offer.
Iwobi: A Legacy Being Written in Two Places at Once
Iwobi was part of Nigeria’s squad at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco, where the Super Eagles finished third. His journey from Arsenal academy product to Fulham’s most influential midfield presence has been a long one, and his maturity both as a player and as a public figure has been visible throughout. The Football Black List honour is not about a single gesture or a one-off donation. It reflects five years of consistent, structured work at Project 17, a programme that has already changed the trajectories of young people who would otherwise have had far fewer opportunities.
For Nigerian football, the recognition carries a particular resonance. Iwobi carries his nationality loudly in everything he does, and the fact that his community work explicitly includes a focus on young people in Nigeria and internationally makes this a story for Nigerian football fans as much as it is for supporters in west London.
📌 Did You Know?
- Iwobi became the first Nigerian to reach 300 Premier League appearances in late 2025, surpassing the mark previously held by Shola Ameobi, who spent the bulk of his career at Newcastle United between 2000 and 2013.
- Project 17, the initiative at the heart of Iwobi’s Football Black List recognition, takes its name from the squad number he wore during his years at Arsenal, a detail that reflects how personally he ties his identity on the pitch to the work he does away from it.
- The Football Black List was founded in 2008 by Leon Mann MBE and Rodney Hinds, making the 2026 edition the 18th instalment of the annual celebration. The list now covers nine distinct categories ranging from players and coaches to executives, media professionals, and grassroots leaders.
- Eberechi Eze, who appeared on the same 2026 Football Black List as Iwobi, is of Nigerian heritage through his parents. The two men’s simultaneous recognition on the list underlines how deeply Nigerian roots run through the upper levels of the Premier League.
- The Baobab Award in Sport, which Iwobi received ahead of his Football Black List inclusion, takes its name from the baobab tree, a symbol of community, longevity, and resilience across many African cultures, making the choice of name particularly fitting for an award tied to his Nigerian and community identity.
- Jess Carter, Iwobi’s co-honouree in the Players Off the Pitch category, was a member of the England Lionesses squad that won the UEFA Women’s European Championship in both 2022 and 2025, and has been a prominent voice against racial discrimination following the abuse she received during the latter tournament.
- The Westminster ceremony on 14 April 2026 at which Iwobi and the other honourees will be celebrated is supported by the Premier League, reflecting how seriously the league now treats the Football Black List as a formal part of the English football calendar.
