Enugu Rangers Secure Record Ninth NPFL Title
The 2025-2026 Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) season concluded on Sunday, May 24, with Enugu Rangers clinching a record‑equalling ninth league title. The champions finished the campaign with 68 points from 38 matches, edging out Rivers United by a single point.
Rangers’ latest triumph places them alongside Enyimba as the most successful clubs in NPFL history, adding to crowns won in 1974, 1975, 1977, 1981, 1982, 1984, 2016 and 2024.
Relegation Battle: Remo Stars and Three Others Drop
At the bottom of the table, Remo Stars endured a shocking relegation just one season after lifting the trophy. The Ikenne side were held to a 1‑1 draw by Bendel Insurance in Benin City, leaving their fate dependent on the result of Kun Khalifat’s match against already‑relegated Wikki Tourists.
Victor Mbaoma gave Remo Stars the lead before halftime, but Chijioke Akuneto equalised in stoppage time to earn a point for the hosts. Later, played after a rain delay, Kun Khalifat defeated Wikki Tourists 3‑1, securing safety and condemning Remo Stars to the Nigeria National League (NNL).
Remo Stars now join El‑Kanemi Warriors, Bayelsa United and Wikki Tourists in the NNL for the upcoming season.
Continental Qualification: Shooting Stars and 3SC Advance
In Ibadan, Shooting Stars sealed a return to continental football after a 27‑year hiatus, despite a 1‑0 away loss to Niger Tornadoes. The club finished third with 60 points, two clear of Ikorodu City, earning a CAF Confederation Cup ticket for the first time since appearing in the CAF Champions League in 1999.
The Oluyole Warriors’ resurgence followed a major restructuring by the Oyo State Government, which appointed Taiwo Lekan‑Salami as executive chairman, Bunmi Fadayomi as chief operating officer and Tobi Adepoju as sporting director.
Other Final‑Day Results
Elsewhere on the final matchday, Bayelsa United hammered Kwara United 4‑0, Plateau United edged Kano Pillars 1‑0 in Jos, and Enyimba defeated El‑Kanemi Warriors 3‑0 to confirm the Maiduguri side’s relegation.
Warri Wolves avoided the drop after a 2‑1 home win over Abia Warriors, while Barau FC finished the season with a commanding 3‑0 victory against Nasarawa United in Kano.
The last Nigerian continental berth will now be decided in the President’s Federation Cup, with Shooting Stars and Ikorodu City still alive as the tournament heads into the Round of 32.
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