In the 19th minute, Muktari Ismayil’s penalty kick was enough. On July 11, 2026, El-Kanemi Warriors beat debutants Ikorodu City 1-0 at the Stephen Keshi Stadium in Asaba to win the President’s Federation Cup for the fourth time, weeks after finishing 18th in the NPFL and going without relegation.
Thus, the relegated Maiduguri side will fly the Nigerian flag in Africa. Weird? This is not for competition.
| Federation Cup | At a glance |
|---|---|
| First edition | [1945Governor’sCup(MarinesbeatCorinthians1-0)[1945QubernatorKubokukimi(DənizpiyadalarıKorintians1-0məğlubetdi) |
| Organizer | Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) |
| Owners | El-Kanemi Warriors (1:0, Ikorodu City, 2026) |
| Most titles | Lagos Railways 7, Enugu Rangers 6 |
| Prize for the winner | CAF Confederation Cup venue; N50m in 2025 |
| Publications are incomplete | 1973, 2020 (COVID-19), 2022 (abandoned in quarter-finals) |
From the Governor’s Cup to the Glass House era
The cup is older than the country.
RSSSF records place the first Governor’s Cup in 1945. It replaced the War Memorial Challenge Cup, which only Lagos teams could enter, and Marine beat Corinthians 1-0 in the inaugural final. Some reference works give the 1942 founding date instead.
Cup names change more often than most clubs change coaches. FA Cup in 1954 and Challenge Cup after independence. Then came the Coca-Cola FA Cup from 1999, the Federation Cup from 2009 and the AITEO Cup from 2017. Today it is the President’s Federation Cup. The early decades belonged to Lagos and above all to Lagos Railways who won seven finals between 1946 and 1964 and still hold the record even though the club itself no longer exists and most of the men who played in those finals are long gone.
Who has won the most Federation Cups?
Counting titles is harder than it looks.
The table below tracks the club names in the RSSSF final list. Wikipedia credits the Shooting Stars with eight titles since the old Ibadan sides merged into their lineage, while the RSSSF lists three finals won under the Shooting Stars name.
| Club | Titles | Latest wins |
|---|---|---|
| Lagos Railways (Emergency) | 7 | 1957, 1964 |
| Enugu Rangers | 6 | 1983, 2018 |
| El-Kanemi Warriors | 4 | 2024, 2026 |
| Bendel Insurance | 4 | 1980, 2023 |
| Songs | 4 | 2013, 2014 |
| Dolphin FC | 4 | 2006, 2007 |
| BCC Lions | 4 | 1994, 1997 |
| Stationery stores | 4 | 1982, 1990 |
| Lions of Ibadan | 4 | 1966, 1969 |
Last 13 finals
| year | Winner | Account | Second |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | El-Kanemi Warriors | 1-0 | Ikorodu city |
| 2025 | Kwara United | 0-0 (4-3 pen) | Abakaliki FC |
| 2024 | El-Kanemi Warriors | 2-0 | Abia Warriors |
| 2023 | Bendel Insurance | 1-0 | Enugu Rangers |
| 2021 | Bayelsa United | 2-2 (4-3 pens) | Nasarawa United |
| 2019 | Kano Pillars | 0-0 (4-3 pen) | Niger tornadoes |
| 2018 | Enugu Rangers | 3-3 (4-2 pen) | Kano Pillars |
| 2017 | Akwa United | 0-0 (3-2 pen) | Niger tornadoes |
| 2016 | FC Ifeanyi Change | 0-0 (5-4 pen) | Nasarawa United |
| 2015 | Akwa United | 2-1 | Lobby Stars |
| 2014 | Songs | 2-1 | Dolphin FC |
| 2013 | Songs | 2-2 (5-4 pen) | Warri Wolves |
| 2012 | Heartland | 2-1 | Lobby Stars |
Seven of these 13 finals were decided by penalties.
People are still talking about finals
The Rangers arrived first. They won three consecutive finals from 1974 to 1976, defeating Mighty Jets, IICC Shooting Stars and Alyufsalam Rocks. Two more followed in 1981 and 1983. Their sixth came in 2018 after a 3-3 draw with Kano Pillars and a 4-2 shootout. For more on the Flying Antelopes, check out our Enugu Rangers club guide.
Pillars won the following year and beat Niger Tornadoes on penalties in 2019. Their roots go deep here. The Kano Pillars team won the Governor’s Cup in 1953. Our Kano Columns page covers Sai Masu Food today.
The shootings created the longest nights. Abiola Babes defeated Rangers 7-6 in a penalty shootout in 1987. Ocean Boys won the same 7-6 shootout against Gombe United in 2008. And Dolphin FC won four finals in seven years.
Then there is 2023.
Bendel Insurance beat ten-man Rangers 1-0 in Asaba, with Imade Osarenxoe scoring from the spot just before half-time after a Rangers defender was sent off for a tackle. Daily Trust noted that this was the club’s first Federation Cup in 43 years.
What does the winner take home?
The real prize is continental. The winners will win Nigeria’s CAF Confederation Cup for the following season. If they have already passed the NPFL table, the runners-up take it.
Money is also important.
Blueprint reported that Kwara United won N50 million for winning the 2025 final in Lagos, while Abakaliki FC got N20 million as runners-up and female champions Rivers Angels got N25 million. No figures have been released for 2026.
Our vision
Not everyone wanted this result. Ahead of the final, Daily Trust columnist David Ngobua wrote that he preferred Ikorodu City to win, arguing that “El-Kanemi Warriors have consistently failed to deliver in their performances on the continent”.
He may yet be proven right.
But that’s the charm of the trophy. From Calabar’s St Patrick’s College in 1954 to Maiduguri in 2026, it has honored clubs from all over the country. NPFL champions Rangers will also be in Africa in 2026. It sets up an exciting season for the clubs behind the Eastern derby and the rest of the NPFL.
Eighty-one years after Marine lifted its first Governor’s Cup, it still holds its secrets until the final whistle.
This article was last revised and updated 25 seconds ago