Friday, August 28 at four o’clock at the Lekan Salami Stadium, Ibadan. The Shooting Stars kicked off the new NPFL season against newly promoted Inter Lagos, seven months after the league declared the ground unfit for the club. 3SC won 2-1.
| NPFL 2026/27 at a glance | |
|---|---|
| Clubs | 20 |
| Champions 2025/26 | Rangers International (ninth title) |
| Seconds 2025/26 | Rivers United |
| Encouraged | Inter Lagos, Sporting Lagos, Ranchers Bees, Doma United |
| Relegated | Remo Stars, El-Kanemi Warriors, Bayelsa United, Wikki Tourists |
| Season dates | August 28, 2026 – May 30, 2027 (proposed) |
| Match days | 38 |
This key tells you a lot about the npfl clubs and stadiums during this period. Lands are closed and reopened. Champions play away from home. Three Lagos sides share one arena.
| Club | Hometown | Home ground 2026/27 |
|---|---|---|
| Shooting Stars | from Ibadan | Lekan Salami Stadium |
| Ikorodu city | Lagos | Mobolaji Johnson Arena, Individual |
| Sporting Lagos | Lagos | Mobolaji Johnson Arena, Individual |
| Inter Lagos | Lagos | Unique Stadium |
| Rangers International | Enugu | MKO Abiola Sports Arena, Abeokuta (temporary) |
| Songs | Aba | Enyimba International Stadium |
| Abia Warriors | Umuahia | Umuahia Township Stadium |
| Kun Khalifa | Owerri | And Anyiam stadium |
| Rivers United | Port Harcourt | Adokiye Amiesimaka Stadium |
| Bendel Insurance | Benin City | Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium |
| Warri Wolves | Warri | Ozoro Stadium |
| Kwara United | Ilorin | Kwara State Stadium |
| Kano Pillars | Kano | Sani Abacha Stadium |
| FC Barau | Kano | Sani Abacha Stadium |
| Katsina United | Katsina | Muhammadu Dikko Stadium |
| Ranchers Bees | Kaduna | Ahmedu Bello Stadium |
| Niger tornadoes | to go | Visit Kontagora Stadium |
| Plateau United | If | New Jos Stadium |
| Nasarawa United | it’s okay | Lafia Township Stadium |
| Joined at home | Gombe | Pantami Stadium |
Skills are left out on purpose. None of the 2026 leagues or media sources we checked confirmed them, so our guide to capacity stadiums in Nigeria covers that aspect.
South West: Ibadan, Lagos and Enugu club in Abeokuta
He wrote to the NPFL Shooting Stars in January. “The Lekan Salami Stadium is no longer fit to host NPFL matches,” the letter signed by Chief Operating Officer Davidson Owumi said.
The complaint was the pitch.
Blueprint reported dry, uneven grass at Adamasingba and the club was told to choose Abeokuta or Onikan instead, but by late August Daily Trust described the N5.5 billion renovated stadium as hosting the curtain raiser. CAF has not confirmed this. 3SC takes Confederations Cup games to Abeokuta.
Lagos now has three top-flight clubs. Ikorodu City, Sporting Lagos and debutants Inter Lagos all call Onika home. No one crosses town for the derby. Inter Lagos president Lanre Vigo set a modest goal after promotion: “We will definitely bring good football, enjoy the journey and make sure we survive.”
The strangest title belongs to the champions. Rangers, who sealed their ninth title with a 2-1 win over Ikorodu City in Onikanda on the last day of May, opened defense with a 1-1 draw with Katsina United at the MKO Abiola Sports Arena in Abeokuta, their temporary home while the Nnamdi Azikiwe Stadium in Enugu is being renovated to CAF standards.
South East: Aba, Umuahia and Owerri
Enyimba stays in Aba.
Abia Warriors stay in Umuahia where they had a wet opening weekend. Abia Warriors and Kun Khalifat drew 0-0 before heavy rain made the pitch unplayable in the 73rd minute. The rest were postponed until Monday morning.
Kun Khalifat of the Dan Anyiam Stadium in Owerri only survived the last day of the 2025/26 season. Their rain-delayed victory over Wikki Tourists brought Remo Stars down. Remo became the third champions to be relegated after Shooting Stars in 1999 and Bayelsa United in 2010.
South-South: Port Harcourt, Benin City and Ozoro
Last season’s runners-up Rivers United beat Plateau United 2-0 at the Adokiye Amiesimaka Stadium. CAF did not clarify this. Their African matches move to the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium in Uyo. Bendel Insurance beat Warri Wolves 2-1 at the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium in Benin City. Warri Wolves list Ozoro Stadium as their home team.
With no Bayelsa side left, Bayelsa United were relegated after four seasons.
North: Ilorin, Kano and Gombe
Kano has two clubs and a field. Kano Pillars and Barau FC both use the Sani Abacha Stadium where Barau beat Nasarawa United 3-1. Kaduna played a game that was not its own. Niger Tornadoes’ Bako Kontagora Stadium in Minna was still awaiting NPFL inspection after renovations, hence their 2-1 win over Enyimba at the Ahmadu Bello Stadium. Promoted Ranchers Bees lists it as a home.
Elsewhere, Kwara United drew 2-2 with Kano Pillars in Ilorin, Katsina United at Muhammadu Dikko Stadium, Plateau United at New Jos Stadium, Nasarawa United Lafia and Doma United Gombe beat Sporting Lagos 2-0 in the return leg at Pantami Stadium.
North lost two clubs in May.
Wikki Bauchi Tourists continued a season ago. El-Kanemi Warriors were knocked out after a 3-0 defeat at Aba.
Our NPFL fixtures page for this week tracks each venue. Check out our pick of the best football stadiums in Nigeria for the top fan ratings.
This article was last revised and updated 20 seconds ago