Enugu Rangers Clinch NPFL ‘26 Championship With Dramatic Final Day Victory

Enugu Rangers have been crowned champions of the 2025/26 Nigeria Premier Football League season after a tense final day showdown that saw the Flying Antelopes secure a historic ninth league title.

The title race went down to the wire on Sunday, with Rangers traveling to face Ikorodu City at the Mobolaji Johnson Arena in Lagos while Rivers United hosted Katsina United in Port Harcourt . Rangers entered the final matchday with a narrow one-point advantage at the top of the table.

Veteran striker Godwin Obaje, who had netted a brace in Rangers’ crucial Matchday 37 victory over Bendel Insurance, once again proved instrumental as the Flying Antelopes delivered the result they needed.

The victory marks Rangers’ ninth NPFL crown, matching the record for the most league titles won by a Nigerian club, currently held by oriental rivals Enyimba.

A visibly emotional Rangers General Manager and Chief Executive Officer, Amobi Ezeaku, had spoken passionately ahead of the decider, declaring the club’s “Mission-9” campaign to bring the title home.

“Now, we have activated Mission-9, which is our collective campaign to win the ninth NPFL title for our people and the teeming supporters of Rangers,” Ezeaku said ahead of the match.

Reflecting on the club’s identity and history, Ezeaku added, “We are not going into this match with any atom of fear because this is Rangers. We understand the significance of the Rangers badge and what this means in the annals of history for our people.”

The Nigeria Premier Football League had prepared for the dramatic finale by deploying two original trophies to both venues. NPFL Chief Operating Officer Davidson Owumi explained the elaborate arrangement ahead of the decisive matches.

“We don’t have a replica; we have two trophies. One trophy goes to Lagos and the other goes to Port Harcourt,” Owumi said . “We already have a podium set up in Lagos, while the one in Port Harcourt is being arranged. Whichever centre the title is decided, we are fully prepared.”

Ezeaku had also expressed gratitude to the club’s supporters and the Enugu State Government for their backing throughout the season, emphasizing the significance of the moment for the club’s faithful.

“I will give my life for this club,” Ezeaku had declared earlier in the week, reaffirming his commitment to the Flying Antelopes . “This club meant a lot to my late father. This club means a lot to our people.”

With the victory, Rangers secure Nigeria’s sole automatic group stage slot in the CAF Champions League for the upcoming season. Finidi George’s Rivers United, who finished as runners-up, will take the second CAF Champions League ticket as league runners-up.

As the final whistle confirmed Rangers’ triumph, Ezeaku’s pre-match prophecy rang true across Enugu and beyond. “I believe that by 6pm on Sunday, we shall all be singing: ‘Holy, Holy, Holy… Enugu Rangers, another champion,’ by the special grace of God,” he had said.

The Flying Antelopes’ ninth league title adds another glorious chapter to the club’s storied history since its establishment in 1970, delivering the NPFL trophy back to the Cathedral in Enugu.