The 2025–26 Nigeria National League (formerly the National Division 1) is the 47th season of the Nigeria National League under its current title and the 35th season under its current league division format. The Nigeria National League (NNL) is the second-highest tier in the Nigerian football league system after the Nigeria Premier Football League, and is currently contested by 36 clubs.[1]
| Dates | Main round: 8 November 2025 – 22 April 2026 Championship round: 4 – 8 May 2026 |
|---|---|
| Champions | Sporting Lagos (1st title) |
| Matches | 266 |
| Goals | 572 (2.15 per match) |
| Biggest home win | Inter Lagos 5–0 Abia Comets (7 March 2026) |
| Biggest away win | Stormers SC 1–5 Sporting Lagos (29 March 2026) |
| Highest scoring | Stormers SC 4–2 Abakaliki (11 January 2026) Osun United 3–3 Abakaliki (20 December 2025) Stormers SC 4–2 Osun United (6 December 2025) Godswill Akpabio FC 5–1 First Bank FC (15 November 2025) |
| Longest winning run | Akwa United (5 games) |
| Longest unbeaten run | Doma United (6 games) |
| Longest winless run | First Bank FC (8 games) |
| Longest losing run | First Bank FC (4 games) |
← 2024-25 2026–27 → | |
On 8 May, Sporting Lagos were crowned league champions after finishing top of the Super 4 table.[2]
Team changes
editThe following teams have changed division since the 2024–25 season:
To National League
|
From National League |
Teams Information
editConference A
| Team | Location | Stadium | Capacity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gateway United | Abeokuta | MKO Abiola Stadium | 10,000 |
| Abia Comets | Umuahia | Umuahia Township Stadium | 5,000 |
| Beyond Limits | Ikenne | Remo Stars Stadium | 5,000 |
| Crown FC | Ogbomosho | Soun Stadium | – |
| Dakkada | Uyo | Uyo Township Stadium | 5,000 |
| Edel | Awka | Awka City Stadium | |
| Sunshine Stars | Akure | Dipo Dina International Stadium | 20,000 [a] |
| Heartland | Owerri | Dan Anyiam Stadium | 10,000 |
| Inter Lagos | Lagos | Mobolaji Johnson Arena | 10,000 |
| Smart City | |||
Conference B
| Team | Location | Stadium | Capacity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Abakaliki | Abakaliki | Pa Ngele Oruta Township Stadium | |
| First Bank FC | Lagos | Mobolaji Johnson Arena | 10,000 |
| Ekiti United | Ekiti | Oluyemi Kayode Stadium | |
| Godswill Akpabio FC | Uyo | Uyo Township Stadium | 5,000 |
| Akwa United[9] | |||
| Stormers SC | Abeokuta | MKO Abiola Stadium | 10,000 |
| Osun United | Osogbo | Osogbo Township Stadium | 10,000 |
| Rovers | Calabar | U.J. Esuene Stadium | 16,000 |
| Solution FC | Awka | Awka City Stadium | 3,000 |
| Sporting Lagos | Lagos | Mobolaji Johnson Arena | 10,000 |
Conference C
| Team | Location | Stadium | Capacity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Doma United | Gombe | Pantami Stadium | 12,000 | |
| City F.C. | Abuja | |||
| Lobi Stars | Makurdi | Aper Aku Stadium | 8,000 [b] | |
| Mighty Jets | Jos | New Jos Stadium | 60,000 | |
| Basira | Lafia | Lafia City Stadium | 10,000 | |
| Sokoto United | Sokoto | Giginya Memorial Stadium | ||
| Kada Warriors | Kaduna | Ahmadu Bello Stadium | 16,000 | |
| ABS | Ilorin | Kwara State Stadium | 18,000 |
Conference D
| Team | Location | Stadium | Capacity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adamawa United | Yola | Ribadu Square Stadium | 5,000 |
| Bichi First | Kano | Bichi Stadium | |
| Ranchers Bees | Kaduna | Ranchers Bees Stadium | 10,000 |
| Gombe United | Gombe | Pantami Stadium | 12,000 |
| Jigawa Golden Stars | Dutse | Kazaure Stadium | |
| Kebbi United | Birnin Kebbi | FIFA Goal Project Pitch | |
| Sporting Supreme | Bwari | Bwari Stadium | |
| Yobe Desert Stars | Damaturu | Potiskum Stadium | 2,000 |
- ↑ Sunshine Stars play their home games at Dipo Dina International Stadium, Ijebu-Ode rather than their regular home ground, Akure Township Stadium, Akure due to renovation works.[8]
- ↑ Lobi Stars play their home matches at Nnamdi Azikiwe Stadium, Enugu and previously at Lafia Township Stadium, Lafia and Abubakar Tafawa Balewa Stadium, Bauchi instead of their regular home ground Aper Aku Stadium, Makurdi due to renovation works.[10][11]
Format
editThe AGM adopted an abridged league format splitting the competition into four conferences — A, B, C and D — with the top club in each conference gaining automatic promotion to the Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL). The Super 8 play-off was scrapped and rather a new Super 4 competition will instead be introduced at the end of the season to decide the overall NNL champion.[12][13]
Main round
editSouth Region
editConference A
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Inter Lagos (P) | 16 | 8 | 5 | 3 | 26 | 13 | +13 | 29 | Promotion to NPFL and qualification to Championship Round |
| 2 | Beyond Limits[a] | 16 | 7 | 7 | 2 | 23 | 13 | +10 | 28 | Ineligible for promotion |
| 3 | Heartland | 16 | 8 | 3 | 5 | 21 | 17 | +4 | 27 | |
| 4 | Smart City | 16 | 8 | 3 | 5 | 21 | 19 | +2 | 27 | |
| 5 | Sunshine Stars | 16 | 7 | 4 | 5 | 18 | 14 | +4 | 25 | |
| 6 | Edel FC | 16 | 6 | 2 | 8 | 14 | 20 | −6 | 20 | |
| 7 | Crown FC | 16 | 4 | 4 | 8 | 18 | 19 | −1 | 16 | |
| 8 | Abia Comets (R) | 16 | 4 | 3 | 9 | 16 | 31 | −15 | 15 | Relegation to NLO |
| 9 | Gateway United (R) | 16 | 3 | 3 | 10 | 13 | 24 | −11 | 12 | |
| 10 | Dakkada[b] | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Withdrew |
Source: Soccerway
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Goals scored.
(P) Promoted; (R) Relegated
Notes:
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Goals scored.
(P) Promoted; (R) Relegated
Notes:
Conference B
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sporting Lagos (P) | 18 | 11 | 3 | 4 | 31 | 14 | +17 | 36 | Promotion to NPFL
and Qualification for the Championship round |
| 2 | Akwa United | 18 | 11 | 2 | 5 | 23 | 13 | +10 | 35 | |
| 3 | Ekiti United | 18 | 10 | 0 | 8 | 21 | 17 | +4 | 30 | |
| 4 | Stormers SC | 18 | 8 | 2 | 8 | 24 | 26 | −2 | 26 | |
| 5 | Abakaliki FC | 18 | 7 | 4 | 7 | 19 | 17 | +2 | 25 | |
| 6 | Solutions FC | 18 | 8 | 1 | 9 | 18 | 22 | −4 | 25 | |
| 7 | Godswill Akpabio FC | 18 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 27 | 24 | +3 | 24 | |
| 8 | Rovers (R) | 18 | 7 | 1 | 10 | 15 | 21 | −6 | 22 | Relegation to NLO |
| 9 | Osun United (R) | 18 | 6 | 2 | 10 | 16 | 24 | −8 | 20 | |
| 10 | First Bank FC (R) | 18 | 4 | 3 | 11 | 15 | 31 | −16 | 15 |
Source: Soccerway
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Goals scored.
(P) Promoted; (R) Relegated
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Goals scored.
(P) Promoted; (R) Relegated
North Region
editConference C
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Doma United (P) | 14 | 8 | 2 | 4 | 18 | 11 | +7 | 26 | Promotion to NPFL
and Qualification for the Championship round |
| 2 | Lobi Stars | 14 | 7 | 2 | 5 | 12 | 10 | +2 | 23 | |
| 3 | FC Basira | 14 | 6 | 3 | 5 | 17 | 14 | +3 | 21 | |
| 4 | Kada Warriors | 14 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 11 | 9 | +2 | 20 | |
| 5 | Sokoto United | 14 | 5 | 3 | 6 | 9 | 11 | −2 | 18 | |
| 6 | ABS FC | 14 | 5 | 2 | 7 | 10 | 16 | −6 | 17 | |
| 7 | Mighty Jets (R) | 14 | 5 | 1 | 8 | 14 | 16 | −2 | 16 | Relegation to NLO |
| 8 | City FC (R) | 14 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 10 | 14 | −4 | 16 |
Source: Soccerway
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Goals scored.
(P) Promoted; (R) Relegated
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Goals scored.
(P) Promoted; (R) Relegated
Conference D
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ranchers Bees (P) | 12 | 6 | 2 | 4 | 11 | 9 | +2 | 20 | Promotion to NPFL
and Qualification for the Championship round |
| 2 | Adamawa United | 12 | 6 | 0 | 6 | 12 | 11 | +1 | 18 | |
| 3 | Jigawa Golden Stars | 12 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 12 | 15 | −3 | 18 | |
| 4 | Yobe Desert Stars | 12 | 5 | 2 | 5 | 14 | 13 | +1 | 17 | |
| 5 | Kebbi United | 12 | 5 | 1 | 6 | 11 | 11 | 0 | 16 | |
| 6 | Bichi First | 12 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 11 | 9 | +2 | 15 | |
| 7 | Gombe United (R) | 12 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 8 | 11 | −3 | 15 | Relegation to NLO |
| 8 | Sporting Supreme[a] | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Expelled, results annulled |
Source: Soccerway
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Goals scored.
(P) Promoted; (R) Relegated
Notes:
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Goals scored.
(P) Promoted; (R) Relegated
Notes:
- ↑ Sporting Supreme were excluded from all Nigerian national competitions by the NNL on 21st December 2025 and their record were expunged.[15]
Championship round
editA championship round, known as the Super Four, involving the promoted teams from the four groups was held from 4–8 May to determine the overall league champion. All matches were played at Remo Stars Stadium in Ikenne.[16]
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sporting Lagos (C) | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 1 | +4 | 6 | Champions |
| 2 | Inter Lagos | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 1 | +2 | 6 | |
| 3 | Ranchers Bees | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 4 | −1 | 3 | |
| 4 | Doma United | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 7 | −5 | 3 |
Matches
edit| 4 May 2026 | Sporting Lagos | 1–0 | Ranchers Bees | Remo Stars Stadium, Ikenne |
| 16:00 (UTC+1) | Leme Alex  40' |
Report |
| 4 May 2026 | Doma United | 1–0 | Inter Lagos | Remo Stars Stadium, Ikenne |
| 18:00 (UTC+1) | Yusuf Fantami 19' Kennedy Osemudiamen  |
Report | Damilare Adigun |
--
| 6 May 2026 | Ranchers Bees | 0–2 | Inter Lagos | Remo Stars Stadium, Ikenne |
| 18:00 (UTC+1) | Report | Quyum Akinpelu 48' Oyedele Adebayo 71' (pen.) |
| 6 May 2026 | Sporting Lagos | 4–0 | Doma United | Remo Stars Stadium, Ikenne |
| 20:00 (UTC+1) | Akanji Seun 28' Oladunjoye Shola 48'Solomon Uloko 81', 88' |
Report |
--
| 8 May 2026 | Doma United | 1–3 | Ranchers Bees | Remo Stars Stadium, Ikenne |
| 16:00 (UTC+1) | Mustapha Bashir 90' |
Report | Kabiru Salisu 15', 33' Steven Pam 87' |
| 8 May 2026 | Inter Lagos | 1–0 | Sporting Lagos | Remo Stars Stadium, Ikenne |
| 16:00 (UTC+1) | Bashir Hassan 7' |
Report |
Season statistics
editScoring
editTop scorers
edit- As of 23 February 2026
| Rank | Player | Club | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Paulinus Okon |
Akwa United | 4 |
| 2 | Jamiu Sa'ad |
ABS FC | 3 |
| Eko Barine[17] |
Godswill Akpabio FC |
Awards
editMonthly
edit| Month | Manager of the Month | Most Valuable Player | Highest Goal Scorer of the Month | Best Goalkeeper of the Month | Goal of the Month | Best Behaved Team | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manager | Club | Player | Club | Player | Club | Player | Club | Player | Club | |||
| December | Paul Offor[18] |
Akwa United | Yaro Zakari |
Yobe Desert Stars | Ajibola Joel |
Stormers SC | Emmanuel Daniel |
Ranchers Bees | Daniel Gotham[19] |
Akwa United | Kada Warriors | |
| January | Paul Offor[20] |
Akwa United | Victor Samuel |
Sporting Lagos | Tony Ayanga |
Rovers | Aloysius ThankGod[21] |
Akwa United | Babarinde Taofeek |
Gateway Fc | Rovers | |
| February | Paul Offor[22][23] |
Akwa United | Obisesan Sodiq |
Osun United | Innocent Idu |
City Fc | Alo Chukwu Pascal |
Abakaliki Fc | Jafar Ojo |
Smart City | Lobi Stars[24] | |
See also
editReferences
edit- ↑ "NNL". nff.com. 10 November 2015. Retrieved 16 January 2026.
- ↑ "Sporting Lagos clinch title despite 1–0 loss to Inter Lagos". Sports247. Retrieved 10 May 2026.
- ↑ "Ekiti united confirms participation in 2025/26 NNL season". bsnsports.com.ng. Retrieved 9 August 2025.
- ↑ "Stormers pick Nnl ticket". The Nation. Lagos, Nigeria. Retrieved 16 June 2025.
- ↑ "Warri Wolves overpower Wikki to emerge NNL Super 8 champions". This Day. Retrieved 21 July 2025.
- ↑ "Wikki Tourist, Barau FC, Warri Wolves, Kun Khalifat secure promotion to NPFL". Premium Times. 10 July 2025.
- ↑ "wikki-barau land in nnl super 8 as zamfara-go down". This Day. Retrieved 19 May 2025.
- ↑ "Why Sunshine Stars adopted Dipo Dina Stadium as home ground". Daily Post. Lagos, Nigeria. 3 September 2024.
- ↑ "Akwa united adopts new home ground for 2025/26 NNL season". Daily Post. Lagos, Nigeria. Retrieved 3 November 2025.
- ↑ "Lobi Stars adopt Lafia City Stadium as home ground for new season". Daily Post. Lagos, Nigeria. 19 September 2023.
- ↑ "After 2 matches in Bauchi, Lobi Stars relocate to Enugu". Daily Trust. 7 March 2025.
- ↑ "NNL New league format". tvcnews.tv. 17 September 2025. Retrieved 17 September 2025.
- ↑ "NNL abolishes Super 8 as 2025-26 season kick off date confirmed". Daily Trust. Retrieved 18 September 2025.
- ↑ "Nnl confirms dakkada withdrawal from 2025/26 season". Daily Post. Lagos, Nigeria. Retrieved 19 November 2025.
- ↑ "Nnl expels Sporting Supreme, imposes five year ban". sports247.ng. 23 December 2025. Retrieved 23 December 2025.
- ↑ "NNL Super Four set for explosive finale in Ikenne". The Nation. Lagos, Nigeria. 4 May 2026.
- ↑ "After explosive start to nnl 2025/26, netting 3 goals, Enyimba signs Godswill Akpabio FC star". Daily Post. Lagos, Nigeria. Retrieved 24 February 2026.
- ↑ "Akwa United Offor wins 3 straight coach of the month awards". Leadership. Retrieved 30 March 2026.
- ↑ "Akwa United's coach, player and goal keeper receive nnl awards". Premium Times. Retrieved 30 March 2026.
- ↑ "Akwa United Offor wins 3 straight coach of the month awards". Leadership. Retrieved 30 March 2026.
- ↑ "Akwa United's coach, player and goal keeper receive nnl awards". Premium Times. Retrieved 30 March 2026.
- ↑ "Akwa United Offor wins 3 straight coach of the month awards". Leadership. Retrieved 30 March 2026.
- ↑ "Akwa United's coach, player and goal keeper receive nnl awards". Premium Times. Retrieved 30 March 2026.
- ↑ "NNL honours Alia, Lobi Stars & others". Blueprint. Abuja, Nigeria. Retrieved 30 March 2026.