NPFL: 3 clubs who can challenge Rangers for the title in 2026/27 season

The Nigeria Football Premier League (NPFL) is set to kickoff this weekend, and defending champions Rangers International are still the team to beat, Afrik-Foot reports.

The Flying Antelopes were pushed all the way by Rivers United last season, but a remarkable 2-1 victory over Ikorodu City away from home on the final day secured their ninth league title. They finished with 68 points, just one ahead of Rivers United, while Shooting Stars and Ikorodu City completed the top four.

Rangers have now won two league titles in three seasons, making them the obvious benchmark heading into the new campaign.

👔 The men calling the shots from the dugout in #NPFL27.

New season. New challenges. Same touchline passion. 🔥 pic.twitter.com/R21lvOE160

— NPFL (@NigeriaPFL) August 27, 2026

But their dominance does not mean the title race will be straightforward.

Several clubs have the quality, experience or momentum to challenge the champions. Here are four teams who could push Rangers all the way in 2026/27 to win the coveted title.

1. Rivers United

If Rangers have one obvious rival, it is Rivers United. The Port Harcourt club came within a point of the title last season, finishing second with 67 points after winning 19 of their 38 matches. Their consistency was remarkable: they got exactly the same number of victories as Rangers and lost only one more game across the entire campaign.

The disappointment of missing out on the title could make them even more dangerous this time.

Finidi George remains in charge, and Rivers have also strengthened their squad ahead of the new season with several additions, including Chikamso Amaefula, James Ekebuike, Alex Oyowah, Ubong Williams and Clinton Andy. The club’s biggest advantage could be continuity.

They already know what it takes to stay in a title race for 38 games. The next step is turning last season’s one-point gap into first place.

2. Shooting Stars

Shooting Stars have a much stronger case than their third-place finish might initially suggest.

The Oluyole Warriors collected 60 points last season, eight behind champions Rangers, and secured their first continental qualification in 27 years. Their 18 victories were the second-highest total in the league, behind only Rangers and Rivers United.

There is, however, a major question hanging over them. Shooting Stars parted ways with Nurudeen Aweroro shortly before the new season despite his successful campaign and replaced him with former Super Eagles coach Salisu Yusuf. That makes them difficult to predict. He has won the league before with Kano Pillars, but that was 18 years ago with Kano Pillars.

Yusuf brings considerable experience of Nigerian football and has previously worked with Rangers, Kano Pillars, Nasarawa United and Enyimba. If he can maintain the standards established last season while improving the team’s consistency, Shooting Stars could move from continental contenders into genuine title challengers.

The challenge will be doing it while adapting to a new coach, big squad changes, and dealing with the demands of continental football.

3. Ikorodu City

Ikorodu City are perhaps the most interesting outsider. Their fourth-place finish last season was not a fluke. They got 58 points from 38 matches, winning 16 games and losing only 12. Their 43 goals were also among the league’s better attacking totals.

More importantly, the Lagos club have shown that their rise is not a one-season story. They have now finished fourth in the NPFL for two consecutive seasons. That consistency puts them in a different category from clubs that produce one impressive season before falling away.

The next question is whether they can convert fourth place into a genuine title challenge.

Ikorodu City already have evidence that they can compete with the country’s biggest clubs. Their problem last season was not an inability to win matches, but the points they dropped away from home, which is actually the issue with most NPFL sides.

If that improves, a 58-point campaign could become a 65-plus-point one. That would put them much closer to Rangers, Rivers United, and Shootings Stars who have continental football to worry about.