Why NPFL could lose 2 CAF club competition slots next season

The Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) could see its slots for the CAF Champions League and Confederation Cup halved starting next season.

​Over the last few years, Nigeria has been allocated four slots for CAF club competitions: the top two teams from the league qualify for the Champions League, while the third-placed team qualifies for the Confederation Cup alongside the domestic cup winner.

​This season, Enugu Rangers and Rivers United were Nigeria’s representatives in the Champions League, but both were knocked out at different stages of the preliminary rounds.

​It was a similar story for the Confederation Cup representatives, El-Kanemi Warriors and Shooting Stars, as they also failed to reach the group stage of CAF’s club competitions.

​Those failures could eventually cost Nigeria next year; depending on the results of clubs from Libya (Al-Ahli) and Zambia (Red Arrows), Nigeria could be overtaken in the CAF 5-Year Ranking.

​If those two clubs finish at least third in their groups or advance to the knockout rounds, their countries will overtake Nigeria in the coefficient standings.

​How Bad Can It Get For Nigeria And The NPFL?

​Red Arrows and Al-Ahli have landed in manageable groups in the CAF Confederation Cup. The Zambian side is in Group C alongside Singida Black Stars, AS Maniema Union, and an undecided club.

​As for Al-Ahli, they face Durban City, Azam FC, and AS FAR in their group, putting them in a fair position to compete and push for qualification to the next round.

Great matchups are coming your way. The #TotalEnergiesCAFCC groups are set! 🤩 https://t.co/WWayy0xnKZ

— TotalEnergies CAFCL & CAFCC 🏆 (@CAFCLCC) October 28, 2026

​If these clubs perform well, Nigeria’s continental representation will be reduced to just two entrants: the league champions and the FA Cup winners.

​This would be a major setback for the NPFL and Nigerian football as a whole, as it further limits the presence of Nigerian teams on the continent and dims their chances of reaching the lucrative stages of these tournaments.

​Naturally, missing out also deprives these clubs of vital continental revenue and exposure.

​This decline did not happen overnight, it has been a long time coming. Nigerian clubs have consistently faltered on the continental stage due to poor organization and inadequate investment.

​Clubs from Southern and Northern Africa have dominated the scene in recent years, and unless there are systemic, meaningful reforms within the domestic league, the situation is unlikely to improve.