The Nigeria Premier Football League season will go down to the wire on matchday 38, with defending champions Remo Stars and record nine-time winners Enyimba unexpectedly dragged into a tense and dramatic relegation battle that has stunned supporters across the country, PUNCH Sports Extra reports.
What was expected to be a campaign dominated by title ambitions and continental qualification has instead turned into a survival contest, with both clubs now among several sides fighting to remain in the top flight for the 2026/27 season.
The final day is expected to produce high tension across multiple venues, as only a small margin separates teams from safety and danger, leaving several outcomes still mathematically possible.
Bayelsa United and Wikki Tourists have been relegated with 40 points, while the two remaining relegation spots are still to be confirmed. Enyimba, Kun Khalifat, Remo Stars and Warri Wolves are all locked on 46 points, occupying positions 14th to 17th, while Niger Tornadoes are 18th.
Teams in mid-table are also not safe. Kano Pillars, in 10th place, have 48 points, while Kwara United, Plateau United and El-Kanemi Warriors, placed 11th to 13th, all have 47 points.
The scale of the relegation fight has intensified discussions among analysts and followers of the league, with projections from football watchers suggesting that the closing fixtures could produce major surprises.
Lagos-based journalist Toyin Ibitoye has predicted a dramatic final day, offering firm views on the survival race at the bottom of the table.
Ibitoye argued that the relegation battle would come down to fine margins, particularly highlighting the direct contest between Enyimba and El-Kanemi Warriors as decisive.
“One of Enyimba and El-Kanemi will go down at the end of matchday 38, their clash in Aba is a ‘win or bust’ encounter. A winner takes all battle,” Ibitoye told the NPFL.
He also suggested that several clubs would survive despite the pressure, predicting wins for Niger Tornadoes, Warri Wolves and Remo Stars in their respective final fixtures.
For Remo Stars, he forecast a crucial away victory that would help them escape the relegation zone despite their difficult campaign as defending champions.
Ibadan-based sports lawyer Jubril Mohammed offered a more decisive outlook, insisting that El-Kanemi Warriors would be relegated alongside Bayelsa United, while also expressing confidence that Ikorodu City would secure continental qualification.
“El-Kanemi will go down with Bayelsa United,” Mohammed told NPFL.
Canada-based medical doctor Nosa Iyagbaye, also provided his projections, noting the unpredictable nature of the final-day permutations after following the NPFL closely from abroad since leaving broadcasting in Edo State.
Across the various predictions, a consensus emerged that several clubs including Remo Stars, Enyimba, Kun Khalifat, Kwara United, El-Kanemi Warriors, Barau FC, Plateau United and Kano Pillars remain in danger, with at least two expected to drop into the second tier.
Iyagbaye captured the intensity of the closing stage, describing the final day as a decisive moment for the league.
“In short, it is war that we want to witness on the 24th of May 2026 in the nation’s top football stage as the round leather object will burst across these sensitive venues,” he said.
Ibitoye also reflected on the competitiveness of the season, describing it as one of the most tightly contested campaigns in recent memory.
“The NPFL25/26 season is one of the most competitive football seasons ever witnessed in world football,” he concluded.
With the final round of fixtures approaching, attention now turns to whether the league’s biggest names can avoid an unprecedented fall or whether the NPFL will close the season with one of its most dramatic relegation outcomes in history.
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