Four teams have been confirmed to play in Nigeria’s elite division, the Nigeria Premier Football League, following their promotion from the Nigeria National League.
Two private teams secured a first-ever promotion, Kun Khalifat of Imo and Barau FC of Kano; two private teams with the latter owned by the Deputy Senate President of Nigeria, Senator Jibrin Barau.
Two government teams, Wikki Tourists and Warri Wolves; the former returns to the NPFL for the first time since 2023 while the latter, since 2019.
With these four teams confirmed, Warri Wolves were crowned champions of the NNL after they beat Wikki Tourists in the playoffs final. Here, we take a look at the NNL for the 2024/25 season with full focus on the NNL Super 8 playoffs.
The League Phase of the NNL
The 2024–25 Nigeria National League kicked off on the weekend of November 30, 2024, following its Annual General Meeting in Bauchi.
The league adopted a regional format, splitting 36 clubs into four conferences: A and B (Southern zone), and C and D (Northern zone).
The Southern Conference featured 11 teams each while the Northern Conference had seven each, playing in a double round-robin format, home and away, within their conference.
The structure was aimed at reducing travel costs while ensuring competitive balance throughout the regular season.
After three matchweeks, the league took a short break during the Christmas and New Year festivities and resumed on January 4, 2025.
Early form teams began to show intent: Abia Comets, Kun Khalifa FC, Wikki Tourists, and Basira FC emerged as early pacesetters across the four groups.
These sides put themselves in strong positions with consistent performances, especially on home turf, laying the foundation for a competitive season.
The 36 clubs that competed in the group phase were: Abia Comets, Warri Wolves, Coal City FC, Madiba FC, Gateway United, Joy Cometh, Stormers SC, Tradesafe FC, Inter Lagos, Kun Khalifa FC, Crown FC, Osun United, Ijebu United, Beyond Limits FA, Igbajo FC, Solution FC, Ikorodu City, Ekiti United, Wikki Tourists, Nasarawa United, Jigawa Golden Stars, ABS FC, Kebbi United, Zamfara United, Mighty Jets, Yobe Desert Stars, Sokoto United, Malumfashi FC, Basira FC, FC Taraba, EFCC FC, FRSC FC, Adamawa United, Doma United, Green Berets, and Aspire FC.
By early March, the first stanza of the season had concluded, followed by a mid-season transfer window that ran until March 19, 2025.
Teams used this opportunity to strengthen their squads, some offloading underperformers and others bringing in reinforcements to make a push for top-two positions.
Crown FC and Kun Khalifa continued their dominance in Conferences A and B respectively, while former NPFL sides Wikki Tourists and Yobe Desert Stars led the charge in the northern groups.
As the league resumed for the second half on the weekend of March 21–23, the race to qualify for the Super 8 intensified.
Every point became crucial, especially in the final five matchdays. Tight battles in Conferences C and D led the Nigeria National League board to announce that the final group matches in the northern conferences would hold simultaneously on Saturday, May 17, at 3:00 PM, to protect the integrity of the competition and prevent any possibility of manipulation.
By mid-May, the league phase came to a close. The top two teams from each of the four conferences (Warri Wolves, Osun United, Crown FC, Kun Khalifa FC, Wikki Tourists, Yobe Desert Stars, Doma United, and Barau FC) booked their place in the NNL Super Eight tournament, which would decide the four clubs to earn promotion to the elite Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL).
The Venue Selection for the NNL Super 8
The NNL Board chose the Stephen Keshi Stadium in Asaba, Delta State, as the host venue for the 2024–25 Super Eight playoffs, held from July 5 to 12, 2025. The decision followed strong backing from Delta State Governor Sheriff Oborevwori, who pledged full logistical and infrastructural support for the tournament.
The choice of Asaba sparked controversy as Delta was home to one of the participating teams, Warri Wolves. Many cited that there may be unfairness in officiating, fan support and even comfortability with Warri Wolves having no reason to travel.
Though Asaba’s selection aimed to guarantee order and state collaboration, the execution raised broader questions about geographic equity and the NNL’s consistency in choosing playoff venues.
The Super 8 Playoffs in Asaba
The Super Eight kicked off at Stephen Keshi Stadium, Asaba, on July 5, 2025, with the eight qualification teams split into two four-team pools: Northern (Wikki Tourists, Yobe Desert Stars, Doma United, Barau FC) and Southern (Warri Wolves, Osun United, Crown FC, Kun Khalifat FC).
Matchday 1 saw scant goal-scoring: both Northern pool fixtures ended 0–0, while in the South, Kun Khalifat edged Crown FC 1–0 via a penalty in the seventh minute, and Osun United defeated Warri Wolves 1–0 thanks to a deferred stoppage-time strike from Ebenezer Odeyemi.
Matchday 2 on July 7 delivered momentum shifts. In the South, Warri Wolves recovered with a 3–0 victory over Kun Khalifat, courtesy of a brace from Ebhohon Jude by halftime and a third goal in the second stanza, keeping their promotion hopes strong. Osun United managed a late penalty equalizer to salvage a 1–1 draw with Crown FC, keeping the Southern pool tightly contested.
Meanwhile, the Northern group began with tightly matched performances as both fixtures finished 0–0: Barau FC held Yobe Desert Stars, and Wikki Tourists were kept scoreless by Doma United, leaving all teams level at one point apiece.
Matchday 2 however, made the group more competitive. Yobe Desert Stars condemned the hopes of Doma United with a 2–1 victory over the Gombe side. Barau FC and Wikki Tourists held each other to a goalless draw.
With the standings still wide open, Matchday 3 on July 9 was decisive. In the Southern pool, Warri Wolves overcame Crown FC with a 2–1 win, finishing with six points and a superior goal difference over Kun Khalifat, who also had six but trailed on goal difference and thus clinched promotion for the first time since 2019.
Kun Khalifat secured a first-ever NPFL promotion with a final-day victory over Osun United, finishing second in the pool on six points but with an inferior goal differential.
Over in the Northern pool, Wikki Tourists cemented promotion with a 4–0 win against Doma United, topping their group with five points and a strong goal difference of +4.
Barau FC’s win over Doma and the draw between Doma and Wikki Tourists kept the latter pair in the mix, but ultimately falling short as only two sides could proceed.
Barau FC, with a draw and a goalless opener, narrowly squeezed in as the Northern runner-up.
The Final
With that, four teams were confirmed for promotion to Nigeria’s top-flight: Warri Wolves, Kun Khalifat FC, Yobe Desert Stars, and Wikki Tourists. But the final could only afford the top side of each group.
The final pitted Warri Wolves (Southern group winners) against Wikki Tourists (Northern group winners) at Asaba’s Stephen Keshi Stadium. Although promotion was already secured, the title remained at stake as pride and silverware were on the line.
The final of the 2024–25 NNL Super 8 playoff was staged at Stephen Keshi Stadium, Asaba on July 12, 2025, with Warri Wolves clashing with Wikki Tourists of Bauchi.
Both sides had already secured promotion to the NPFL by finishing first in their respective groups, Warri topping the Southern section and Wikki leading the Northern.
Warri Wolves raced into a 3–0 lead within the first 30 minutes, thanks to goals from Lateef Yusuf (9′ and 28′) and Igbunu Evwierhurhoma (21′). Wikki Tourists mounted a spirited comeback before halftime with a goal from Mahmood Aliyu, and added a second in the 59th minute through Wonderson, narrowing the margin to 3–2.
Despite sustained pressure in the closing stages, Wikki couldn’t force an equalizer, and Warri Wolves held on to claim the NNL Super 8 championship and the season title.
Pitch Invasion Incident
One sour taste of the competition was the pitch invasion at full time by aggrieved fans of Wikki Tourists, who raced towards the referee, but security operatives on ground were able to quickly restore normalcy.
