NPFL Matchday 7 opens on Saturday, 3 October, with leaders Barau FC facing a trip to Benin City the following day and second-placed Rivers United hosting an Ikorodu City side fresh from beating defending champions Rangers. The league has scheduled all ten fixtures for 4pm kick-offs across Saturday and Sunday, according to the official NPFL fixtures list.
Only a point separates the top three after six rounds, and several clubs still have games in hand, so the weekend could reshape the top half of the table.
Saturday 3 and Sunday 4 October 2026
- Doma United4:00pmWarri Wolves
- Kano Pillars4:00pmSporting Lagos
- Niger Tornadoes4:00pmKun Khalifat
- Bendel Insurance4:00pmBarau FC
- Rivers United4:00pmIkorodu City
- Shooting Stars4:00pmNasarawa United
- Rangers4:00pmAbia Warriors
- Kwara United4:00pmRanchers Bees
- Enyimba4:00pmPlateau United
- Inter Lagos4:00pmKatsina United
Rivers United and Ikorodu City meet with both sides in form
The pick of the weekend is in Port Harcourt, where Finidi George’s Rivers United welcome Ikorodu City. Rivers have the tightest defence in the division, conceding once in five matches, and they arrive on the back of a goalless draw away to Ranchers Bees, having already put five past Kun Khalifat this season. With a game in hand on Barau, a home win would take them to 14 points and keep the pressure on the leaders, who are in Benin City at the same time.
Ikorodu City travel with momentum after ending Rangers’ unbeaten start 2-0 at the Mobolaji Johnson Arena last weekend through goals from Aderemi Adeoye and Emmanuel Ikechukwu. They sit eighth on eight points with a game in hand of their own, and a result at the Adokiye Amiesimaka Stadium would move them firmly into the chasing pack. For a fuller account of how Rivers were held last time out, read our Ranchers Bees vs Rivers United report.
Barau’s unbeaten run faces a Benin City test
Barau FC are the only side yet to lose after six games, with three wins and three draws, but they were held 1-1 by Sporting Lagos at Onikan last Saturday. Their next assignment is Bendel Insurance at the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium. Bendel have won three and lost three, and they will want a response after a 3-0 defeat at Abia Warriors in Umuahia, where all three goals came before half-time.
Plateau United, level on 11 points with Rivers, go to Aba to face an Enyimba side that finally got off the mark with a goalless draw at Kano Pillars after four straight defeats. Plateau’s 2-0 win over Inter Lagos, with second-half goals from Gideon Monday and Jibril Ibrahim, lifted them into the top three, while the nine-time champions remain bottom on one point from five matches.
Champions Rangers need a reaction at Awka
Rangers host Abia Warriors at the Awka Township Stadium, the venue the league has listed for the fixture, looking to recover from their first defeat of the season. The Flying Antelopes are fourth on 10 points with a game in hand, and they also have a CAF Champions League date with MC Alger coming up in October, which we covered in our look at Nigeria’s remaining CAF clubs. Abia arrive in confident mood after Chukwuemeka Obioma’s brace and Ettah Ikoi’s opener put Bendel away.
An early six-pointer at the bottom in Kontagora
It’s too early for anyone to panic, but Niger Tornadoes against Kun Khalifat at the Bako Kontagora Stadium pits two clubs on five points who are both in the bottom four. Kun Khalifat earned their first win of the season by beating Kwara United 1-0 last weekend, while Tornadoes lost 1-0 at Nasarawa United to a Harrison Eboh goal. Inter Lagos, second from bottom, host Katsina United, who beat Doma United 2-1 in their last outing.
Elsewhere, Shooting Stars have played only four matches and can climb quickly with a home win over Nasarawa United in Ibadan, while Kano Pillars, still unbeaten with two wins and three draws, host Sporting Lagos on Saturday. Kwara United face Ranchers Bees in Ilorin, and Warri Wolves, who beat Shooting Stars 1-0 through Othuke Egbo’s seventh-minute strike, visit Doma United in Gombe.
Where the NPFL table stands before Matchday 7
The standings below reflect the official NPFL table after Matchday 6. The uneven number of matches played means the picture near the top is less settled than the points suggest, and our Matchday 6 round-up has the full story of last weekend’s games.
| # | Club | P | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Barau FC | 6 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 9 | 3 | +6 | 12 |
| 2 | Rivers United | 5 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 10 | 1 | +9 | 11 |
| 3 | Plateau United | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 9 | 6 | +3 | 11 |
| 4 | Rangers | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 8 | 6 | +2 | 10 |
| 5 | Doma United | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 9 | 8 | +1 | 10 |
| 6 | Kano Pillars | 5 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 10 | 6 | +4 | 9 |
| 7 | Bendel Insurance | 6 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 9 | 10 | -1 | 9 |
| 8 | Ikorodu City | 5 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 8 | 5 | +3 | 8 |
| 9 | Abia Warriors | 6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 7 | 8 | -1 | 8 |
| 10 | Kwara United | 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 7 | 6 | +1 | 7 |
| 11 | Ranchers Bees | 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 8 | 8 | 0 | 7 |
| 12 | Sporting Lagos | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 7 |
| 13 | Warri Wolves | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | -1 | 7 |
| 14 | Nasarawa United | 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 6 | 8 | -2 | 7 |
| 15 | Katsina United | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 7 | -3 | 7 |
| 16 | Shooting Stars | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 6 |
| 17 | Niger Tornadoes | 6 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 7 | -2 | 5 |
| 18 | Kun Khalifat | 6 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 13 | -8 | 5 |
| 19 | Inter Lagos | 6 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 9 | -6 | 4 |
| 20 | Enyimba | 5 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 8 | -5 | 1 |
CAF Champions LeagueConfederation CupRelegation
After Matchday 6. Rivers United, Rangers, Kano Pillars, Ikorodu City, Sporting Lagos, Warri Wolves, Katsina United and Enyimba have played five games; Shooting Stars have played four.
With Rivers United, Rangers and Kano Pillars all carrying a game in hand, Sunday’s results in Port Harcourt, Benin City and Aba will go a long way towards deciding who heads into mid-October at the top of the NPFL.
