News
EuroMatch NPFL Explodes Into Action: Rangers Begin Title Defence as Matchday One Promises Fireworks
The wait is over. The newly branded EuroMatch NPFL has entered the spotlight, and after Shooting Stars opened the 2026/27 campaign with a 2-1 victory over newly promoted Inter Lagos in Ibadan on Friday, attention now shifts to a packed Sunday programme that promises to set the tone for the new season.
The 2026/27 campaign is the first season of the EuroMatch NPFL, following the unveiling of EuroMatch as the league’s new title sponsor in Abuja on Wednesday. The three-year agreement is worth $7.5 million, with 60 per cent of the annual sponsorship proceeds earmarked for the 20 participating clubs.
Read Also: “We Stayed Together Until the End” — Sodiq Leads Shooting Stars to Winning Start Against Inter Lagos
That commercial breakthrough has added another layer of excitement to a season already carrying huge expectations, with the champions set to receive a record ₦1 billion prize.
Now the football must do the talking.
Defending champions Rangers International will begin their title defence against Katsina United at the MKO Abiola Sports Arena in Abeokuta, with kick-off scheduled for 4pm. The Flying Antelopes, champions of the 2025/26 campaign, have relocated their home fixtures to Abeokuta and will be determined to start their championship defence with three points. The fixture is also listed by the NPFL for live coverage on the official NPFL YouTube channel in partnership with Murphy Ben International.
For Rangers, the challenge is immediate: turn the excitement of being champions into the consistency required to defend the crown.
Katsina United, however, will have no interest in playing the role of supporting cast. A positive result against the champions on their opening day would immediately announce their own ambitions and provide one of the weekend’s biggest talking points.
Elsewhere, Bendel Insurance and Warri Wolves renew a South-South rivalry in Benin City. It is the type of opening-day encounter where intensity, physical battles and defensive discipline could dominate, with one moment of individual quality potentially deciding the contest.
In Ilorin, Kwara United welcome Kano Pillars in another intriguing fixture. Both sides possess experienced players capable of controlling the midfield, making the battle for possession and territory potentially decisive.
There is also considerable interest in Lagos, where Ikorodu City host newly promoted Ranchers Bees at the Mobolaji Johnson Arena. Ikorodu City have established themselves as one of the league’s most consistent sides, finishing fourth in each of the last two seasons, while Ranchers Bees arrive with the ambition and confidence that comes with promotion.
At the Pantami Stadium, another promoted side, Sporting Lagos, begin their campaign away to Doma United. Both clubs are returning to the top flight and will see the encounter as an opportunity to make an immediate statement.
Nine-time champions Enyimba also face an intriguing opening assignment away to Niger Tornadoes in Minna, while Rivers United host Plateau United in Port Harcourt.
Other fixtures will see Abia Warriors take on Kun Khalifat and Barau FC face Nasarawa United.
The full Sunday programme is:
Ikorodu City vs Ranchers Bees
Abia Warriors vs Kun Khalifat
Barau FC vs Nasarawa United
Bendel Insurance vs Warri Wolves
Rangers International vs Katsina United
Rivers United vs Plateau United
Kwara United vs Kano Pillars
Niger Tornadoes vs Enyimba
Doma United vs Sporting Lagos
All nine Sunday fixtures are scheduled for 4pm, according to the NPFL’s official fixture listing.
But beyond the individual fixtures, this opening weekend carries a much bigger message.
This is the first NPFL season under the EuroMatch title sponsorship, the first campaign following the league’s new digital streaming partnership with Murphy Ben International, and a season in which the NPFL is openly pursuing greater commercial value, wider visibility and stronger benefits for its clubs and players.
The league has effectively raised the stakes.
Now Rangers, Enyimba, Rivers United, Kano Pillars, Ikorodu City and the rest must respond on the pitch.
The EuroMatch NPFL has arrived.
The champions are defending. The challengers are coming. The promoted clubs want to make history.
And after Friday’s opening shock, Sunday could provide the first major statement of what promises to be one of the most closely watched NPFL seasons in years.
Events
Nigeria’s Christian Leaders to Unite in Abuja for First Lausanne Congress in Over 10 Years (Register Now)
The Lausanne Nigeria Christian Missions has announced plans to convene about 5,000 church leaders, missionaries, theological educators, young Christian leaders and marketplace professionals at the first national Lausanne gathering in Nigeria in more than a decade.
The Lausanne Nigeria Congress 2026 is scheduled to hold from October 27 to 30 at the National Ecumenical Centre, Abuja, under the theme, “Let the Church Declare and Display Christ Together.”
According to the organisers, registration for the four-day congress is now open, with delegates expected from major Christian denominations and all six geopolitical zones of Nigeria.
The congress represents Nigeria’s national expression of the Fourth Lausanne Congress on World Evangelisation, which brought together more than 5,000 Christian leaders from over 200 countries in Incheon, South Korea, in September 2024.
The organisers said the Abuja gathering would provide a platform for church leaders and mission practitioners to strengthen collaboration and develop strategies for advancing Christian mission in Nigeria and beyond.
The four-day programme will feature plenary teaching, issue network deliberations, intercessory prayer, intergenerational dialogue and a public commissioning.
Discussions will focus on a range of issues, including frontier missions and unreached peoples, theological education, faith in the public square, business as mission, media and digital innovation, diaspora and migration, as well as student and youth ministry.
Speaking on the significance of the congress, National Chairman of Lausanne Nigeria and General Secretary of the Evangelical Church Winning All (ECWA), Rev. Dr. Yunusa Sabo Nmadu Jnr, described Nigeria as both a mission field and an emerging mission force.
“Nigeria is no longer merely a mission field. She is a mission force. More than fifteen thousand Nigerian missionaries are already serving in over fifty countries, while within our own borders more than forty peoples still wait for the gospel,” he said.
Nmadu stressed that the congress was designed to bring together the wider Nigerian Church rather than a select group of Christian leaders.
“This Congress is not for a select few. It is for the whole Church, the whole gospel, the whole world,” he added.
Also speaking, the Primate of the Church of Nigeria, Anglican Communion, and Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Lausanne Nigeria Christian Missions, Most Rev. Dr. Henry Chukwudum Ndukuba, called for greater unity and collaboration among Christian denominations, mission agencies and generations of leaders.
“For too long we have laboured in parallel. Denominations building alone. Agencies running alone. Generations praying alone. This is our God-given moment to come together as one body, one gospel and one mission force for the nations,” Ndukuba said.
The Lausanne Movement traces its roots to the 1974 International Congress on World Evangelization in Lausanne, Switzerland, convened by renowned evangelist Billy Graham.
The gathering brought together about 2,400 Christian leaders from 150 nations and resulted in the Lausanne Covenant, which was drafted under the chairmanship of British theologian and pastor John R. W. Stott.
The organisers said the partnership between Graham and Stott helped shape the global mission movement for decades, with subsequent milestones including the Manila Manifesto of 1989, the Cape Town Commitment of 2010 and the Seoul Statement of 2024.
The Lausanne Nigeria Congress follows a series of activities aimed at strengthening collaboration among Nigerian church, mission and marketplace leaders.
In March 2026, Lausanne Nigeria hosted the Global Executive Director of the Lausanne Movement, Dr. Michael Oh, in Abuja for a Global Mission Conversation focused on strategic collaboration for global impact.
The October congress is expected to build on that engagement by bringing the conversation to a wider national platform.
Registration Opens
Delegate registration for the congress is currently open and will close on September 30, 2026.
Nigerian delegates are required to pay ₦50,000, while international delegates will pay US$200.
The organisers said group registration is available for denominations, mission agencies, seminaries and professional fellowships sending multiple delegates.
They also announced that sponsorship opportunities are available to support participation by frontier missionaries, younger leaders and delegates from under-resourced regions.
Institutions interested in deeper involvement can also apply to serve as Hosting Organisations for the congress.
Further information and registration details are available through the Lausanne Nigeria platform.
The Lausanne Nigeria Christian Missions said it is the national expression of the global Lausanne Movement in Nigeria and operates as a registered Incorporated Trustee based in Abuja.
Its Board of Trustees is chaired by Most Rev. Dr. Henry Chukwudum Ndukuba, while Rev. Dr. Yunusa Sabo Nmadu Jnr chairs the National Leadership. Dr. Joshua Utele chairs the Central Planning Committee for the 2026 congress.
The global Lausanne Movement is a fellowship of Christian leaders committed to advancing the gospel of Jesus Christ in every nation and sphere of society. It is led by Global Executive Director, Dr. Michael Oh.
For Enquiry call: +234 803 960 8804 or +234 803 973 2643.
Governor Caleb Mutfwang has declared the activities of any group operating under the name or guise of Hisbah illegal in Plateau State and ordered security agencies to move against those involved.
The governor’s directive followed reports of the emergence of a group in parts of Jos North Local Government Area, where members were allegedly carrying out activities in the name of Hisbah.
Mutfwang said the group had no legal authority to enforce rules or exercise powers over residents in the state.
He also directed security agencies to investigate the group, identify its members and arrest anyone found to have violated the law.
The governor’s position was contained in a statement issued on Sunday by his Director of Press and Public Affairs, Gyang Bere.
According to the statement, the administration took the decision after receiving reports of alleged intimidation, harassment, extortion and the imposition of rules on residents by persons operating under the Hisbah name.
Mutfwang warned those involved to stop immediately or face prosecution under Nigerian law.
The governor made it clear that Plateau State would not allow any organisation to create a parallel authority or act as a substitute for government agencies.
“Government will not permit the emergence of any parallel authority, self-appointed enforcement body or group seeking to impose rules, restrictions or sanctions on citizens.
“No individual or group has the authority to appoint itself the government of Plateau,” he said.
He stressed that law enforcement remained the responsibility of government institutions established under the Constitution and other applicable laws.
The governor therefore instructed the security agencies to step up intelligence gathering in the affected areas.
They are expected to establish the identity of those behind the reported activities and determine the extent of their operations.
Mutfwang also ordered that anyone found to be promoting, funding, assisting or supporting the alleged unlawful activities should be investigated.
Where evidence of wrongdoing is established, such persons are to be arrested and prosecuted.
The governor’s directive comes amid concerns over the activities of informal groups seeking to enforce religious or social rules outside the recognised security and legal structures.
Hisbah organisations operate in a number of northern states, including Kano, Katsina and Sokoto, although their legal frameworks and areas of operation differ from one state to another.
Mutfwang, however, maintained that the situation in Plateau was different because the group in question had not been authorised by the state government to perform any enforcement function.
He said no organisation could simply assume powers that had not been granted to it by law.
The governor further directed security agencies to ensure that residents in Jos North and other affected areas were protected from threats, harassment and unlawful demands.
He said residents must be allowed to go about their normal activities without interference from individuals claiming authority they do not possess.
Mutfwang also moved to prevent the issue from being interpreted as a religious confrontation.
He said the decision was based on the need to maintain law and order and was not aimed at any particular religion, ethnic group or community.
“Plateau remains home to people of diverse faiths, ethnicities and backgrounds. Every Plateau resident is entitled to equal protection under the law,” he said.
The governor said the government was concerned about conduct and lawful authority rather than the religious identity of the people involved.
He maintained that every resident had the right to worship freely, work, operate a legitimate business and live without intimidation.
“The issue before the Government is solely one of lawful conduct and legitimate authority. Every resident of Plateau State has the right to live, worship, work, conduct lawful business and go about their daily activities without intimidation or interference from any self-appointed authority,” he said.
Mutfwang also thanked residents who alerted government authorities to the reported activities.
He said the government would continue to treat credible security reports seriously and respond where necessary to protect residents.
The governor reiterated that the protection of lives, rights and lawful freedoms remained one of the primary responsibilities of his administration.
He also linked the latest directive to the need to preserve peaceful coexistence in Plateau, a state with a population made up of people from different religious and ethnic backgrounds.
The governor said the government would continue to uphold the rule of law and ensure that residents were treated equally.
In another development, the Plateau State Government had in May declared that the state was “at war with terrorists and enemies of the state” following a series of deadly attacks and announced tougher security measures across the state.
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