Four clubs – Wikki Tourists, Barau FC, Warri Wolves, and Kun Khalifat – have earned promotion to the Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) after the NNL25 Super 8 playoffs.
The final group matches concluded on July 9 and the NPFL have now confirmed the promoted teams through its official X channel.
Wikki Tourists from Bauchi and Barau FC from Kano emerged from the Northern Conference. Meanwhile, Warri Wolves and Kun Khalifat secured promotion from the Southern group.
Wikki Tourists make a strong return to Nigeria’s top league. Their recent performances reflect a team with improved focus and balance.
Meanwhile, Barau FC’s qualification signals their NPFL debut. Based in Kano, they now stand as a potential new rival for city heavyweights, Kano Pillars.
Warri Wolves also return to the top-flight. With history and infrastructure behind them, they carry expectations to reestablish their competitive standing.
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Kun Khalifat, the Southern upstarts, completed a stunning rise. Their journey adds a new impressive narrative to the NPFL’s 2025/26 season, rising from NLO, NNL, and now to the NPFL.
These four clubs will redesign the NPFL’s balance. Each team brings its own ambitions and local fan support into a new campaign.
Clubs which remain in the NNL
While the four teams ascend, the other four from the Super 8 remain in the Nigeria National League—Doma United, Crown FC, Yobe Desert Stars, and Osun United.
Failure to secure top-two positions in their respective conferences explains their continued stay in the second tier.
Their focus now shifts to regrouping and preparing for the 2025/26 NNL campaign. There is always a way for redemption.
Kun Khalifat’s rise remains the most defining story of this season’s transition. Their journey, if sustained, could change expectations at every level.
As the NPFL prepares for its next phase, the spotlight now turns to how these four teams adapt, compete, and determine the 2025/26 campaign.
