Nigeria Premier Football League Chief Operating Officer Davidson Owumi has declared that the forthcoming pre-season tournament in Jos will serve as a vital preparatory platform for the country’s representatives in CAF club competitions. The competition, sanctioned by the NPFL and the Nigeria Football Federation, aims to bridge the gap between domestic preseason preparations and the early onset of continental fixtures.
The tournament lineup features the league’s most decorated recent performers. Reigning champions Rangers International, runners-up Rivers United, and President Federation Cup holders El-Kanemi Warriors form the core of the participant pool. Host state contingents Plateau United and Mighty Jets enter as wildcard selections, while Katsina United accepted a late invitation to fill the void left by Shooting Stars.
Owumi underscored the strategic necessity of the event, citing a congested calendar that sees the domestic league kickoff fall just days before the commencement of CAF inter-club matches. “Considering that our season would be commencing a few days before the CAF club matches, the NFF and NPFL resolved that it would benefit the clubs to have their players participate in a competitive tournament to further deepen their fitness and cohesion,” Owumi stated in comments released by NPFL media.
The competitive matches in Jos are expected to simulate the intensity of continental football, allowing technical crews to assess squad depth, tactical coherence, and match fitness under pressure. For Rangers, Rivers United, and El-Kanemi Warriors, the tournament represents the final dress rehearsal before the high-stakes preliminary rounds of the CAF Champions League and Confederation Cup.
The domestic calendar has also been firmed up. The 2026/27 NPFL season is scheduled to launch on Friday, August 28, 2026, with defending champions Rangers International squaring off against Katsina United in the opening fixture. The early start date reinforces the urgency of the Jos tournament, ensuring that Nigeria’s flag-bearers enter the continental arena with competitive minutes already logged. The initiative reflects a growing alignment between league administrators and the federation to prioritize continental performance, a critical metric for the league’s coefficient ranking and the broader development of the Nigerian game.
