Enyimba, Rivers Make Top 500 Club World Ranking

In the IFFHS Men’s Club World Ranking for the period January 1, 2021 to December 31, 2025, Rivers United are placed 278th with 361.75 points, while Enyimba occupy 421st position with 280 points.

Both Nigeria Premier Football League clubs are the only Nigerian sides included in the global top 500.

The ranking reflects performances in domestic and continental competitions over the five-year period under review.

Rivers United have won the NPFL title once in that span, claiming the 2021/22 crown and finishing third in 2022/23.

They have also featured regularly in continental competitions, reaching the CAF Confederation Cup quarter-finals in successive seasons in 2022/23 and 2023/24, and qualifying for the group stage of the 2025/26 CAF Champions League.

Enyimba, nine-time Nigerian champions and two-time CAF Champions League winners, secured the domestic league title in 2023 and finished third on two occasions within the review period.

They have made multiple appearances in CAF competitions, including the CAF Confederation Cup group stage in 2024/25.

However, the Aba-based club are enduring a turbulent domestic campaign and are currently battling relegation, sitting just one point above the drop zone.

Rivers United are presently top of the NPFL table with two games in hand and remain Nigeria’s most consistent side on the continent in recent seasons.

They are ranked 24th in CAF’s five-year club coefficient, with Enyimba placed 35th, making them the only Nigerian teams in that ranking.

Globally, the IFFHS ranking is led by Real Madrid, followed by Manchester City and CR Flamengo, with Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich completing the top five.

The top 10 is dominated by European and South American clubs, reflecting the weight of results in UEFA and CONMEBOL competitions.

The inclusion of Rivers United and Enyimba in the top 500 comes at a time when the NPFL has slipped in the IFFHS league standings, dropping 15 places to 91st in the world with 171.75 points in the 2025 assessment.

The league ranking, which factors in continental and global results, underscores the challenges facing Nigerian club football despite the individual progress of its leading sides.

The IFFHS, founded in 1984 and based in Zurich, compiles its rankings using a points system that evaluates clubs’ performances in domestic leagues, continental tournaments and global competitions