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NPFL Drops To 91st In  Global League Rankings 

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6 months ago

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The Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) has dropped to 91st place in the International Federation of Football History and Statistics (IFFHS) global league rankings, marking a fall of 15 positions from its 76th-place ranking in 2024.

The latest figures, released for 2025, show the NPFL earned 171.75 points, placing it outside the top 90 leagues globally and signalling a decline in the league’s comparative strength against other domestic competitions worldwide.
The IFFHS ranking methodology combines results from both continental and international club competitions, giving weighted consideration to club performances beyond regional contests. Analysts say the NPFL’s drop reflects inconsistent results by Nigerian clubs in continental tournaments and the growing competitiveness of leagues in other regions of Africa.

In Africa, Egypt’s Premier League maintained its position as the continent’s strongest league for a sixth consecutive year.
Morocco’s Botola followed, retaining a position on the African podium since 2018, while South Africa’s Premiership returned to the top three for the first time in 21 years. Algeria and Tunisia completed the continent’s top five.

Under the Confederation of African Football (CAF) five-year ranking, Nigeria sits 12th with 21 points, still allowing the country to enter two teams in each CAF club competition.
Globally, European leagues continued to dominate the upper ranks, with 12 of the top 20 and 29 of the top 50 leagues hailing from the continent.
South America contributed five leagues to the top 20, while Asia had two, and CONCACAF and Oceania had one league each.

The English Premier League retained the top spot worldwide for the sixth time since the rankings began in 1991, followed by Spain’s La Liga and Brazil’s Serie A.
Italy’s Serie A dropped three positions but remained above Germany’s Bundesliga, while France’s Ligue 1 climbed into sixth place.
Portugal’s Primeira Liga held seventh, Argentina’s Liga Profesional slipped two places but stayed ahead of the Dutch Eredivisie, and Colombia’s Primera A completed the global top ten.

Observers have suggested that Nigeria’s drop to 91st highlights long-standing concerns about the NPFL’s competitiveness and international visibility.
Club performances in continental competitions, investment in infrastructure, and the quality of player development are cited as critical areas for improvement if the league is to regain its standing.

According to football analyst Tunde Adeyemi, “The NPFL has the potential to compete at higher levels, but the decline in rankings reflects both structural challenges and the need for strategic planning to boost club results and overall league quality.”
With African leagues such as Egypt, Morocco, and South Africa consolidating their positions both continentally and globally, the NPFL faces mounting pressure to enhance its domestic competition and ensure Nigerian clubs perform more consistently on the continental stage.

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Rivers-born Chess Player Clinches Third Position At World Amateur Rapid Chess Championship 

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1 day ago

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August 10, 2026

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A veteran Rivers State chess player, Apollos Akomaka, has finished in joint 3rd place at the just-concluded World Amateur Rapid Chess Championship held in Abuja.
Akomaka, who is the director of physiotherapy at the Rivers State University Teaching Hospital, Port Harcourt, overcame a shaky start to secure a podium finish in the 11-round rapid event that began on August 2.
The tournament featured top chess players from several countries.
After losing his opening game, the defining moment for Akomaka came between Rounds 7 and 11.
He raised his game and began defeating some of the top-ranked players in the event.
The Rivers-born player ended the championship tied for 3rd place in the U2000 category with 6.5 points out of 11, alongside Cameroon’s national champion, Noumbo Vidal.
His final game was against Vidal, with the Nigerian playing the black pieces.
Vidal opened with a queen’s gambit but quickly transposed into an English opening with a double fianchetto attack.
Akomaka responded sharply with a king’s Indian defense and soon launched a kingside attack from a defensive position.
The pressure paid off, resulting in an immediate material gain, a knight for a rook, and leaving Akomaka with a strong attacking advantage.
Vidal fought hard to avoid mate and managed to steer the game into an endgame, where he found some respect. At that point, the Cameroon champion offered a draw, which Akomaka accepted.
Speaking after the event, Akomaka said that he is resilient and determined after the poor start but happy that he finished on the podium.
He expressed optimism that in subsequent competitions he will make Rivers State proud and Nigeria at large.
Akomaka has won both local and national chess championships in recent times.
He is passionate about chess; besides, he has equally sponsored several national chess tournaments in Nigeria.
The World Amateur Rapid Chess Championship concluded with Akomaka of Rivers State,
Nigeria, battling back from an early loss to end among the top three in his category
Tonye Orabere/Kiadum Edookor
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Team Nigeria Secures Women’s 4x100m, 4x400m Finals at World U20 Championships

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August 10, 2026

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Team Nigeria continued its impressive showing at the World Athletics U20 Championships in Eugene, securing places in both the women’s 4x100m and 4x400m relay finals after strong performances in the heats.
The Nigerian quartet of Becky Ebiyadi, Jecinta Lawrence, Tejiri Praise Ugoh and Faith Ezechukwu booked their place in the women’s 4x400m final after clocking a season’s best of 3:35.28.
Nigeria finished third in the heat behind Italy and Great Britain, doing enough to advance to the final and remain firmly in contention for a medal.
In the women’s 4x100m, Ugoh joined Lucy Nwankwo, Chigozie Nwankwo and Oluebube Ezechukwu as Nigeria produced another season’s best, clocking 43.65 seconds to secure an automatic ticket to the women’s 4x100m final.
The qualification was sealed by a sensational anchor leg from Ezechukwu. Receiving the baton nearly 20 metres behind the United States, the Nigerian launched a determined charge down the home straight, rapidly closing the gap before edging the Americans at the line to claim the third automatic qualifying position.
Nigeria stopped the clock at 43.65 seconds, just 0.02 seconds ahead of the United States, who finished in 43.67 seconds.
The performances mean Nigeria will now contest both women’s relay finals, further strengthening the country’s medal prospects at the championships.
In Saturday’s evening phase of the event, Success Uyibo will compete in the 200m women’s final while the 4x100m compete in the women’s final.
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Poor welfare forced me to dump Delta for Enugu, says world – Nwachukwu

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August 10, 2026

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World Record holder and Commonwealth Games champion, Goodness Nwachukwu, has revealed why she dumped Delta State for Enugu State.

The sudden departure of Nwachukwu, a multiple gold medallist, from Team Delta to the Coal City, Enugu , sparked controversy within the sports family, with officials of Delta State Sports Commission accusing the president of the Paralympic Committee of Nigeria, Sunday Odebode, of manipulating the system for the athlete to dump the state.

But Nwachukwu, who broke the World Record to win a gold medal for Team Nigeria in the Women’s Discus F42 event at the just-concluded Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, has cleared the air on the circumstances that led to her movement to Enugu State.

Speaking with The Tidesports source report, shortly after winning the gold medal, Nwachukwu said: “It is not true that anybody aided my movement from Delta State to Enugu. Rather, it was Delta State that forced me to leave because of poor remuneration.

 

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