Ranchers Bees back to NPFL after 16-year absence – Daily Trust
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Ranchers Bees of Kaduna gained promotion to the Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) despite suffering a 0-2 defeat against Gombe United in their final match of the Nigeria National League (NNL) Conference D played yesterday at the Pantami Stadium Gombe.
Ranchers Bees last played in the Nigeria topflight in 2009-2010 season when they were relegated to the lower division where they spent 16 years before the recent accomplishment which will see them compete again among Nigeria’s elites in the 2026/2027 season.
Ranchers Bees promotion was made possible by Kebbi United’s victory over Bees’ closest rivals Jigawa Golden Stars in the other match played at the Birin-Kebbi FIFA Goal Project pitch.
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Victory for Jigawa Golden Stars in Birin-Kebbi would have taken them to 21 points, one more than Ranchers, who went into their final match with 20 points.
However, Kebbi United who needed victory to escape relegation had to play the role of “spoilers” by beating Jigawa Golden Stars 3-0 to maintain their NNL spot.
At the Pantami Stadium, Ranchers Bees fired blanks as the hosts scored twice to pick the victory that came a little late as they suffered another relegation to the lower division, this time the Nationwide League.
It will be recalled that Gombe United got relegated to the NNL at the end of the 2023/2024 season when the “Savannah Scorpions” finished last on the table with only 25 points from 38 matches.
Meanwhile, even as the two closest contenders for the Conference D ticket ended the season on a losing note, Ranchers Bees still topped the group with 20 points from six wins, two away draws and four defeats and have qualified for the NPFL pending official confirmation.
Without a doubt, the resurgence of Ranchers Bees followed a 2025 takeover by a consortium led by Super Eagles striker, Sadiq Umar, and House of Representatives member, Bello El-Rufai, with the sole aim of restoring the lost pride of the historic club.
Next for Ranchers Bees and the winners of the other Conferences – Doma United, Inter Lagos and Sporting FC also of Lagos – is the Super 4 Playoff in Ikenne to determine the overall champions of the 2025/2026 NNL season.
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