The curtain came down on the group stage of the 2026 Nigeria Women Football League (NWFL) Championship in thrilling fashion on Tuesday as DreamStar Ladies, Pelican Stars, Rangers Women and Imo Striker Queens secured the four coveted promotion playoff tickets.
After three rounds of fiercely contested fixtures in Calabar, the quartet emerged as group winners to keep their dreams of reaching the NWFL Premiership alive, while the remaining teams saw their promotion ambitions come to an end.
Among the standout stories of the final day was Rangers Women’s impressive unbeaten march through Group C.
The Enugu based side held their nerve in a tense encounter against Fortress Ladies, with Chisom Chukwuemeka’s 78th minute strike proving enough to secure a 1-0 victory and confirm top spot with seven points from three matches.
Having opened their campaign with a goalless draw against Unification FC before defeating Wazbak International Sports Academy 2-1 on Matchday Two, the ladies completed the job with another disciplined display to finish the group unbeaten with two wins and a draw.
Although simultaneous results meant Rangers’ fate was never entirely in their own hands until the final whistle, they refused to rely on mathematics, producing another composed performance to earn the victory that guaranteed qualification.
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Elsewhere in Group C, Unification FC produced one of the performances of the tournament by dismantling Wazbak International Sports Academy 5-1.
Esther Stephen opened the scoring from a direct free kick before Ruth Joseph struck twice inside the opening 25 minutes. Esther Christian added a fourth a minute later, while Shukurat Tirimisiyu made it five in first half stoppage time before Nofisat Ogundele grabbed a late consolation for Wazbak.
Despite the emphatic victory, Unification’s campaign ended just short of qualification as Rangers’ victory ensured the Flying Antelopes remained top of the standings.
Group A also went down to the wire.
DreamStar Ladies secured first place after playing out a goalless draw against Delta Babes, while Rosaria Victrix ended their campaign on a high with an entertaining 3-1 victory over First Mahi Babes.
Egodi Okonkwo scored twice either side of Kafilat Agboola’s strike to put Rosaria firmly in control before Esther Michael pulled one back for First Mahi Babes in the second half.
In Group B, Pelican Stars confirmed their place in the promotion playoffs courtesy of a hard fought 1-0 victory over Moje Queens, with Peace Ewa scoring the decisive goal in the 27th minute.
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Ikukuoma Queens also finished their campaign strongly after coming from behind to beat Gallant Queens 3-1.
Christiana Edache gave Gallant Queens an early lead before Janet Kaneng restored parity. Precious Odogu and Favour Nicholas completed the turnaround after the interval, although the victory proved insufficient to overhaul Pelican Stars at the summit.
Imo Striker Queens, who had already put themselves in a commanding position in Group D before the final round, completed the quartet of group winners to qualify for the promotion playoffs.
The conclusion of the group stage means the four teams still standing will now battle for places in next season’s NWFL Premiership, while the bottom placed sides must prepare for the relegation playoffs.
Confirmed NWFL Championship promotion playoff teams
- DreamStar Ladies — Group A winners
- Pelican Stars — Group B winners
- Rangers Women — Group C winners
- Imo Striker Queens — Group D winners
The final round of fixtures produced 13 goals, five victories and one draw, bringing an entertaining group phase to a fitting conclusion.
The race for promotion now enters its defining stage with draws expected next.
