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A 19th-minute penalty from Muktari Ismail was enough. On 11 July 2026 at the Stephen Keshi Stadium in Asaba, El-Kanemi Warriors beat debutants Ikorodu City 1-0 to win the President Federation Cup for a fourth time, weeks after finishing 18th in the NPFL and going down.
So a relegated Maiduguri side will fly Nigeria's flag in Africa. Strange? Not for this competition.
| Federation Cup | At a glance |
|---|---|
| First edition | 1945, as the Governor's Cup (Marine beat Corinthians 1-0) |
| Organiser | Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) |
| Holders | El-Kanemi Warriors (1-0 v Ikorodu City, 2026) |
| Most titles | Lagos Railways 7, Enugu Rangers 6 |
| Prize for winner | CAF Confederation Cup place; N50m in 2025 |
| Editions not completed | 1973, 2020 (COVID-19), 2022 (abandoned at quarter-finals) |
The cup is older than the country.
RSSSF's records place the first Governor's Cup in 1945. It replaced the War Memorial Challenge Cup, which only Lagos teams could enter, and Marine beat Corinthians 1-0 in the opening final. Some reference works give 1942 as the founding date instead.
The trophy has changed names more often than most clubs change coaches. It became the FA Cup in 1954 and the Challenge Cup after independence. Then came the Coca-Cola FA Cup from 1999, the Federation Cup from 2009 and the AITEO Cup from 2017. Today it is the President Federation Cup. The early decades belonged to Lagos, and above all to Lagos Railways, who won seven finals between 1946 and 1964 and still hold the record, even though the club itself no longer exists and most of the men who played in those finals are long gone.
Counting titles is harder than it sounds.
The table below follows the club names in the RSSSF finals list. Wikipedia credits Shooting Stars with eight titles once older Ibadan sides are merged into their lineage, while RSSSF lists three finals won under the Shooting Stars name.
| Club | Titles | Latest wins |
|---|---|---|
| Lagos Railways (defunct) | 7 | 1957, 1964 |
| Enugu Rangers | 6 | 1983, 2018 |
| El-Kanemi Warriors | 4 | 2024, 2026 |
| Bendel Insurance | 4 | 1980, 2023 |
| Enyimba | 4 | 2013, 2014 |
| Dolphin FC | 4 | 2006, 2007 |
| BCC Lions | 4 | 1994, 1997 |
| Stationery Stores | 4 | 1982, 1990 |
| Ibadan Lions | 4 | 1966, 1969 |
| Year | Winner | Score | Runner-up |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | El-Kanemi Warriors | 1-0 | Ikorodu City |
| 2025 | Kwara United | 0-0 (4-3 pens) | Abakaliki FC |
| 2024 | El-Kanemi Warriors | 2-0 | Abia Warriors |
| 2023 | Bendel Insurance | 1-0 | Enugu Rangers |
| 2021 | Bayelsa United | 2-2 (4-3 pens) | Nasarawa United |
| 2019 | Kano Pillars | 0-0 (4-3 pens) | Niger Tornadoes |
| 2018 | Enugu Rangers | 3-3 (4-2 pens) | Kano Pillars |
| 2017 | Akwa United | 0-0 (3-2 pens) | Niger Tornadoes |
| 2016 | FC Ifeanyi Ubah | 0-0 (5-4 pens) | Nasarawa United |
| 2015 | Akwa United | 2-1 | Lobi Stars |
| 2014 | Enyimba | 2-1 | Dolphin FC |
| 2013 | Enyimba | 2-2 (5-4 pens) | Warri Wolves |
| 2012 | Heartland | 2-1 | Lobi Stars |
Penalties settled seven of those 13 finals.
Rangers came first. They won three straight finals from 1974 to 1976, beating Mighty Jets, IICC Shooting Stars and Alyufsalam Rocks. Two more followed in 1981 and 1983. Their sixth arrived in 2018, after a 3-3 draw with Kano Pillars and a 4-2 shootout. For more on the Flying Antelopes, see our Enugu Rangers club guide.
Pillars won it the next year, edging Niger Tornadoes on penalties in 2019. Their roots here run deep. A Kano Pillars side won the 1953 Governor's Cup. Our Kano Pillars page covers the Sai Masu Gida today.
Shootouts have produced the longest nights. Abiola Babes beat Rangers 7-6 on penalties in 1987. Ocean Boys won a shootout by the same 7-6 score against Gombe United in 2008. Dolphin FC, meanwhile, won four finals in seven years.
Then there is 2023.
Bendel Insurance beat a ten-man Rangers 1-0 in Asaba, Imade Osarenkhoe scoring from the spot just before half-time after a Rangers defender was sent off for handling. Daily Trust noted it was the club's first Federation Cup in 43 years.
The real prize is continental. Winners claim Nigeria's CAF Confederation Cup slot for the following season. If they have already qualified through the NPFL table, the runners-up take it.
Money matters too.
Blueprint reported that Kwara United received N50 million for winning the 2025 final in Lagos, with Abakaliki FC collecting N20 million as runners-up and the women's champions Rivers Angels taking N25 million. No figure for 2026 has been published.
Not everyone wanted this result. Before the final, Daily Trust columnist David Ngobua wrote that he would rather see Ikorodu City win, arguing that “El-Kanemi Warriors have consistently failed to produce results in their continental appearances.”
He may yet be proved right.
But that is the cup's charm. It has rewarded clubs from every corner of the country, from Calabar's St Patrick's College in 1954 to Maiduguri in 2026. Rangers, the 2026 NPFL champions, will be in Africa as well. That sets up an intriguing season for the clubs behind the Oriental derby and the rest of the NPFL's clubs.
Eighty-one years after Marine lifted the first Governor's Cup, it still keeps its secrets until the final whistle.
This article was most recently revised and updated 25 seconds ago
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