NPFL Relegation Battle 2025/26: Can Kano Pillars, Remo Stars and Kun Khalifat Survive?

As the 2025/26 NPFL season enters its final stretch, the NPFL relegation battle has become every bit as gripping as the title race at the top. Three clubs — Kano Pillars, Remo Stars, and Kun Khalifat — are marooned at the foot of the table and fighting with everything they have to avoid the drop to the Nigerian National League. For each club, the stakes could not be higher. Relegation would mean lost revenue, player departures, and in the worst cases, an existential threat to decades of footballing heritage.

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The Bottom Three: Where Each Club Stands

The three clubs at the foot of the NPFL table are in genuinely desperate positions. Remo Stars, the defending champions who lifted the title in spectacular fashion just a season ago, now find themselves embroiled in a survival fight they could never have anticipated. Kano Pillars — one of Nigerian football’s most storied and well-supported clubs — are just one point below Remo Stars and have looked a shadow of the force that once terrorised NPFL defences. Kun Khalifat, the newest of the three to the top flight, face the toughest task of all.

What makes the NPFL relegation battle in 2025/26 so painful for these clubs is the contrast with the season’s earlier promise. Each of these three sides has at various points picked up results that suggested survival was achievable. However, consistency has been the missing ingredient — and in a league as competitive as the NPFL, inconsistency is punished without mercy.

Kano Pillars: A Club of Proud History Fighting for Its Future

Few clubs in Nigerian football carry as much weight of expectation as Kano Pillars. As BBC Sport and several African football commentators have noted, Pillars remain one of the most supported clubs in northern Nigeria, with a fan base that spans millions across Kano State and beyond. The club has won the NPFL title multiple times and has been a fixture in the top flight for decades. Therefore, their current predicament feels especially jarring to supporters who grew up watching Pillars challenge for honours.

On the pitch, the problem has been a lack of goals from central areas and too many defensive errors at critical moments. Notably, their Matchday 34 defeat to Remo Stars — 2-1 — was symptomatic of a side that gives away leads and struggles to rediscover its footing when matches turn against them. For Pillars to survive, they need to stop conceding in batches and find some of the grit that once made them one of the NPFL’s most feared sides. Their fans in Kano will be urging the players on with everything they have — the pressure of that expectation can be both a burden and a motivation.

Remo Stars: From Champions to Relegation Candidates in One Season

The fall of Remo Stars is one of the most remarkable stories of the 2025/26 NPFL season. Just twelve months ago, they were lifting the title trophy. Today, they are in the relegation zone and fighting for their top-flight lives. The transition from champions to relegation candidates within a single season is a brutal reminder of how unforgiving modern Nigerian football can be.

Remo Stars did show something in Matchday 34, however, beating Kano Pillars 2-1 in a result that could prove pivotal for their survival hopes. That win demonstrates they still have the quality and the determination to pick up results — the question is whether they can do it consistently in the final weeks of the campaign. Furthermore, their goal difference is not as catastrophic as their points total suggests, indicating that they have been competitive in many games but have simply not turned performances into points.

Consequently, Remo Stars are perhaps the most dangerous of the bottom three when it comes to the final push. A run of even three or four wins could haul them clear of danger. The Ikenne-Remo Stadium faithful will be crucial — home advantage and passionate support could be the difference between survival and the unthinkable drop.

Kun Khalifat: The Toughest Task of All

Kun Khalifat sit at the foot of the table and face the most difficult path out of the relegation zone. They have played one fewer game than their rivals and their points total reflects a season of struggle. However, the outstanding fixture means they have a game in hand — and in a tight relegation battle, that extra match could provide three precious points.

The challenge for Kun Khalifat is that they have not yet demonstrated the squad depth to sustain a winning run. Too many of their key players have been below their best form, and the psychological burden of fighting relegation week after week can wear squads down. That said, teams in this position have often found something extra when the stakes are at their highest. Indeed, football history is full of clubs that survived against the odds because they simply refused to give up.

Their remaining fixtures will be critical — any home game represents a genuine opportunity to gather points. Their supporters and technical staff will need to remain unified if they are to pull off what would be one of the NPFL’s great escapes of recent memory.

What Each Club Needs to Survive

The mathematics of the NPFL relegation battle in 2025/26 are stark. With several matchdays remaining, each of the bottom three clubs needs a strong run of results combined with results going their way elsewhere. At the same time, the gap between the bottom three and safety is not insurmountable — a run of three or four consecutive wins for any of these sides could dramatically change the picture.

For Kano Pillars, the priority is defensive organisation. They have the attacking resources to score goals, but they cannot keep gifting away leads. Their next home fixture is essentially a must-win. For Remo Stars, the momentum from the Kano Pillars victory needs to carry into subsequent games. One win is not enough — they need to build a run. For Kun Khalifat, the game in hand is both an opportunity and a test of nerve.

In all three cases, the mental side of the battle is as important as the tactical. As Nigerian football analyst Tunde Adeleke has written in coverage of the NPFL’s relegation battles, clubs that stay calm, keep their squads together, and focus on one game at a time tend to outperform those that panic and make rushed decisions — whether that means sacking coaches or making desperate signings that disrupt team shape.

The Supporters: The 12th Man in the Battle for Survival

Nigerian football supporters are among the most passionate in Africa, and that passion becomes supercharged during relegation fights. For clubs like Kano Pillars, where football is woven into the cultural fabric of an entire city, the prospect of playing in a lower division is genuinely devastating. The supporters of all three clubs have a vital role to play in the coming weeks — creating atmospheres at home grounds that make it as difficult as possible for opponents to come and take three points.

Furthermore, the financial implications of relegation are severe. Broadcasting deals, sponsorships, and gate receipts all drop significantly for clubs outside the NPFL. Therefore, the battle to stay up is not just about pride — it is about the entire infrastructure of these football clubs. Every tackle, every set piece, and every last-minute winner in the relegation zone carries enormous weight for the entire ecosystem surrounding these clubs.

Can All Three Clubs Survive?

Mathematically, it is possible for all three clubs to escape — if the sides immediately above them drop enough points. However, the reality is that two of these three clubs face a very difficult road ahead. The NPFL relegation battle in 2025/26 will almost certainly produce heartbreak for at least one, and possibly two, of these famous clubs.

The final few weeks of the 2025/26 season will be unforgettable for different reasons depending on where you stand. For the title chasers, it is about glory. For the relegation candidates, it is about survival. Both stories are equally compelling — and both deserve the full attention of every Nigerian football fan. To follow the full NPFL season story, explore every club’s profile and history at the NigerianMatchday Team Hub.