Remo Stars FC are the reigning NPFL champions — and spent much of 2025/26 fighting to avoid relegation. Here is the full story of the Sky Blue Stars’ extraordinary season and everything you need to know about the club.
Remo Stars FC are the reigning Nigeria Premier Football League champions. In April 2025, the Sky Blue Stars of Ikenne, Ogun State — a club with relatively modest resources compared to the state-backed giants of Nigerian football — achieved one of the most surprising title wins in NPFL history, finishing with 71 points and lifting their first-ever league championship. It was a triumph that captivated Nigerian football fans and placed Remo Stars alongside the biggest names in the domestic game.
The 2025/26 season was supposed to be the beginning of a new era. Instead, it has been a brutal education in the reality of defending a title on reduced resources, with a squad that attracted transfer interest after their championship season and a campaign that, at various stages, has placed the reigning champions uncomfortably close to the relegation zone. This club hub is updated regularly with Remo Stars’ current form, results, fixtures, squad news, and betting analysis. Return before every matchday for the latest from Ikenne.
Remo Stars FC go into the final stretch of the 2025/26 NPFL campaign in the lower reaches of the table — a remarkable contrast to the title-winning season they delivered just twelve months ago. After 37 matchdays, the defending champions sit in the bottom half, with their survival in the top flight confirmed only relatively recently.
The campaign has been one of the most turbulent in the club’s modern history. The combination of losing key players to larger clubs in the close season, the psychological challenge of being the team everyone raised their game against, and the difficulty of matching the extraordinary consistency of the title-winning season all contributed to a dramatic drop in performance. At various points during the mid-season, the unthinkable scenario of the reigning champions being relegated appeared genuinely possible.
A crucial 2-1 win over already-relegated Bayelsa United on Matchday 37 — a result that also confirmed Bayelsa’s drop — secured Remo Stars’ safety and allowed coach Daniel Ogunmodede and his players to breathe for the first time in several difficult months. The final day (Matchday 38, May 24) sees them travel to face Bendel Insurance, a fixture they can approach with the pressure removed.
Current NPFL 2025/26 Standing (as of Matchday 37):
– Position: ~15th–17th
– Points: ~35–38 (estimated)
– Status: Confirmed safe (relegated: Bayelsa United, Wikki Tourists)
1. Remo Stars 2-1 Bayelsa United (Matchday 37 — Home Win)
The most important result in Remo Stars’ recent run. The defending champions needed the points to distance themselves from the relegation zone, and a 2-1 home win delivered safety — while simultaneously confirming Bayelsa United’s relegation. It was not a comfortable performance, but in a season defined by fighting and scrapping for survival, the three points were all that mattered. The Remo Stars Stadium crowd finally had something to celebrate.
2. Warri Wolves 1-0 Remo Stars (Away Defeat — Matchday 36)
A defeat in Warri that deepened the anxiety around the club at a critical stage of the season. Warri Wolves, themselves battling in the lower half, produced the required result at home. For Remo Stars, the loss extended a poor run that had their supporters deeply concerned. The pressure on Ogunmodede to find solutions was intense.
3. Remo Stars 3-0 Niger Tornadoes (Home Win — Matchday 35)
One of the brighter performances of the second half of the season. Remo Stars were clinical in front of goal and Mbaoma — the club’s top scorer — was influential throughout. The emphatic home win recalled the title-winning form of the previous season and gave the squad a confidence boost that proved important in the run-in.
4. Plateau United 2-0 Remo Stars (Away Defeat — Matchday 34)
A difficult afternoon in Jos that represented the defending champions at their lowest point of the campaign. Remo Stars were comfortably beaten, failed to trouble the Plateau United goalkeeper significantly, and conceded twice. Ogunmodede spoke candidly after the game about the mental challenge his squad was facing in their title defence.
5. Remo Stars 1-0 Warri Wolves (Home Win — Matchday 32)
A narrow home win that provided some relief and suggested the squad still had the fight to navigate the relegation battle. Backed-to-back wins against Warri Wolves over the course of the season — though the away fixture went the other way — reflected the inconsistency that has defined Remo Stars’ campaign.
Form string (most recent last): W – L – W – L – W
Matchday 38 (Season Finale):
Bendel Insurance vs Remo Stars
📅 Sunday May 24, 2026 | ⏱️ 4pm Nigerian time | 🏟️ Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium, Benin City
Remo Stars travel to Benin City to face Bendel Insurance on the final day of the 2025/26 NPFL season. With survival already confirmed, the pressure is off and Ogunmodede can focus on sending his squad into the close season with a positive result.
Bendel Insurance are themselves a historically significant club — the Insurance Boys from Benin City have their own proud tradition — and will be motivated to finish their home campaign on a high. For Remo Stars, the mental freedom of playing a game that means nothing in terms of survival might actually unlock some of the quality that was suppressed during the anxious weeks of the relegation battle. A clean, attractive performance from the reigning champions would be a fitting way to close a season they will want to put behind them quickly.
Daniel Ogunmodede is the architect of Remo Stars’ historic 2024/25 NPFL title win and has remained in charge through the turbulent 2025/26 campaign. His decision to stay and fight through the club’s difficult title defence speaks to the loyalty and commitment he has shown to the Remo Stars project.
Ogunmodede joined Remo Stars and built a team around a clear attacking philosophy: quick transitions, high energy pressing, and an ability to score goals from multiple positions across the squad. In 2024/25, that approach worked to perfection — 71 points from 38 matches, the club’s first NPFL title, and celebrations that reverberated across Ogun State and beyond.
The 2025/26 season has asked a different kind of question of Ogunmodede: can he keep a squad together and motivated through a difficult title defence, with reduced resources and the pressure of being everyone’s most-wanted scalp? The honest answer is that it has been a struggle, but Remo Stars are still in the NPFL — and that, in itself, is a significant achievement given how badly the campaign began.
His ability to re-motivate a deflated squad mid-season, produce wins like the 3-0 over Niger Tornadoes, and ultimately secure safety is evidence of a coach who knows how to manage people as well as tactics. The close season conversation will be about rebuilding for 2026/27 and making Remo Stars competitive again in the upper half of the table.
Mbaoma — Top Scorer
Remo Stars’ most prolific forward this season with seven NPFL goals, Mbaoma has been the defensive champions’ most consistent attacking outlet in a campaign where goals have been harder to come by than during the title-winning year. His ability to hold the ball under pressure, link the midfield and attack, and score in tight situations has been crucial. Seven goals in what has been a difficult, pressurised season is a genuine contribution.
Olasupo — Second Striker / Forward
The second-highest scorer in the squad with four goals, Olasupo provides pace and directness in behind opponents’ defensive lines. His willingness to run into channels has created space for Mbaoma and the midfield runners behind him. In Remo Stars’ better performances this season, Olasupo’s movement has been an important factor in unlocking deep defensive blocks.
Oyowah and Ibe — Midfield / Forward Contributors
Both players have contributed two goals each in supporting roles. The depth of scoring across the squad — with multiple players on the scoresheet rather than one dominant figure — has been a slight positive in an otherwise difficult season, suggesting the attacking quality has not completely deserted the reigning champions.
Aboubaker — Forward
A useful option from the bench or the starting eleven, Aboubaker has added two goals from a forward position and provides physical presence in the final third. His contributions have come in important moments and he adds an additional dimension to Ogunmodede’s attacking options.
Remo Stars FC play their home matches at the Remo Stars Stadium (also known as the Gateway Stadium) in Ikenne, Ogun State — a relatively compact and intimate venue that has become one of the NPFL’s most distinctive home grounds.
Ikenne is a town in Ijebu Remo, historically significant as the birthplace of Nigeria’s most celebrated statesman, Chief Obafemi Awolowo. The Remo Stars Stadium reflects the ambitions of a club that punches above its weight: well-maintained, with a pitch quality that has impressed visitors, and an atmosphere that on big nights — particularly during the 2024/25 title run — generated a sense of footballing occasion that belied the stadium’s relatively modest capacity.
The ground is accessible from Lagos by road, approximately 90 minutes to two hours depending on traffic, via the Sagamu-Ikorodu Expressway or the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway. For fans travelling from Abeokuta, the journey is shorter. Ikenne itself is a welcoming town, and matchday visits to the Remo Stars Stadium have become a genuine destination for Nigerian football enthusiasts looking for an authentic NPFL experience away from the major city arenas.
Remo Stars FC was founded in 1979 in Ikenne and spent the bulk of their history in the lower tiers of Nigerian football before mounting a sustained push into the NPFL. The club’s rise was gradual, characterised by a strong local identity and a commitment to developing players from within the Remo community.
Their promotion to the NPFL in relatively recent seasons was followed by the extraordinary achievement of the 2024/25 NPFL title — the first league championship in the club’s history. With 71 points across the 38-match season, Remo Stars did not just survive in the top flight; they won it outright, earning the right to represent Nigeria in the CAF Champions League and placing themselves in the history books as one of the great surprise champions of Nigerian football.
The title win was built on collective effort, a high-energy system under Daniel Ogunmodede, and a squad of players who outperformed expectations at virtually every stage of the season. It was a genuinely romantic story — a small-town club from southwest Nigeria defying the resources and infrastructure of the state-backed giants.
Honours:
– NPFL Title: 1 (2024/25)
The 2025/26 season has been a reminder that football is cyclical, and that sustaining a title-winning performance over consecutive seasons is one of football’s most difficult challenges. Remo Stars’ supporters, however, know what their club is capable of. The expectation now is recovery and a return to the upper half — with the knowledge that they have already done the impossible once.
Betting on Remo Stars in 2025/26 has been a difficult proposition. The defending champions’ drop in form was steep and sometimes unpredictable, making them an unreliable selection in most markets.
Home record: At the Remo Stars Stadium, the Sky Blue Stars have been better than their overall position suggests — the 3-0 win over Niger Tornadoes and the narrow home victories against Warri Wolves and Bayelsa United reflect that the home ground remains a genuine advantage. Home win or Draw double-chance has returned reasonably in their home fixtures.
Away record: Away from Ikenne, Remo Stars have been considerably less effective. The defeats at Plateau United and Warri Wolves are representative of a side that has struggled to carry performances onto the road. Backing opponents against Remo Stars in away matches at Asian Handicap has been a productive approach this season.
Goals markets: Remo Stars have been involved in plenty of low-scoring games this season, reflecting a drop in attacking output from their title-winning year. Under 2.5 goals has been a relevant market in many of their fixtures, particularly away from home.
Final day at Bendel Insurance: With safety confirmed and nothing riding on the result, this is an open match. Remo Stars, playing without pressure for the first time in months, might produce a more expansive performance than their recent form suggests. Over 2.5 goals and BTTS — Yes are worth considering for a relaxed final-day encounter between two mid-table sides.
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The 2025/26 season has tested Remo Stars in ways that their title-winning campaign never prepared them for. Surviving in the NPFL — despite a turbulent campaign that at times threatened the unthinkable — is a genuine achievement, even if it falls far short of the expectations that came with being defending champions.
The off-season agenda is clear: rebuild the squad with players capable of competing in the upper half, retain the key performers who have kept the club up despite the pressure, and learn the lessons of a difficult title defence that exposed the fragility of competing at the top level without the financial resources of the state-backed clubs.
Daniel Ogunmodede has the coaching quality to make Remo Stars competitive again. The club has the stadium, the identity, and the fanbase to provide a platform for recovery. Whether they can challenge at the top again in 2026/27 will depend on the quality of the close-season rebuild.
Stay up to date with Remo Stars FC on NigerianMatchday. We update this hub with every new result, fixture, and squad news through the season. For the full NPFL table and final day fixtures, see our NPFL 2025/26 Fixtures and Table.
