Only two of Nigeria’s four continental representatives survived the first round. Rangers International were one of them, but they needed penalties to avoid a fate that has caught 13 Nigerian sides since 2018.
Rangers were not meant to make it this hard. After a 1-1 draw in Abeokuta, they came through a second 1-1 draw and a 5-4 penalty shootout to eliminate AS Sobemap of the Republic of Benin in the first round of the 2026/27 CAF Champions League.
The relief is understandable. When a Nigerian side fails to win its home first leg, history says the tie usually ends in elimination.
A Nigerian Exodus After One Round
Four clubs began the season representing Nigeria on the continent. League champions Rangers and runners-up Rivers United entered the Champions League, while Shooting Stars joined Federation Cup winners El-Kanemi Warriors in the Confederation Cup.
Only Rangers and El-Kanemi remain.
Rivers United had arguably the easiest route to the group stage of any Nigerian club, yet they stumbled at home and failed to beat Ivorian side San Pedro FC. Shooting Stars were eliminated by North African opposition in CS Sfaxien.
How Rangers Nearly Fell into the Trap
In the first leg, Chidozie Iwundu gave Rangers the lead on 32 minutes. Within a minute of the restart, Emmanuel Ali had pulled Sobemap level. His goal came on 46 minutes, and it turned a comfortable evening into an anxious one.
A draw at home is rarely a disaster in isolation. For Nigerian clubs, though, it has often been the first step towards an exit.
The Numbers Behind the Anxiety
The last Nigerian side to win a tie after failing to win its home first leg was Akwa United in the 2018 CAF Confederation Cup. They lost 2-1 in Uyo to Banjul Hawks but won 2-0 away to progress from the preliminary rounds. Since then, 13 Nigerian teams in that position have gone out. Rangers avoided becoming the 14th.
The club’s own history makes the point. Rangers last came through a continental tie after failing to win the first leg in the second round of the 1982 African Cup of Champions, the forerunner of today’s Champions League. A goalless draw at home to AS Kaloum Star was followed by a 1-0 win in Guinea, and they went on to reach the semi-finals, where they lost 4-1 on aggregate to eventual winners, Al-Ahly.
Their other attempts ended badly:
- 2013 CAF Champions League: Rangers drew 0-0 at home to Recreativo do Libolo in the second round, then lost 3-1 in Angola.
- 2017 CAF Confederation Cup: In the playoff round for a place in the group stage, they drew 2-2 at home to ZESCO United, then lost 3-0 in Zambia.
A Pattern, not a Coincidence
This is not a Rangers problem alone. Since 2019/20, at least one Nigerian team every season has failed to win its home first leg and been eliminated.
Last season brought two more examples. Remo Stars lost 5-1 at home (in Abeokuta) to Mamelodi Sundowns and then 2-0 in South Africa. Abia Warriors drew 1-1 with Djoliba AC of Mali in Uyo, in their first-ever continental match, then lost the return leg 1-0.
The list reads like a roll call of the country’s best-known clubs:
- 2024/25: El-Kanemi Warriors (Confederation Cup)
- 2023/24: Bendel Insurance (Confederation Cup) and Enyimba (Africa Football League)
- 2022/23 and 2021/22: Rivers United (Confederation Cup & Champions League)
- 2020/21: Plateau United (Champions League)
- 2019/20: Enyimba (both Champions League and Confederation Cup) and Niger Tornadoes
- 2018: Enyimba and MFM FC (Confederation Cup)
The Lesson is Simple
Rangers survived, but survival by shootout is not a strategy. The evidence suggests the first leg at home is where Nigerian clubs most often lose continental ties, before the return leg is even played.
If the country’s representatives want to go deeper, they have to start treating that first home match as one to win convincingly.
