Two clubs from the Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL), Enugu Rangers and Remo Stars, have experienced mixed fortunes during the draws for the 2025 CAF Champions League qualifying rounds in Cairo on Thursday.
The Flying Antelopes are returning to the elite African club competition for the first time since 2017 and are expected to be too strong for Zilimadjou from Comoros in the first round in August.
Rangers would face either Saint Louis of Seychelles or Esperanca Sagrada of Angola in September, and they are favoured to succeed again and secure a group-stage place. Every contender aspires to qualify for the 16-club mini-league phase, where prize money kicks in with a minimum of $700,000.
Remo Stars, whose first Champions League appearance ended in the first round last season, must have hoped for an easier start than facing former title-holders FAR Rabat of Morocco.
Despite losing Tunisian coach Noureddine Nabi to South African outfit Kaizer Chiefs, FAR look capable of going far in a competition they won 39 years ago. Remo or FAR will face a Libyan club yet to be named or the vastly experienced African campaigners Al Merrikh of Sudan in the second round.
The last Nigerian winners of the Champions League were Enyimba in 2005.
