Ahmad Hamisu Gwale
Ranchers Bees FC have secured promotion to the Nigeria Premier Football League for the 2026/2027 season, despite losing 2-0 to Gombe United in their Nigeria National League Matchday 12 fixture on Wednesday.
The Kaduna-based side finished top of the NNL Conference D table with 20 points in the 2025/2026 season to seal their return to the top-flight.
Ranchers Bees will be joined in the NPFL by Inter Lagos, Sporting Lagos and Doma United, who also gained promotion for next season.
The club last featured in the elite league during the 2009/2010 campaign.
The four promoted teams are privately owned, underlining the increasing role of private investment in Nigerian football.
Ranchers Bees is partly owned by Super Eagles striker Sadiq Umar and a member of the House of Representatives representing Kaduna North, Bello El-Rufai.
Founded in the 1970s, the club was once a dominant force in northern Nigerian football, reaching the 1988 CAF Cup Winners’ Cup final and winning the 1989 WAFU Cup.
