Olopade Sees Nigeria Fc Ready for Multibillion-Naira Sponsorship
nigeria fc is now ripe for multibillion-naira sponsorship, Bukola Olopade said in Lagos after Rangers International sealed the 2025/26 NPFL title. Rangers beat Ikorodu City FC 2-1 at the Mobolaji Johnson Arena to finish top and claim a ninth league crown.
Rangers Win on the Final Day
The title race went to the wire, with Rangers and Rivers United separated by one point entering the final round. Rangers held their nerve against Ikorodu City while Rivers United beat Katsina United 3-0 in Port Harcourt, but the result in Lagos was enough to settle the championship.
Olopade presented the trophy alongside NPFL Chairman Gbenga Elegbeleye and presidential aide Adeyinka Adeboye. He used the moment to argue that the league has moved beyond survival mode and into a position where major commercial deals can finally be pursued.
Olopade's Sponsorship Push
“I want to first of all congratulate Hon. Gbenga Elegbeleye, the Chairman of the League. It’s an amazing job they have done this season, just like they did last season and two years ago when we had the Super Eight here,” he said. “There has been tremendous improvement. We keep moving from strength to strength, and today’s atmosphere was amazing. It’s something that we all as Nigerians must be proud of. Congratulations to Rangers, Ikorodu City, and Rivers United, amazing football today.”
He added: “In terms of structure, planning, and timing, we have moved on. What we need to work on now, and I am saying this in front of the chairman, is to attract multiple mega sponsorships for the league.” He also said, “This league is ripe for multibillion-naira sponsorship, and that’s what we need to start working towards collectively.”
NPFL's Commercial Test
The NPFL has long struggled to secure a long-term headline sponsor, even with a large football audience behind it. Recent reforms under Elegbeleye have improved fixture coordination, club licensing, officiating oversight, and matchday organisation, and that is the platform Olopade was pointing to in Lagos.
Ikorodu City stayed in the title conversation deep into the season while also challenging for continental qualification, which helped keep the final stretch tight. Rangers still ended the campaign with the silverware, and the final-day margin showed how narrow the race was until the last round.
For the league, the next step is commercial. The title has been decided, and the pressure now shifts to whether that improved structure can turn Olopade's sponsorship pitch into real money for the NPFL.
