The winner of the 2025/26 Nigerian Premier Football League (NPFL) season may not emerge until the final day, following the yo-yo behaviour of the teams at the top of the table.

Yesterday, the NPFL announced that the clubs will be observing a break this weekend in deference to the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) President Cup window.

Enugu Rangers currently top the table with 59 points, one more than second-placed Rivers United, while third-placed Ikorodu City are on 55 points, the same as Abia Warriors, and 3SC of Ibadan in fifth position are on 54 points.

The table is so tight that only three points separate third-placed Ikorodu City from Bendel Insurance, which occupies the seventh spot with three matches to go.

The money is on either Rangers or Rivers United to win the title, going by their recent results, but not many are discounting Ikorodu City and Abia Warriors in the equation.

However, the beauty in the standings is that while Ikorodu City and Abia Warriors have title ambitions, they may be supplanted from the battle for a continental ticket, which third position offers, by the chasing trio of 3SC, Nasarawa United and Bendel Insurance, which trailed the duo by one, two and three points respectively.

Davidson Owumi, the Chief Operating Officer, said that the window created at the start of the season was to ensure a seamless operation devoid of the disruptions experienced in past seasons.

The battle for survival in the relegation zone is by no means less severe, as only three points separate Enyimba in the 13th position with 43 points and bottom-placed Wikki Tourists (40 points).

Like Enyimba, Niger Tornadoes (14th), Kwara United (15th), Remo Stars (16th) and Warri Wolves (17th) are on 43 points, while Kun Khalifat, Bayelsa United and Wikki Tourists, who occupy the 18th, 19th and 20th positions, have 40 points each.

The chances of survival for troubled clubs would become clearer when the league resumes on May 3.

NPFL Chief Operating Officer, Davidson Owumi, said yesterday that the Week 36 and 37 games will hold on May 3 and 10 respectively, while another President’s Federation Cup window will be observed on May 16/17.

He said in a statement: “We synergised with the NFF Competitions Department at the start of the season to create windows for the Federation Cup. It has been in effect since January, and we are running our calendar as designed.”

Owumi said the last games of the season will be played on May 24, as stated during the draw for the season.

He added: “We have been intentional to maintain fixture fidelity, and it took a lot of planning and cooperation from the clubs to achieve this.”