No fewer than five clubs in the Nigeria Premier League will be eliminated this week from the President Federation Cup.

At the moment, 11 of the 17 premier league clubs are on course as the knock-out competition gets to the Round of 32.

Undoubtedly, the non-application of seeding has seen five fixtures pitching the top clubs together while another five pitched lower division clubs against one another.

The remaining six pairings have premier league clubs facing lower ranked teams. These include: relegation-threatened Akwa United facing Zamfara United in Abuja and Gombe United facing former top division sides, El-Kanemi Warriors in Kaduna.  

Another ‘mixed fixture’ will see Premier sides, Kwara United facing Warri Wolves while Abia Warriors will face Sporting Supreme of the FCT.

Premier sides, Bendel Insurance will face Wikki Tourists of Bauchi as Enyimba are pitched against Akwa Ibom’s FC Rockets.

But nothing is guaranteed to the Premier League sides as knockout competitions are replete with underdogs upstaging power houses.

No matter the situations, five of the Premier League are doomed for elimination. Former champions Lobi Stars and Shooting Stars in a “Star War” in Awka.

Plateau United and  Sunshine Stars are meeting in Abuja just as Rivers United will face fellow Premier League sides, Niger Tornadoes in Auchi.

Katsina United and Bayelsa United will play in Abuja while Doma United face  Kano Pillars in Bauchi.

MEN’S ROUND OF 32 FIXTURES

Bendel Insurance (Edo) Vs Wikki Tourists (Bauchi) – Abuja Area 3 – 22/05/24 – 4pm

EFCC FC (FCT) Vs Edel FC (Anambra) – Ilorin – 22/05/24 – 4pm

ABS FC (Kwara) Vs Kebbi United (Kebbi) – Abuja Goal Project – 23/05/24 – 4pm

Akwa United (Akwa Ibom) Vs Zamfara United Feeders (Zamfara) – Abuja Bwari – 23/05/24 – 4pm

Gombe United (Gombe) Vs El-Kanemi Warriors (Borno) – Kaduna – 22/05/24 – 4pm

Lobi Stars (Benue) Vs Shooting Stars (Oyo) – Awka – 22/05/24 – 4pm

Ikorodu City (Lagos) Vs Coal City (Enugu) – Benin City – 23/05/24 – 4pm

Hammola Int’l (Osun) Vs Inter Lagos (Lagos) – Ibadan – 22/05/24 – 4pm

Warri Wolves (Delta) Vs Kwara United (Kwara) – Enugu – 22/05/24 – 4pm

Abia Warriors (Abia) Vs Sporting Supreme (FCT) – Benin City – 22/05/24 – 4pm

Nasarawa United (Nasarawa) Vs Sokoto United (Sokoto) – Kano – 22/05/24 – 4pm

FC One Rocket (Akwa Ibom) Vs Enyimba FC (Abia) – Yenagoa – 22/05/24 – 4pm

Plateau United (Plateau) Vs Sunshine Stars (Ondo) – Abuja Goal Project – 22/05/24 – 4pm 

Rivers United (Rivers) Vs Niger Tornadoes (Niger) – Auchi – 22/05/24 – 4pm

Katsina United (Katsina) Vs Bayelsa United (Bayelsa) – Abuja Bwari – 22/05/24 – 4pm

Doma United (Gombe) Vs Kano Pillars (Kano) – Bauchi – 22/05/24 – 4pm

In the tradition of knock-out competitions such as the FA Cups, shocks are always expected. For the President Federation Cup in Nigeria, multiple time winners as well as league leaders, Enugu Rangers are already eliminated.

No fewer than four Nigeria Premier League clubs are doomed to make the exit at the Round of 32.

Ten of the Premier League clubs are already paired and as such, half of that number will be eliminated before the Round of 16.

Paired are Lobi Stars and Shooting Stars both of which are prospective continental competition aspirants next season.

Similarly, Plateau United are pitched against Sunshine Stars just as Rivers United will face Niger Tornadoes. Doma United are up against Kano Pillars while a fifth clash of Premier clubs will see Bayelsa United who beat Nasarawa State’s FC Basira 2-0 facing fellow Premier League sides, Katsina United. 

Those Premier League clubs doomed for elimination may also be joined by their clans who will be shocked by lesser clubs at that stage of the competition.

Seventeen of the 20 top flight clubs entered the national preliminaries of the Federation Cup. Sixteen of them are still in the race.

Full Round of 32 Match-up

Bendel Insurance (Edo) Vs Wikki Tourists (Bauchi)  

EFCC FC (FCT) Vs Edel FC (Anambra)  

ABS FC (Kwara) Vs Kebbi United (Kebbi)  

Akwa United (Akwa Ibom) Vs Zamfara United Feeders (Zamfara)

Gombe United (Gombe) Vs El-Kanemi Warriors (Borno)  

Lobi Stars (Benue) Vs Shooting Stars (Oyo)

Ikorodu City (Lagos) Vs Coal City (Enugu)  

Hammola Int’l (Osun) Vs Inter Lagos (Lagos)

Warri Wolves (Delta) Vs Kwara United (Kwara)  

Abia Warriors (Abia) Vs Sporting Supreme (FCT)

Nasarawa United (Nasarawa) Vs Sokoto United (Sokoto)

FC One Rocket (Akwa Ibom) Vs Enyimba FC (Abia)  

Plateau United (Plateau) Vs Sunshine Stars (Ondo)   

Rivers United (Rivers) Vs Niger Tornadoes (Niger)

Katsina United (Katsina) Vs Bayelsa United (Bayelsa)

Doma United (Gombe) Vs Kano Pillars (Kano)

Six-time winners Enugu Rangers have been booted out of this year’s President Federation Cup at the very first hurdle, as they lost 5-6 on penalties to Kano Pillars following 1-1 draw in regulation time at the Bwari Township Stadium, Abuja on Thursday.

Mustapha Umar scored for ‘Sai Masu Gida’ early on but Chiedozie Okorie equalized for the ‘Flying Antelopes’ in the 38^th minute of the encounter. In the penalty shootout, both teams could still not be separated after the first five kicks each, leading to the session going to sudden death before the boys from Kano prevailed.

Cup holders Bendel Insurance are among the teams that have progressed to the Round of 32, after a slim 1-0 win over Stormers from Abeokuta, while Katsina United, Lobi Stars, Wikki Tourists, Warri Wolves, FC One Rocket, Kwara United and Inter Lagos took no prisoners with high-score wins over their opponents.

Former winners Shooting Stars and Enyimba barely scraped through by the skin of their teeth, needing penalty shootouts to overcome Solution FC of Anambra and Warinje FC of Bauchi respectively.

The Round of 32 is loaded with interesting fixtures, not the least a confrontation between Lobi Stars of Makurdi and Shooting Stars of Ibadan. Champions Bendel Insurance will be up against Wikki Tourists, while Gombe United will tackle El-Kanemi Warriors and Doma United take on Kano Pillars in flaming Savannah wars.

Two teams that made progress without kicking the ball, Plateau United and Sunshine Stars will be at each other’s jugular, and ambitious FC One Rocket will take their chances against two-time African champions Enyimba FC.

MEN’S ROUND OF 64 RESULTS

Bendel Insurance (Edo) 1-0 Stormers SC (Ogun)

Wikki Tourists (Bauchi) 5-0 Jr. Danburan (Katsina)

Osun United (Osun) 1-1 EFCC FC (FCT) – EFCC win 4-2 on penalties

Edel FC (Anambra) 4-0 Discovery Talent FC (Kebbi)

Zamfara United (Zamfara) 0-1 ABS FC (Kwara)

Kebbi United (Kebbi) 2-1 Ine Stars (Edo)

Akwa United (Akwa Ibom) 1-0 Cynosure FC (Ebonyi)

Mighty Jets (Plateau) 0-1 Zamfara United Feeders (Zamfara)

Gombe United (Gombe) 3-1 Karim United (Taraba)

El-Kanemi Warriors (Borno) 2-0 Adanimogo FC (Ondo)

Lobi Stars (Benue) 6-1 Delta Marine (Delta)

Shooting Stars (Oyo) 1-1 Solution FC (Anambra) – Shooting Stars win 3-2 on penalties

Ikorodu City (Lagos) 3-0 Green Berets (Kaduna)

Coal City (Enugu) 3-0 Ekiti United Feeders (Ekiti)

Beyond Limits (Ogun) 1-1 Hammola Int’l (Osun) – Hammola Int’l win 4-3 on penalties

Inter Lagos (Lagos) 6-0 May Frank (Cross River)

Warri Wolves (Delta) 5-1 Lautai FC (Jigawa)

Kwara United (Kwara) 4-1 Rovers FC (Cross River)

Abia Warriors (Abia) 4-2 Ilaji FC (Oyo)

Sporting Supreme (FCT) 3-0 PCM FC (Ebonyi)

Nasarawa United (Nasarawa) 1-0 FC Bako (Kogi)

Sokoto United (Sokoto) 2-2 Ofirima FC (Rivers) – Sokoto United win 4-1 on penalties

FC One Rocket (Akwa Ibom) 5-0 Fr. Eburuaja (Imo)

Enyimba FC (Abia) 1-1 Warinje FC (Bauchi) – Enyimba FC win 7-6 on penalties

Plateau United (Plateau) 3-0 Ekiti United (Ekiti) – W/O

Sunshine Stars (Ondo) 3-0 Jedo Academy (Sokoto) – W/O  

Rivers United (Rivers) 1-0 Ikukuoma FC (Imo)

Niger Tornadoes (Niger) 3-1 Niger Tornadoes Feeders (Niger)

Katsina United (Katsina) 7-1 Dutse Strikers (Jigawa)

Bayelsa United (Bayelsa) 2-0 FC Basira (Nasarawa)

Doma United (Gombe) 3-0 Gamji Eaglets (Taraba)

Kano Pillars (Kano) 1-1 Rangers Int’l (Enugu) – Kano Pillars win 6-5 on penalties