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Rivers United overtake Enyimba as Nigeria’s top-ranked club in Africa
Rivers United have become Nigeria’s highest-ranked club in Africa after a series of strong continental campaigns lifted them to 24th in the latest Confederation of African Football (CAF) rankings.
The Port Harcourt club have accumulated 15 ranking points, moving above former African champions Enyimba, who have fallen to 45th with four points. The change represents a significant shift in Nigerian club football, with Rivers United now leading the country’s representation in CAF’s club standings after years in which Enyimba set the standard.
CAF’s coefficient rankings are based on results achieved across the previous five seasons in the CAF Champions League and the CAF Confederation Cup. Clubs receive points according to how far they advance in those competitions, while more recent campaigns carry greater significance.
Rivers United’s progress in Africa has been built on repeated deep runs rather than isolated appearances. They reached the quarter-finals of the CAF Confederation Cup in both the 2022-23 and 2023-24 seasons before advancing to the group stage of the CAF Champions League in 2025-26.
Those results provided the points required to move the club ahead of every other Nigerian side in the latest calculations.
The club’s rise has also been supported by a consistent domestic record. Rivers United won the NPFL title in the 2021/22 season and have continued to compete among Nigeria’s leading teams.
In the 2025-26 campaign, they finished as runners-up with 67 points, one point behind champions Rangers International. Under manager Finidi George, Rivers United won 19 of their 38 league matches, scored 44 goals and conceded 31. Their defensive record was the second-best in the division.
That domestic consistency secured another route into continental competition and further strengthened their standing among Africa’s leading clubs.
For much of the past two decades, Enyimba’s two CAF Champions League titles and regular involvement in continental tournaments had made them Nigeria’s benchmark club. Recent results, however, have changed the balance.
While Rivers United collected valuable coefficient points through quarter-final and group-stage appearances, Enyimba were unable to make comparable progress in their recent CAF campaigns. Over the past five seasons, Enyimba’s continental record has included exits in the group stage of the CAF Confederation Cup, although they did reach the quarter-finals of the inaugural African Football League.
Rivers United’s position at the top of the Nigerian rankings does not yet place them alongside Africa’s dominant clubs. CAF champions Mamelodi Sundowns lead the continental standings with 73 points, ahead of Egypt’s Al Ahly on 66.
Tunisia’s Esperance are third with 58 points, while Morocco’s RS Berkane occupy fourth place with 57. The considerable gap between those clubs and Rivers United underlines both the scale of the Nigerian side’s progress and the challenge facing clubs from Nigeria as they seek to compete regularly with Africa’s established football powers.
Nevertheless, Rivers United’s rise marks an important development for Nigerian club football. Their sustained performances across four seasons have allowed them to replace Enyimba as the country’s leading club in Africa and establish themselves as a consistent presence in continental competition.