The curtain came down on the 2025/26 Nigerian Professional Football League (NPFL) season on Sunday, bringing with it dramatic moments, celebrations, and historic achievements. Among the biggest headlines of the campaign was the remarkable resurgence of Shooting Stars Sports Club, who secured a long-awaited return to continental football.
Popularly known as 3SC, the Ibadan-based side finished third on the NPFL table with 60 points from 38 matches, earning qualification for the CAF Confederation Cup. Although Shooting Stars suffered a narrow 1-0 defeat away to Niger Tornadoes on the final day of the season, results elsewhere worked in their favor as Ikorodu City fell 2-1 at home to league champions Enugu Rangers.
For Shooting Stars and their supporters, this qualification means far more than just a continental ticket. It marks the club’s return to African football for the first time in 27 years — a milestone that rekindles memories of one of Nigeria’s most successful and historic football institutions.
Shooting Stars occupy a special place in Nigerian and African football history. In 1976, the club became the first Nigerian side to win a continental title when they lifted the African Cup Winners’ Cup, a groundbreaking achievement that helped pave the way for Nigeria’s emergence as a force in African club football.
The club’s continental success did not stop there. 3SC went on to win the CAF Cup in 1992 and also reached the finals of the African Cup of Champions Clubs in both 1984 and 1996. These accomplishments established the Ibadan giants as one of Africa’s most respected football clubs during their golden era.
Now, after nearly three decades away from the continental stage, Shooting Stars are set for a new chapter. Supporters will be hoping this return signals the beginning of another glorious era, as the club seeks to relive the pride, passion, and success that once made them a dominant force across Africa.
