Rangers International FC crest

Rangers International FC

The Flying Antelopes

League

Nigeria Premier League

Founded

1970

City

Enugu

Status

Active

7×
League titles
Community Hub

Discuss Rangers on Afroduma

Debate tactics, transfer news, and relive historic Nigeria football moments with Rangers International FC supporters.

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Founded
1970
Stadium
Nnamdi Azikiwe Stadium
Capacity
22,000
Manager
Fidelis Ilechukwu
Chairman
Chief Amobi Ezeaku
Titles
7
Main rival
Enyimba FC

About the club

Rangers International FC, founded in Enugu in 1970, is the oldest continuously-run football club in Nigerian league history. Seven NPFL titles, a 1977 African Cup Winners' Cup trophy (the first CAF trophy won by a Nigerian club), and the identity of post-war south-east Nigerian football. 'The Flying Antelopes' are the institutional rival of Enyimba inside the south-east, and one of the handful of NPFL clubs with genuine cultural weight beyond football.

Founded by Group of East Central State civic and sporting figures after the Nigerian Civil War — the first post-war professional football project in south-east Nigeria.

"The Pride of the East"

emoji_eventsHonours

Competition Wins Last Note
Nigeria Premier Football League 7 2015–16 None
African Cup Winners' Cup (defunct) 1 1977 First CAF trophy won by any Nigerian club
Nigerian FA Cup / Federation Cup 5 1983 None
CAF Champions League 0 — Semi-finalists 2017 — deepest Rangers run in the CAF CL era
Nigerian Super Cup 2 2016 None

workspace_premiumRecent titles

  • 2015–16 vs Enyimba · 2 points
    Top scorer: Ifeanyi George (14)
  • 1983–84 vs Leventis United · 5 points
    Top scorer: Mike Ike (16)
  • 1981–82 vs Shooting Stars · 3 points
    Top scorer: Humphrey Edobor (11)
  • 1976–77 vs IICC Shooting Stars · 4 points
    Top scorer: Emeka Onyedika (15)

scoreboardNotable matches

  • 1977
    Rangers 4–1 Canon Yaoundé (agg)

    African Cup Winners' Cup final — first CAF trophy won by a Nigerian club.

  • 2016
    Rangers 1–0 Wikki Tourists

    Title-clinching matchday — first NPFL title in 32 years, roared home by a sold-out Nnamdi Azikiwe Stadium.

  • 2017
    Rangers 1–2 USM Alger (agg 1–2)

    CAF Champions League semi-final — deepest Rangers African run of the CAF CL era.

  • 1983
    Rangers 1–0 Ranchers Bees

    FA Cup final win — the last cup title of the early Antelopes dynasty.

Club legends

C
Christian Chukwu
1970–1985

Rangers captain — later Super Eagles captain, 1980 AFCON winner, and national-team head coach

E
Emmanuel Okala
1970–1980

Goalkeeper — 1978 CAF African Footballer of the Year; Cup Winners' Cup winner

C
Chisom Egbuchulam
2015–2017

2016 NPFL Player of the Year who ended Rangers' 32-year title drought

stadium
Home ground

Nnamdi Azikiwe Stadium

Enugu · 22,000 capacity
Stadium guidearrow_forward
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Main rivalry

South-East Derby

vs Enyimba FC

Rangers vs Enyimba is the south-east Nigerian derby. Enugu vs Aba, Rangers' historic legacy against Enyimba's 21st-century dynasty. The fixture regularly fills both stadiums to...

Derby pagearrow_forward

help Frequently Asked Questions

How many NPFL titles has Rangers International won? add
Rangers International have won 7 NPFL titles. The early Antelopes dynasty collected six titles between 1974 and 1984; the 2015–16 championship was the first in a 32-year drought and remains the most recent title as of April 2026.
Where does Rangers International play? add
Rangers play at the Nnamdi Azikiwe Stadium in Enugu, capacity 22,000. Named after Nigeria's first president, the stadium hosts both Rangers matches and Super Eagles qualifying fixtures for the south-east Nigerian market.
Who owns Rangers International? add
Rangers International FC is owned by the Enugu State Government. It is one of the last major state-owned NPFL clubs. The board has discussed privatisation multiple times since 2018 but has retained the community ownership model because of the club's cultural position in Igbo football identity.
Did Rangers International win a CAF trophy? add
Yes — Rangers won the 1977 African Cup Winners' Cup, becoming the first Nigerian club ever to win a CAF continental trophy. They beat Cameroon's Canon Yaoundé 4–1 on aggregate in the two-legged final.
Who are Rangers International's rivals? add
Enyimba FC are Rangers' defining modern rival — the south-east derby between Enugu and Aba is the fixture that regularly fills both grounds. Historically, Rangers also had rivalries with Shooting Stars of Ibadan and IICC / Shooting Stars across the 1970s and 1980s NPFL eras.
What does 'The Flying Antelopes' mean? add
The nickname comes from the Antelope, a prominent symbol in Igbo cultural storytelling and in the Enugu / former Eastern Region's heraldry. Rangers' crest has depicted an antelope in flight since the club's founding in 1970, a direct link back to post-war south-east Nigerian identity.
How much do Rangers International players earn? add
Rangers International player salaries sit in the ₦300,000–₦1,400,000 per month range for senior squad members, with top earners (captains, Super Eagles-eligible players) at the top of that. These are mid-tier NPFL figures — below Enyimba but broadly in line with other state-owned NPFL clubs.

Related

Rival Enyimba FC arrow_forward League Nigeria Premier Football League arrow_forward Country Football in Nigeria arrow_forward

Last updated 2026-04-21 · written by Amara Okafor.