Akwa United beat Solution FC 2-1 in the final round of Conference B in April 2026 and still missed promotion by one point, because Sporting Lagos finished on 36 to their 35 and only the group winner went up. The NPFL champions of 2020/21 therefore start a second season in the Nigeria National League on Sunday 8 November 2026. Eighteen players are new. The coach is in his second season. No player's wage has ever been published. The block below, compiled by GoalBall on 3 November 2026, sets out the club as it stands.
| Club | Akwa United, founded in 1996 as Ibom Stars |
| League in 2026/27 | Nigeria National League, Conference B |
| Head coach | Paul Offor, since 20 August 2025 |
| Home grounds | Uyo Township Stadium this season; Godswill Akpabio International Stadium (30,000) since 2014/15 |
| Last NPFL title | 2020/21 |
| Player salaries | None published; nothing extends the ₦2 million NPFL minimum to the National League |
| First league match | Ekiti United at home, Sunday 8 November 2026, 4pm |
One point short after eighteen games
Akwa United went down on Sunday 25 May 2025 with 47 points.
The final day brought a 2-1 defeat at Heartland in Owerri. Football in Nigeria reported in September 2025 that the National League had barred Akwa United, Heartland and other indebted clubs from registering for 2025/26 until unpaid fees, fines and contractual obligations were cleared. No figure was published. The club played the full season. Under Offor they won 11 of 18, drew two and lost five. That is 35 points at 1.94 a game. Sporting Lagos took 36 from the same 18 matches, exactly two a game, and the margin lies in the draws and defeats, because Sporting Lagos drew three and lost four while Akwa United drew two and lost five.
What the players earn, and what nobody has published
The National Sports Commission and the Nigeria Football Federation approved a minimum of ₦2 million a month for NPFL players from 2026/27 on 23 June 2026, and the commission chairman, Shehu Dikko, said that “players must earn a living wage”. At ₦1,346 to the dollar, the Central Bank of Nigeria rate printed on 30 October 2026, that is about $1,486. Nothing published extends it to the National League. A 30-man squad on the minimum costs ₦60 million a month. That is ₦720 million a year, about $535,000.
Akwa United's only player amounts on record are prizes.
In May 2026 the club gave the midfielder Paulinus Okon ₦1 million, about $743, as player of the season. Michael Okenwa got ₦1.5 million, about $1,114, as top scorer with five goals. Bigger earners are in our guide to the highest-paid players in the Nigerian league.
Two grounds in one city
The Godswill Akpabio International Stadium holds 30,000. It has been Akwa United's listed home since 2014/15, when the club moved there after the older Uyo Township Stadium was judged unfit for league football. The older ground is this season's working address. The preseason friendly against Godswill Akpabio United on 2 October 2026 was fixed for that ground. Ekiti United visit the same pitch on 8 November.
Rivers United use the big stadium for continental fixtures.
Their sole administrator, Christopher Green, announced the move in September 2026. That was before the San Pedro tie of 13 September. He called Uyo “our second home” and the only natural-grass pitch in Nigeria approved by CAF. Every top-flight ground is in our guide to NPFL clubs and stadiums.
Offor, Osho and eighteen new players
Fatai Osho was appointed in June 2023, as we reported. He has since left the club. Sports247 reported that ASVO of the Benin Republic sacked him on 24 October 2025 after one point from four games. Paul Offor took charge on 20 August 2025. He took Sporting Lagos up in 2023/24. He won the National League's Coach of the Month award for December, January and February, three in a row. The summer rebuild brought eighteen players. Ten were unveiled on 14 October 2026 and eight more by 3 November. The four best-known are below.
| Player | From | Position | Date reported |
|---|---|---|---|
| Robert Cole | Godswill Akpabio United | Goalkeeper | 14 October 2026 |
| Asiriuwa Godwin | Enugu Rangers | Midfielder | 14 October 2026 |
| Kammonke Willie | Ikorodu City | Not stated | 2 November 2026 |
| Damadou Franck | Cavalier (Benin Republic) | Not stated | 2 November 2026 |
The other fourteen came from Abia Comets, Ikorodu City, Nasarawa United and Doma United, and from ten smaller clubs and academies, namely Ozala Academy, Blackpool Academy, FC One Rocket, Morak FC, Hephzibah FC, Adoration FC, KMK FC, Maverick FC, Reign FA and ECAS FA.
The road back starts on 8 November
The season opened on Sunday 1 November 2026 with Heartland against Crown FC in Conference A, a week before Akwa United's first match. The friendly's score is not in our records.
| Date | Match | Competition | Venue or note |
|---|---|---|---|
| April 2026 | Solution FC 1-2 Akwa United | NNL Conference B, final round 2025/26 | Away |
| 2 October 2026 | Akwa United v Godswill Akpabio United | Preseason friendly | Uyo Township Stadium |
| 1 November 2026 | Heartland v Crown FC | NNL Conference A, season opener | Not involved |
| 8 November 2026, 4pm | Akwa United v Ekiti United | NNL Conference B, first match | Uyo Township Stadium |
Our view
Eighteen signings have been added to a side that took 1.94 points a game under a coach who won three monthly awards in a row, and the one-point miss of April is the kind of margin a deeper bench usually closes.
Promotion would bring the ₦2 million floor with it. A club barred from registering over unpaid obligations in September 2025 would then carry a 30-man squad bill of ₦720 million a year, and nobody at Akwa United has said how it would be met. The budget deserves an answer before the promotion race is decided.
This article was most recently revised and updated 14 seconds ago
