Chekas United FC rounded off the Alade Stadium 1 group stage without a single defeat, beating Vinod Football Academy 2-0 on the final matchday to book a winners’ playoff date with Hephzibah Sports Club and keep their NNL dream alive.
It took two second half goals, but Chekas United FC got the job done. On the final matchday of the Nationwide League One regular season at the Alade Sports Centre in Ipaja Command, Alimosho, Lagos, Chekas defeated Vinod Football Academy 2-0 to clinch outright top spot in the Alade Stadium 1 group. The result capped an unbeaten run through the group stage and set up a high-stakes playoff encounter with Hephzibah Sports Club, who completed an equally impressive campaign in the parallel Alade Stadium 2 group.
The “Battle of Supremacy” tag that has already been attached to this fixture is no exaggeration. Both clubs enter the playoff without a loss between them across the entire Lagos NLO group stage, with each conceding just once. Two unbeaten teams, one promotion ticket on the line, and the Alade Sports Centre as the setting. For grassroots Lagos football, it does not get much bigger than this. Fans keen to back local clubs through the promotion playoff phase can grab the Nigeria’s top Bet9ja code ahead of the matches.
Chekas built their group-stage credentials on a combination of defensive organisation and attacking efficiency when it mattered. Their 2-0 win over Vinod FA was characteristic of how they have operated patient in shape, clinical when the moments arrived. Their record against Seamoriow FC earlier in the campaign showed similar qualities, with the side proving difficult to break down even as they created enough chances at the other end to control results.
Hephzibah SC Come in Equally Unbeaten
Hephzibah Sports Club will not be arriving at this playoff as an afterthought. Their campaign in Alade Stadium 2 was marked by attacking strength and tactical discipline, with a dominant performance against Okaka FC among the highlights that drew attention to their credentials. Like Chekas, they went through the group stage conceding only once, a figure that puts both clubs in rare company among Lagos NLO teams this season.
The fixture represents a genuine collision of the two best-performing teams at the Alade Sports Centre, and neither side enters it with a psychological advantage built on prior results since they have not yet met. Everything gets decided on the day. For Hephzibah, their attacking patterns and the efficiency they showed earlier in the campaign give them genuine reason to believe they can end the group winners’ playoff on top. For Chekas, the defensive solidity that carried them unbeaten through a competitive group is the foundation they will lean on.
The date and venue for the fixture are yet to be officially confirmed, though the encounter is expected to take place at the Alade Sports Centre. Fans keeping track of NLO promotion races across Lagos can follow all the latest action through Bet9ja’s bonus conversion guide to make the most of their stakes on Nigerian football this season.
What Promotion to the NNL Means
The prize at the end of this playoff road is a spot in the Nigeria National League, the second tier of Nigerian football and the gateway into the professional league pyramid. The NNL currently runs a 36 club format, with four teams promoted to the Nigeria Premier Football League each season and a corresponding number dropped to the NLO. For a club like Chekas United FC, earning an NNL ticket would represent the most significant step in their development, opening the door to better resources, wider exposure, and the possibility of eventually competing at a level where scouts and sponsors begin to pay real attention.
The NLO’s Lagos centre has historically been among the most competitive in the country, given the sheer density of clubs operating across the state. Finishing unbeaten in any Lagos NLO group is a meaningful achievement by itself. Getting through the winners’ playoff to take an NNL slot would be something else entirely. Both Chekas United FC and Hephzibah SC have earned the right to dream about that outcome. Only one will get to live it. Fans following the Lagos NLO promotion race closely can stay up to date with all Nigerian football news at FootballInNigeria.com.ng’s Bet9ja promotion code page.
📌 Did You Know?
- The Nationwide League One (NLO) is Nigeria’s third tier of professional football, sitting directly below the Nigeria National League (NNL) and serving as the primary pathway for grassroots clubs seeking entry into the professional pyramid.
- The NNL, which Chekas and Hephzibah are chasing entry into, operates a 36-club format with four clubs promoted to the Nigeria Premier Football League each season, making every NNL slot fiercely contested from the NLO upwards.
- Sporting Lagos were crowned 2025-26 NNL champions after topping the Super 4 championship round, becoming the first club to win the NNL title under the reformatted conference system introduced that season.
- The Alade Sports Centre in Ipaja Command, Alimosho, has become one of the most active grassroots football hubs in Lagos, regularly hosting multiple NLO groups across different pitches and centres within the same facility.
- Ten clubs were relegated from the NNL to the NLO following the 2025-26 season, including former NPFL club Gombe United, meaning the NLO field chasing promotion this cycle is exceptionally strong in some zones.
- The NLO playoff format requires group winners to progress through a series of centre level playoffs before the final promotion round, meaning clubs like Chekas and Hephzibah must win at least two more playoff fixtures to secure an NNL ticket.
- Lagos State produces more NLO-registered clubs than any other state in Nigeria, reflecting the size of the state’s football ecosystem and the depth of competition that teams must navigate at grassroots level.
