El-Kanemi Warriors 3–0 UDIB | CAF Confederation Cup Preliminary Round
For a club that has spent the last few months experiencing one of the strangest seasons in Nigerian football, El-Kanemi Warriors are certainly making the most of their continental adventure.
The Borno side took a giant step toward the next round of the CAF Confederation Cup on Sunday, brushing aside Guinea-Bissau champions União Desportiva Internacional de Bissau (UDIB) 3–0 in the first leg of their preliminary-round tie at the Remo Stars Stadium in Ikenne.
It was a result that not only gives El-Kanemi a commanding advantage ahead of next weekend’s return leg, but also continues a remarkable turnaround for a club whose domestic campaign ended in disappointment.
And perhaps the most interesting part?
They did not even need to score in the first half.
From a goalless first half to a three-goal finish
The opening 45 minutes ended without a goal, leaving everything delicately poised at the break.
But whatever El-Kanemi’s new technical team said inside the dressing room appeared to work.
The Warriors came out for the second half with considerably more purpose and eventually found a way through the UDIB defence.
Nnamdi Mejuobi became the star of the afternoon, scoring twice to put El-Kanemi firmly in control.
Dayo Wahab then added the third to turn what had been a cagey contest into a convincing Nigerian victory.
The final scoreline El-Kanemi Warriors 3–0 UDIB means the Maiduguri club will travel to Guinea-Bissau next weekend with a three-goal cushion and, crucially, a clean sheet.
The two clubs had never previously met in the available head-to-head records, making this first encounter an entirely new continental chapter for both sides.
The strange story of El-Kanemi Warriors
What makes this result even more fascinating is the context surrounding El-Kanemi.
Just a few months ago, the Warriors were fighting for their Nigeria Premier Football League survival.
They ultimately lost that battle.
A 3–0 defeat to Enyimba on the final day of the 2025/26 NPFL season confirmed their relegation, with El-Kanemi finishing 18th on 47 points.
But while their league campaign ended in disappointment, the Warriors produced a completely different story in the President Federation Cup.
They went all the way.
El-Kanemi defeated Ikorodu City 1–0 in the final at the Stephen Keshi Stadium in Asaba, with Muktar Ismail’s penalty proving decisive. The victory gave the Maiduguri club their fourth Federation Cup title, following previous triumphs in 1991, 1992 and 2024.
And with the trophy came something perhaps even more valuable: continental football.
So El-Kanemi entered the 2026/27 season in the unusual position of being an NNL club playing in the CAF Confederation Cup.
It is a strange contradiction.
They are no longer among Nigeria’s top-flight clubs, yet they are representing the country on the continental stage.
From relegation to Africa
That makes Sunday’s victory more than just a 3–0 win.
It is another reminder of how quickly football can change.
One moment, El-Kanemi were preparing to return to Nigeria’s second tier.
The next, they were hosting a continental opponent and putting themselves within touching distance of the next round.
The club has also undergone changes behind the scenes. Kabiru Dogo, who guided El-Kanemi to Federation Cup glory, left after the season and was replaced by Emmanuel King ahead of the new campaign. King has been tasked with both navigating the club’s continental challenge and helping El-Kanemi return to the NPFL.
That makes this CAF campaign particularly important.
For El-Kanemi, it is not simply about continental prestige.
It is an opportunity to keep testing themselves against opposition from across Africa while rebuilding a squad capable of returning to the top flight.
Three goals could change everything
The biggest question now is whether UDIB can produce something extraordinary in the second leg.
A 3–0 first-leg advantage gives El-Kanemi considerable breathing room.
But continental football has a habit of producing surprises.
UDIB will have home advantage in the return fixture, scheduled for September 13 in Guinea-Bissau, and El-Kanemi will know that their work is not yet finished.
Still, three unanswered goals have put the Warriors in an enviable position.
They have the lead.
They have the clean sheet.
And they have a striker in Mejuobi who has already demonstrated that he can make the difference.
For a team preparing for life in the NNL, El-Kanemi Warriors are currently enjoying a rather unusual luxury:
They can look down at Nigeria’s second tier while looking across the continent at their next opponent.
And after Sunday’s 3–0 victory, the road to the next round suddenly looks a lot clearer.
El-Kanemi Warriors have one foot in the next round. Now they have to finish the job in Bissau.
