Plateau United and Mighty Jets have made strong starts to their campaigns at the 2026 Nigeria Premier Football League Invitational Preseason Tournament after both clubs secured hard fought victories on the opening day of the competition.
Plateau United produced the more notable result of the opening fixtures, edging Rivers United 1 0 in a closely contested encounter. Rivers United, who finished as runners up in the previous NPFL season, were unable to find a response after conceding the only goal of the match.
Jubril Ibrahim emerged as the match winner for Plateau United after finding the back of the net shortly before the half hour mark. His effort proved decisive as Plateau United held on to their advantage until the final whistle.
The victory will provide a major boost for Plateau United as the club continues preparations for the new domestic season. Facing a team of Rivers United’s quality on the opening day also gave the Jos based side an early opportunity to test its readiness against strong opposition.
Mighty Jets also began their tournament campaign on a positive note, recording a narrow 1 0 victory against El Kanemi Warriors in the second game of the day.
The contest remained tightly balanced for long periods before Usman Meyanga broke the deadlock in the 56th minute. The Mighty Jets forward capitalised on an error from the El Kanemi Warriors goalkeeper to score the decisive goal.
Despite their efforts to get back into the game, El Kanemi Warriors could not find an equaliser, allowing Mighty Jets to secure all the available points and begin their participation in the tournament with confidence.
The results have set the stage for another round of competitive fixtures as the preseason tournament continues on Thursday.
Katsina United are scheduled to face El Kanemi Warriors in the first match of the day, with both sides expected to push for a positive result after their respective starts to the competition.
The second fixture will see reigning NPFL champions Rangers take on Rivers United. The encounter is expected to attract considerable attention as Rangers continue their preparations as domestic champions, while Rivers United will be determined to respond after their opening day defeat to Plateau United.
The invitational tournament was organised primarily to provide Nigeria’s representatives in the CAF inter club competitions with quality competitive matches ahead of their continental campaigns.
With the preliminary stages of the CAF competitions approaching, the participating clubs are using the tournament to sharpen their squads, assess new players, improve tactical coordination and build match fitness before their official competitive fixtures begin.
For Plateau United and Mighty Jets, however, the immediate priority will be to maintain their momentum. Both teams have already demonstrated that they are prepared to fight for results, although the narrow margins of victory also underline how closely matched the teams could be throughout the tournament.
As the competition progresses, attention will now turn to whether Plateau United and Mighty Jets can build on their winning starts, while Rivers United and El Kanemi Warriors look to recover in their next fixtures.
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