Ranchers Bees have won promotion back to the Nigeria Professional Football League NPFL after finishing top of the Nigeria National League Conference D table. The Kaduna-based team claimed the sole promotion ticket in the northern conference despite suffering a 2-0 loss at Gombe United, because their closest rivals Jigawa Golden Stars also lost 3-0 away at Kebbi United. Ranchers Bees, bought and co-owned by the duo of Super Eagles striker Umar Sadiq and Bello El-Rufai in 2025, accumulated 20 points from 12 matches to return to the NPFL after 16 years in the NNL.
The Giant Killers will also become the first Kaduna-based club to play in the NPFL since 2014. Ranchers Bees complete the list of four clubs promoted to the NPFL, following in the footsteps of Doma United, Inter Lagos, and Sporting Lagos. The lineup of promoted teams means clubs going to the NPFL next season are all privately owned. Ranchers Bees has a storied history nationally and continentally, twice featuring in the Federations Cup (then Challenge Cup) final but lost on both occasions, before winning the WAFU Club Championships in 1989.