Reigning Nigeria Premier Football League champions, Remo Stars, are set to return to their Remo Stars Stadium in Ikenne for the second stanza of the 2025/26 season following the completion of renovation works on the ground, PUNCH Sports Extra reports.
The Sky Blue Stars will make their long-awaited return on January 7, when they host Ikorodu City in their NPFL matchday 20 fixture, bringing to an end a five-month spell away from home in Abeokuta.
Chairman of the club, Kunle Soname, confirmed that the stadium was ready to welcome the team and its supporters again after major renovation works were carried out on the pitch.
“Renovation of the pitch has been completed and has been certified even by the FIFA inspection team. Our first game will be against Ikorodu City when the second stanza of the season resumes,” Soname told PUNCH Sports Extra.
First opened in 2020 and hosting its maiden league fixture in 2021 following the club’s return from the second division, the stadium’s hybrid synthetic turf has now been replaced with a new surface after five years of use.
At the start of the season in August 2025, Remo Stars adopted the MKO Abiola Sports Arena in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital, as their temporary home ground while renovation works were ongoing in Ikenne.
However, life in Abeokuta has proved challenging for the champions, who have struggled for consistency in their bid to defend the title. They opened the campaign with a 1-1 draw against Rivers United on August 22, 2025, before suffering home defeats to Rangers International on November 13 and Bendel Insurance, who edged them 3-2 on Sunday, December 21.
Remo Stars also played their CAF Champions League preliminary matches in Abeokuta but once again failed to reach the group stage. They cruised past Comoros champions Zilimadjou with a 5-0 aggregate victory in the first round, only to be outclassed by South African giants Mamelodi Sundowns, who sealed a dominant 7-1 aggregate win after a 5-1 victory in Nigeria in October and completing the rout in South Africa.
Currently languishing in 16th position on the NPFL table with 22 points from 19 matches, Remo Stars will hope their return to Ikenne provides the spark needed to revive their campaign in the second stanza of the season.
Head coach Daniel Ogunmodede, who is currently on national team duty with the Super Eagles at the 2025 AFCON, had earlier attributed the club’s slow start in the league to the temporary change in home ground.
“It is not an excuse, but things might have been different if we had played our home games in Ikenne,” Ogunmodede said in August 2025, following the draw against Rivers United.
Remo Stars enjoyed a remarkable run in the league last season, clinching their first-ever title with 71 points, seven clear of second-placed Rivers United.
While they may no longer be in contention for the crown this term, it remains to be seen how much they can salvage from the campaign upon their return home.
