NPL Season 9: Why So Serious, The Saints and Crazy X Weirdos Headline a Brutal Road to the Group Stage

NPL Season 9 has delivered a brutal week of qualifier action, and the picture is finally clear: the 24-team Group Stage field for the Nigerian Pro League is locked in. Across Playoffs A, B and C, the region's top PUBG MOBILE squads fought through relentless lobbies, a shock disqualification ruling and a genuine underdog run to punch their tickets forward. Organised by 10N8E Esports in partnership with Krafton, Level Infinite, Lightspeed Studios, NPL Season 9 is shaping up as one of the most competitive editions of the league yet.

Playoffs A: No Contest at the Top

Playoffs A kicked off NPL Season 9's qualifier stretch with an explosive display of firepower, and one team made sure nobody forgot their name. Why So Serious obliterated the lobby to finish #1, racking up a massive 130 total points, powered by an eye-watering 95 elimination points across the two days.

Behind them, the chase for NPL Season 9 Group Stage spots stayed fierce. Chaos Syndicate locked down #2 with 77 points, while Fear Esports (56) and Angels of Death (53) rounded out the top four. Completing the eight qualifiers from Playoffs A were Team CXLD (52), Why Esports (48), Unsullied Army (48), and Vexra (48), with Supernova and Team Oxygen left just short in 9th and 10th, a reminder of how unforgiving NPL Season 9 qualifiers can be.

Playoffs B: The Saints Come From Nowhere

If Playoffs A was about dominance, Playoffs B was about a turnaround. The Saints, barely a factor on Day 1, stormed to the top by Day 2 with three chicken dinners, 67 eliminations, and a commanding 107 total points, one of the standout stories of NPL Season 9 so far.

Tribe Warriors held onto #2 with 87 points, and 03 Brothers claimed the final podium spot with 83 points. Afro Esports (76) and Axiom X (53) took #4 and #5, while Madlads (50), Report (48) and Team Pride (46) completed the eight teams advancing from Playoffs B.

With Playoffs A and B done, 16 of the 24 NPL Season 9 Group Stage places were already accounted for heading into the final qualifier lobby.

Playoffs C: Points Weren't the Whole Story

Playoffs C closed out qualification for NPL Season 9, and the story wasn't just about who won,it was about who got left out. Crazy X Weirdos topped the lobby with two chicken dinners and 96 total points, ahead of South East (86), Andromeda (67) and Canine Esports (66).

The real drama came below the leaderboard. Athlegame and Microsoft, who finished Day 2 in 5th and 6th, were both ruled ineligible following an official eligibility review, knocking them out of Group Stage contention regardless of their points. That ruling reshuffled the final NPL Season 9 qualifier spots, pulling Vanguard (49), Notinbutrouble (42), Super Nova Esports (41) and Team Oxygen (38) into the eight advancing teams.

Twenty-Four Teams, One Group Stage

With all three Playoffs lobbies complete, the 24 teams heading into the NPL Season 9 Group Stage are: Why So Serious, Chaos Syndicate, Fear Esports, Angels of Death, Team CXLD, Why Esports, Unsullied Army, Vexra, The Saints, Tribe Warriors, 03 Brothers, Afro Esports, Axiom X, Madlads, Report, Team Pride, Crazy X Weirdos, South East, Andromeda, Canine Esports, Vanguard, Notinbutrouble, Super Nova Esports and Team Oxygen.

The Group Stage begins Wednesday, splitting these 24 teams into three groups of eight for a round-robin format that will decide who advances directly to the Finals and who drops to the Last Chance qualifier, the next major test of NPL Season 9.

Catch full match coverage and highlights on the 10N8EPLAY GAMING YouTube channel.