The 1970s Enugu Rangers won a nationally organized tournament in 1970 which allowed them to qualify for the
1971 African Cup of Champions Clubs. Rangers lost in the quarterfinal 0–3 on aggregate to
ASEC Mimosas. In the same year, they almost achieved domestic success in the Nigerian FA Cup as well, but lost the final 2–1 to
Shooting Stars F.C. After winning the 1974 double, including a 2–0 cup final win over
Mighty Jets, the Enugu players were given cars and promotions at the Nigerian Sports Council. Rangers lost the
1975 African Cup of Champions Clubs to Guinea's
Hafia FC, earning left-back Silvanus Okpala the nickname "Hafia" for his poor play in the final. Enugu had overturned a 3–1 defeat in Egypt in the semifinal to qualify for the final. Founding Ranger Ernest Ufele retired after the defeat. faced
ASF Police of Dakar in the quarterfinals. Held to a goalless draw at home, Rangers took the lead twenty minutes into the second half of the away leg, silencing the Senegal stadium, and eventually winning the match 2–1. After the game ended, team members were physically assaulted by Senegalese fans, according to Nigerian press reports, and three were stabbed. A military plane was flown to Dakar to evacuate the victors. Rangers would go on to defeat Canon Yaounde 5–2 on aggregate in the final, including a 4–1 win on Nigerian soil. During this time period, Rangers boasted a number of Nigerian national team players such as
Christian Chukwu, goalkeeper
Emmanuel Okala Aloysius Atuegbu and
Luke Jaz Bucana Okpala. Rangers won their sixth title in 1984 with a number of players who had led Nigeria to the
1980 African Cup of Nations. Louis Igwilo captained the team. The Rangers team of the 1980s included Charles Okonkwo, Ikechukwu Ofoje, Benjamin Okaro, Ifeanyi Onyedika, Benedict Ugwu, Kingsley Onye, Kenneth Boardman, Sylvanus Okpala, Ibezim Ofoedu, Gabriel Okonkwo, Emeka Akabueze,
The 1990s: lean years Rangers joined the new fully professional league in 1990 and made cup final that year, losing to
Stationery Stores on 5–4 on penalty kicks. They would not make another cup final appearance in the decade, and sadly their best league finish was third place in 1998.
The 2000s Rangers topped the table after the 2001 home and away season but finished bottom of the four-team championship playoff group. Enugu Rangers made the group stage of the
2004 CAF Confederation Cup and missed out on winning the group and making the final after losing a head-to-head tiebreaker to Asante Kotoko. Rangers drew 0–0 against Angola's
Petro de Luanda and celebrated, thinking they had advanced on goal difference, but the first tiebreaker was head-to-head. In the 2005 season, Rangers finished as Runners-up in the league, five points off eventual champions Enyimba. In 2008–09, they played some games in nearby
Abakaliki and
Nnewi as their stadium was renovated for the
2009 FIFA U-17 World Cup. Before the season started, Enugu State governor
Sullivan Chime paid the backlog of sign-on fees dating to three years ago and all other debts owed the players. In November 2008, Rangers became the first Nigerian club side to be a public company and sell ownership stock. However the deal fell through, and the club began the 2009 season in debt. The club is currently owned by the state government. Enugu did begin a 12-year run of success in a minor trophy, the local state FA Cup, which they won every year from 2005 to 2017.
2016–current: Success again After a 2015 season which nearly saw them relegated, Enugu won the 2016 Nigeria Premier League, their first championship since 1982. Their closest challengers
Rivers United needed Enugu to lose on the final day of the season, but Rangers won their game against
El-Kanemi Warriors 4–0 to win the championship. 2017 saw Enugu struggle, dropping into the relegation zone halfway through the season. Rangers stunned
Kano Pillars, coming back from a 3–0 deficit to win the trophy on penalties.
Ajani Ibrahim scored on a diving header two minutes into stoppage time to tie the game 3–3. Rangers played in the final five times from 1987 to 2007, never winning once. On matchday 35 of the 2023-24 edition of the NPFL, 44,000 people showed up for a game between Rangers International and rivals
Enyimba FC at the
Nnamdi Azikiwe Stadium, the best-attended match in the NPFL during that football season. On 16th June 2024 under coach Fidelis Ilechukwu, Rangers won the 2023/2024 NPFL championship title after defeating Bendel Insurance by 2-0 with a game to play, this extended their league title wins to 8. Their success has been extended to other national trophies and championship. They have won 5 times between the year 1974 - 1983. ==Crest==