The Nigeria Premier Football League has been put on hold for two weeks to allow clubs participate in the ongoing President Federation Cup at state level.
The PUNCH gathered that the temporary break will enable teams fulfil their obligations in the country’s domestic competition, with league action set to resume after the conclusion of state Federation Cup ties.
The pause comes as the 2026 edition of the tournament progresses across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory, where clubs are competing to secure qualification for the national stage.
The state preliminaries, which began in March, are scheduled to end with the finals on either April 26, after which representatives will be confirmed.
According to the revised NPFL calendar, matchday 36 fixtures will now be played on May 3, while matchday 37 matches are slated for May 10 as the season approaches its decisive phase.
The decision follows earlier directives from the Nigeria Football Federation, which emphasised strict compliance with Federation Cup fixtures.
The NFF had warned that clubs that fail to honour matches at the national preliminary stage would face a fine of N1m, while those who withdraw after completing state registration risk a penalty of N500,000.
The Federation Cup, Nigeria’s oldest football competition, begins with open entry at state level, allowing participation from grassroots teams to top-flight clubs.
Each state produces two representatives, the winner and runner-up, for a total of 74 teams to advance to the national competition.
At the national stage, lower-ranked teams contest preliminary play-offs before joining seeded sides from the NPFL and Nigeria National League in the round of 64.
From that stage, the competition follows a straight knockout format played largely at neutral venues, with tied matches decided by penalties to reduce fixture congestion.
(Punch)
