The Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) has provisionally fixed August 27 to 29, 2026, as the kickoff date for the 2026/27 season, while increasing the champions’ prize money to a record ₦1 billion.
The decision followed a stakeholders’ meeting involving the National Sports Commission (NSC), the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), league organisers and club owners in Abuja.
Under the approved domestic football calendar, the new campaign is expected to end on May 28, 2027, with the schedule also accommodating fixtures for the President Federation Cup as authorities seek to establish a more organised and predictable football calendar.
A major highlight of the new season is the record prize money for the league winners. Announcing the development, NSC Chairman Shehu Dikko said the ₦1 billion reward is the biggest champions’ prize ever offered in Nigerian football.
According to officials, the increased prize fund forms part of broader reforms aimed at making the NPFL more commercially attractive, boosting competition among clubs and drawing greater private-sector investment into the domestic league.
The 2026/27 season will also welcome four newly promoted clubs from the Nigeria National League (NNL). Sporting Lagos, Inter Lagos, Ranchers Bees and Doma United secured promotion after the conclusion of the 2025/26 NNL season and will replace the four relegated NPFL clubs.
They will compete alongside defending champions Enugu Rangers, who claimed their ninth league title after finishing top of the table in the 2025/26 campaign.
League authorities say the calendar restructuring and financial reforms are expected to strengthen Nigeria’s domestic football ecosystem while improving the quality, competitiveness and long-term sustainability of the NPFL.
