The Nigeria Premier Football League has been placed on a two-week break to allow clubs participate in the ongoing President Federation Cup state preliminaries.
The temporary suspension is aimed at ensuring teams fulfil their domestic cup obligations, with league action expected to resume after the completion of state-level matches.
Across all 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory, preliminary fixtures are already in progress as clubs compete for qualification spots in the national phase of the competition. The state series, which began in March, is scheduled to end on April 26 when representatives for the next round will be confirmed.
With the revised schedule, Matchday 36 of the NPFL will now be played on May 3, while Matchday 37 is fixed for May 10 as the season enters its final stages.
The adjustment follows directives from the Nigeria Football Federation, which has insisted that clubs must fully comply with Federation Cup fixtures. Teams that fail to honour matches at the national preliminaries face a ₦1 million fine, while those that withdraw after registration risk a ₦500,000 penalty.
Nigeria’s oldest football competition begins at the state level, where clubs from grassroots and top-flight divisions compete for two qualification slots per state. This produces a 74-team lineup for the national stage, consisting of state winners and runners-up.
At the national level, lower-ranked teams go through preliminary play-offs before joining seeded NPFL and Nigeria National League sides in the Round of 64. From that point, the tournament follows a knockout format, with matches often decided on penalties to manage scheduling and avoid fixture congestion.
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