The Nigeria National League (NNL) has taken a major step toward reshaping its structure by abolishing playoffs as the pathway to the Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL).
From the upcoming 2025/26 season, only the winners of the four conference groups will secure promotion from the NNL to the NPFL.
The decision was confirmed during the NNL Annual General Assembly held on Tuesday. In a statement released on Wednesday, the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) also revealed the new season will begin on Saturday, November 8, with an opening star match.
Other fixtures from the first round will follow a week later, between November 14 and 16, across different venues in the country.
“The NNL Annual General Meeting approved Saturday, November 8, 2025, as the kick-off date for the 2025/2026 NNL League season with a star match only. However, other week one league matches are to be played on November 14, 15, and 16, respectively at various venues,” the statement read.
The federation explained that the league will now adopt an abridged structure made up of four conferences: A, B, C, and D. Unlike previous seasons where a Super 8 tournament decided promotion, the new format will reward only the teams that finish top of each group.
“The AGM abolished Super 8 competition as the final stage to determine promotion of four clubs to the NPFL. Henceforth, clubs that come top in each of the four conferences shall be promoted to the NPFL,” the NFF added.
To crown an overall champion, the four promoted clubs will contest in a mandatory Super Four tournament. Participation is not optional, as the federation made clear that any club refusing to play will lose its promotion slot to the second-placed side from its conference.
“Any of the four clubs that fail to participate in the Super 4 competition shall automatically relinquish their promotion status to the second club on the table of such conference,” the statement warned.
Below is the NNL’s 2025-2026 Grouping:
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