The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has warned clubs to fully comply with its club licensing regulations ahead of the 2026/27 season, stressing that the rules will be strictly enforced.
The decision was announced during the NFF Executive Committee meeting held in Asaba, Delta State, last weekend. During the meeting, the federation welcomed the National Sports Commission’s (NSC) commitment to support the enforcement of the regulations as part of ongoing efforts to reform and strengthen Nigerian football.
“The Executive Committee hailed the pronouncement by the National Sports Commission that it is ready to provide full support to the NFF for the strict enforcement of the club licensing regulations, and to shun any attempt by any club to circumvent any of the provisions in the regulations.”
The NSC Director-General, Bukola Olopade, said the Commission is determined to transform the country’s domestic league.
“We are determined to reform the league. We are going to reform the league. With President Bola Tinubu and the private sector, the funding that we are enjoying now has never been in the history of Nigerian sports,” Olopade said.
“We can reform our football through the league. If we get the league right, we get the national teams right and we get football administration structures put in place.”
Olopade added that the Commission could no longer accept the trend of professional players leaving the Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) for lower-ranked leagues abroad in search of slightly better wages.
“We cannot continue to see our players leave Nigeria for leagues in countries like Benin Republic and Vietnam to earn as little as 800 dollars. We must build a professional league that provides the right environment for players to develop and thrive,” he said.
Last month, NSC Chairman Shehu Dikko announced a major increase in prize money for the 2026/27 NPFL season as part of the Commission’s reform agenda. The league champions will receive N1 billion, while the runners-up and third-placed team will earn N500 million and N300 million, respectively.
Dikko also revealed plans to improve players’ welfare by raising the minimum salary in the league to at least N150,000, with a long-term target of N2 million per month for top professionals as the league moves towards higher standards.
The Commission also unveiled a total prize pool of N2.5 billion for the 2026/27 NPFL season, describing it as part of a broader strategy to make the league more competitive and financially attractive.
Enugu Rangers won the 2025/26 NPFL title after edging Rivers United in a closely contested race that went down to the final day of the season. The Flying Antelopes equalled Enyimba’s record of nine league titles and received N200 million for their championship victory.
