In order to provide teams time to participate in the current President Federation Cup state preliminary round, the Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) has been suspended for two weeks.
League games will resume when state-level ties are finished, giving teams time to fulfill domestic cup obligations.
As teams compete for spots in the national championship, games are already taking place in all 36 states as well as the Federal Capital Territory. The state preliminary round started in March and will end on April 26 with the confirmation of the representatives for the following round.
As the season approaches its final stretch, matchday 36 will now take place on May 3 according to the updated league schedule, while matchday 37 is scheduled for May 10.
The Nigeria Football Federation’s previous directions, which demanded rigorous adherence to Federation Cup schedules, were followed by the decision.
According to Naija News, clubs which fail to honor matches during the national preliminary stage would be fined ₦1 million by the federation. After completing state registration, teams who withdraw run the danger of being fined ₦500,000.
The oldest football competition in Nigeria starts with open admission at the state level, allowing amateur teams to play against elite teams. There are 74 teams competing at the national level, with two representatives from each state—the winner and the runner-up.
Lower-ranked teams will compete in preliminary play-offs once the competition goes countrywide, and then they will join seeded teams from the Nigeria National League and the NPFL in the round of 64.
After then, the competition is played mostly at neutral locations using a straight knockout system. To reduce fixture congestion and maintain schedule consistency, drawn matches are decided by penalties.
