NNL sets November 8 kick-off, approves four-conference format for 2025/26 season

By Dayo Awoniyi

The Nigeria National League (NNL) has confirmed November 8, 2025, as the official kick-off date for the new season, alongside major structural reforms that will reshape the country’s second-tier football competition.

The decisions were reached at the league’s 15th Annual General Meeting (AGM), which held on Tuesday, September 16, 2025, at the Fifth Chukker Resort Limited, Maraban Jos, Kaduna State.

In a communiqué issued at the end of proceedings, the AGM announced that the season will open with a headline clash between Lobi Stars of Makurdi and City FC of Abuja, while other opening round fixtures are scheduled for November 14 and 15 at designated venues.

The league will operate an abridged four-conference format for the new campaign, with the top team in each group earning automatic promotion to the Nigeria Premier Football League.

In a significant policy shift, the Super 8 playoff has been abolished, while a Super 4 tournament will be staged to decide the overall NNL champion. Clubs that fail to honour the Super 4 will forfeit their promotion rights to the next best-placed side in their conference.

The AGM also introduced stricter operational guidelines. Only stadiums that meet approved facility standards will be cleared to host league matches, while clubs are now required to provide insurance cover for players and officials as part of registration.

In addition, only Prostar/NNL-branded match balls will be permitted in league fixtures, with defaulting home teams facing sanctions.

Financial accountability was another key focus, as members approved the audited financial report for the 2024/25 season and adopted the 2025/26 budget as the working document.

Delegates equally praised the ongoing sponsorship negotiations being pursued by the NNL Board, expressing optimism that new partnerships will strengthen the league’s structure and visibility.

The meeting commended Nigeria Football Federation President, Alhaji Ibrahim Musa Gusau, for his leadership and support, and concluded with a vote of confidence in the NNL Board led by Chief George Aluo for its efforts in raising the standards of the league and repositioning it as a critical pillar of Nigerian football.

Samuel Ahmadu

Samuel Ahmadu is a distinguished multimedia journalist and women's football expert with over 15 years of experience in the industry. On the back of domestic engagement since 2008, he began his international career journey at Goal.com in February 2014, where he served as an African women's football correspondent for nearly eight years. During his tenure at Goal.com, Samuel covered major events such as three Women's Africa Cup of Nations (2016, 2018, 2022) and the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup in Canada plus 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. His work at Goal.com earned him widespread acclaim, particularly for his in-depth profiles of African football stars, notably Asisat Oshoala, whose rise he documented from her early years to her breakthrough at the FIFA U20 Women's World Cup in 2014. Prior to his role at Goal.com, Samuel freelanced for various print and broadcast media outlets in Nigeria, including Graphics Newspaper, Radio Nigeria, Grace FM, and Savid Newspaper. His extensive experience and expertise led to his appointment to the Nigeria Football Federation's Standing Committee on Women's Football Development from 2016 to 2018. Since February 2018, Samuel has been the Social Media Manager for Nigeria's women's national teams.In 2019, Samuel joined the Confederation of African Football (CAF) as a women's football content contributor and was promoted to Women's Football Editor in 2021. His contributions to women's football continued as he worked as a Media Consultant for Content Creation and Editorials at the 2022 CAF Women's Champions League. Currently, Samuel also serves as the spokesman for the Nigeria Women Football League, further solidifying his influence and dedication to the growth of women's football in Africa.

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