The Nigeria Premier Football League has confirmed its 2025/26 campaign will conclude on Sunday, May 24, with the league running its schedule exactly as mapped out at the start of the season.
The NPFL will stick to its original calendar and wrap up the 2025/26 season on May 24, 2026, the league’s management confirmed on Wednesday. Clubs are observing a break this weekend for the NFF President Cup window, one of several pauses built into the schedule from the very beginning of the campaign.
Chief Operating Officer Davidson Owumi explained that careful pre-season planning with the NFF Competitions Department was the key to keeping the calendar on track. “We synergised with the NFF Competitions Department at the start of the season to create windows for the Federation Cup,” Owumi told NPFL Media. Bettors who want to follow the title race and relegation battle all the way to the final day can take advantage of the latest Bet9ja promotion code to get started.
Fixture Schedule for the Run-In
The remaining schedule is now clear: Matchday 36 is set for May 3, Matchday 37 for May 10, followed by another President Federation Cup window on May 16 and 17. The season’s final round of fixtures will then be played on Sunday, May 24.
Owumi credited the clubs for their cooperation in maintaining what he described as “fixture fidelity,” noting that past seasons were marked by disruptive rescheduling that undermined competition integrity. Fans who want to place bets on the NPFL’s promotion and relegation outcomes can check out the Bet9ja referral code for a fresh account bonus.
What’s at Stake in the Final Weeks
With the title race, continental spots, and relegation places all undecided, the run-in promises to be compelling across multiple fronts. Several clubs are separated by just a handful of points in both the top four and the bottom four, meaning every result between now and May 24 will carry significant weight.
The structured calendar also matters for clubs involved in NFF cup competitions, who can now plan their double fixture weeks without surprises. Nigerian football followers can track every result and use the YOHAIG Bet9ja promotion code ahead of the defining final matches of the season.
📌 Did You Know?
- The 2025/26 NPFL season is the third consecutive campaign in which the league has attempted to finish before June 1, a target set following years of drawn-out finales that ran into the following season’s preparation window.
- Davidson Owumi, the NPFL COO, previously served in administrative roles at the Lagos State Sports Commission before joining the league’s management structure.
- The NFF President Cup is distinct from the Aiteo Cup (formerly known as the Federation Cup), with the President Cup specifically targeting lower-division and amateur clubs across Nigeria.
- The NPFL has 20 clubs competing in the 2025/26 season, meaning a full round of fixtures involves 10 matches played across a single matchday weekend.
- Past NPFL seasons have finished as late as August in some years, creating a compressed pre-season window that coaches consistently identified as a major factor in slow starts to campaigns.
- Sunday matchdays for the final round of the NPFL season have become a tradition in Nigerian football, echoing the “Decision Day” format popularised by the English Premier League.
- Kano Pillars, one of the NPFL’s most decorated clubs with five titles, were recently fined N15 million by the league for misconduct, adding financial pressure to their push to avoid relegation.
