NNL abolishes Super Eight playoff, picks Nov. 8 for season kickoff

The Nigerian National League (NNL), which is the second tier of the country’s football league, has abolished the Super Eight playoff, which, hitherto, was used to determine promoted teams to the elite Nigerian Premier Football League (NPFL).

The NNL has also approved November 8 as the kickoff date for the 2025/2026 season, ruling that only the star match will be held on the opening day, while the other games will be played on November 14, 15, and 16, respectively, at the various venues.

Rising from its 16th yearly general meeting in Kaduna, yesterday, the NNL adopted an abridged league format of four conferences of Conference A, Conference B, Conference C and Conference D for the 2025/2026 League season.

In a communiqué issued after the meeting, the NNL said: “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.”

However, the meeting agreed on a Super Four competition to be held at the end of the season to determine the overall winner of the league.

It warned, however, that “any of the four clubs that fail to participate in the Super Four competition shall automatically relinquish their promotion status to the second club on the table of such conference.”

The league body also ruled that only stadia that meet the required NNL stadium facilities criteria would be approved for the 2025/2026 season, adding that as part of the registration criteria for the new season, clubs must submit to its secretariat a copy of the insurance cover for their players and officials.

The meeting, which passed a vote of confidence on the NNL leadership, commended the various sponsorship moves by the league’s board to continue to improve the standard of the League.

On the match ball for the season, it warned that only Prostar/NNL-branded balls are approved for the 2025/2026 league season, warning that any home team that fails to provide the official match ball would be sanctioned.

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