The Nigeria National League (NNL) has announced major reforms to its competition structure, ending the long-standing Super 8 play-off in favour of a new Super 4 format.
The landmark decision came at the league’s 16th Annual General Meeting (AGM), held at the 5th Chukker Resort, Maraban Jos, Kaduna State.
NNL shifts away from Super 8 tradition
In a communiqué released after the meeting, the NNL confirmed that the 2025/2026 season will begin with a star match on 8 November, followed by Week One fixtures from 14 to 16 November at selected venues across the country.
The new abridged format will split the league into four conferences — A, B, C and D.
The winner of each conference will secure automatic promotion to the Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL). With this change, the Super 8 play-off has officially been scrapped.
To crown an overall champion, the league will now stage a Super 4 competition at the end of the campaign.
Promotion comes with responsibility: any club gaining an NPFL slot but refusing to compete in the Super 4 will lose its promotion rights, which will then pass to the second-placed team in that conference.
New regulations to raise standards
Beyond the competition format, the AGM also introduced stricter regulations aimed at improving professionalism across the NNL. Key resolutions include:
Facility compliance: Only stadiums that meet approved NNL facility standards will host matches.
Player welfare: Clubs must submit valid insurance cover for both players and officials during registration.
Official match balls: Only Prostar/NNL-branded balls will be allowed. Failure by home teams to provide these will attract sanctions.
Financial accountability: The AGM approved the league’s 2024/2025 financial and audited reports, alongside the 2025/2026 budget.
The AGM also expressed appreciation to Kaduna State Governor Uba Sani for hosting the event and commended Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) President Ibrahim Gusau and his board for their ongoing support.
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