The Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) has confirmed that its 2025-2026 season will proceed as scheduled, even as the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) prepares to kick off in Morocco on December 21.
The tournament will run until January 18, 2026, but unlike several other African leagues, Nigeria’s top-flight competition will not pause for the continental championship.
The decision has elicited mixed reactions from players and coaches. Across Africa, many leagues have opted to suspend fixtures during AFCON to accommodate their players’ participation. South Africa, for instance, announced a league break from December 7 to January 23 after a significant number of Premier Soccer League players were named in their national squad.
In Nigeria’s case, five NPFL players were included in the 54-man provisional Super Eagles squad, though it remains unlikely that any will make the final selection.
The players named are Sporting Lagos goalkeeper Ebenezer Harcourt, strikers Abdulrasheed Shehu (Niger Tornadoes), Ekeson Okorie (Nasarawa United), Chisom Orji (Warri Wolves), and Abia Warriors defender Adekunle Adeleke.
“The mid-season remains as captured in the fixtures, and the league will run as already published in the fixtures, except there is a compelling force majeure,” NPFL spokesperson Harry Iwuala told Punch.
The official schedule shows a brief one-week break from December 30, 2025, to January 6, 2026, while the mid-season transfer window will open from January 1 to January 30. The league is expected to end on May 24, 2026.
Currently, the NPFL is in week 16, with Nasarawa United topping the table on 30 points, closely followed by Ikorodu City with 28 points. Rivers United sit third with 27 points, though they have two games in hand.
Reigning champions Remo Stars occupy a mid-table position with 22 points, while former champions Kano Pillars surprisingly languish at the bottom with just 12 points.
