Beginning with the 2026/27 season, winners of the Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) will receive a record cash prize of N1 billion, while the runners-up will earn N500 million and the third-placed team will take home N300 million, Completesports.com reports.
Alhaji Shehu Dikko, Executive Chairman of the National Sports Commission (NSC), disclosed the massive financial boost following a meeting between the NSC and the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) on Tuesday in Abuja.
For the first time in history, winners of Nigeria’s top-flight league received N200 million at the end of the 2025/26 NPFL season.
Mallam Shehu Dikko, a former Chairman of the League Management Company (LMC), which later evolved into the Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL), said the increase in prize money forms part of a broader agreement and strategic policy direction aimed at elevating Nigerian football to a new level.
NPFL Prize Money To Rise To N2.5bn
He revealed that, with the Commission’s expected intervention, the total prize pool for the 2026/27 NPFL season will rise to N2.5 billion, with the champions receiving N1 billion, while the second and third-placed teams will earn N500 million and N300 million respectively.
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Dikko further disclosed that all participating clubs will receive graded prize money based on their final positions on the league table.
According to him, the initiative is designed to encourage greater professionalism among clubs and strengthen sponsorship opportunities for the country’s elite football league.
“Beyond the prize monies, we have agreed to put structures in place that will ensure that the least a player will earn in the league going forward is N2 million,” the NSC boss said.
“This salary cap may not commence this coming season, but in subsequent seasons that should be the target.”
“What we are doing is in tandem with the Renewed Hope and Shared Prosperity disposition of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR. The President wants the league to be one of the best on the continent. We are only his foot soldiers.
“We have agreed at this meeting to work in this direction to deliver on this vision in tandem with the RHINSE framework. We are ready to intervene directly to ensure a proper reset of the league.”
Club Licensing Regulations To Be Enforced More Strictly
The former league boss recalled that under Nigeria’s club licensing regulations, clubs are expected to satisfy six minimum criteria: sporting, infrastructure, personnel, legal, financial, and business development requirements before being licensed.
“The league is the foundation of our football. We have agreed at this meeting to be stricter with the club licensing regulations.
“If only ten clubs are qualified to play in the league, so be it. Club licensing is all about infrastructure, youth development, financial management, corporate structures and other requirements that ensure the proper running of a professional league, such as appropriate player remuneration, a sound financial base and a solid foundation capable of attracting private-sector investment.
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“With what we are committed to putting in place, clubs should be able to meet these conditions with proper focus,” Dikko reiterated.
NPFL Set For Television Return
Another significant decision reached at the meeting was the need to bring the NPFL back to television screens across the country.
“The league has to be on television. There is a budget line under the NSC budget to support and drive this objective, and we are not paying mere lip service to it.
“We are going to support the production of content, not just for the league but for other sports as well.
“You have to control the production so that you can have a quality product to sell to broadcasters,” Dikko stated.
The meeting, held at the NSC Headquarters, was attended by NSC Chairman Mallam Shehu Dikko, Director-General Hon. Bukola Olopade, NFF President Alhaji Ibrahim Gusau, NFF General Secretary Mohammed Sanusi, league representative Nasiru Saidu, and the Special Adviser to the NSC Chairman and former NFF General Secretary, Barr. Musa Amadu.
Eric Chelle Gets Improved Contract Terms
The stakeholders had earlier met with Super Eagles Head Coach Eric Chelle, where they reached an agreement on improved contractual terms for the senior national team’s technical crew.
“We engaged with Eric Chelle and settled on improved terms for the coach and his staff. We are going to increase his take-home package and assume responsibility for his support staff.
“We have also agreed that Eric and his staff will take charge of the U-23 national team because we are building a team for the future.
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“We want to put in place a team that will excel at the 2027 AFCON, the 2028 Olympic Games, the 2030 FIFA World Cup and future AFCON tournaments. The U-23 team should serve as the foundation, and Eric’s involvement will ensure seamless transitions.
“The issue is that we have learnt from the mistakes of the past and want to use those lessons to take Nigerian football to greater heights. We want to begin infusing younger players into the team,” Dikko explained.
Women’s Football Also Set For Major Boost
The financial intervention will also extend to women’s football, according to the NSC Chairman.
“We will provide the necessary support for the Super Falcons to retain the WAFCON title. Also, the NSC and NFF have collaborated to establish a committee that will raise funds for the women’s game.
“In subsequent meetings, we will engage stakeholders in women’s football and take far-reaching decisions regarding the women’s league.”
