The winners of the 2026/27 Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) season will get a minimum of ₦1 billion, and this is the biggest prize ever given in Nigerian domestic football, following a series of far-reaching reforms unveiled by the National Sports Commission (NSC) and the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF).
On Tuesday NSC Chairman Shehu Dikko announced this when he met with the NSC leaders and NFF at the NSC office in Abuja.
Mr Dikko said this is part of a plan to make Nigerian football better, which includes taking care of players having stricter rules and making the league more valuable.
The team that comes second in the NPFL will get ₦500 million, and the team that comes third will get ₦300 million. Meanwhile, the league leaders still need to confirm these amounts. The NPFL season prize money has now increased, so the NPFL winners will get, ₦1 billion, and this development will help the NPFL grow.
“A major highlight of the meeting was that the champions of the 2026/27 NPFL season will receive a minimum prize money of ₦1 billion,” Mr Dikko said.
National Sports Commission Chairman, Shehu Dikko added that the reforms reflected a shared commitment between the NSC and NFF to elevate Nigerian football and ensure sustainable success across all levels of the game.
“I want to thank NFF President Ibrahim Gusau and the General Secretary, Dr Mohammed Sanusi, for a very productive engagement. The issues discussed are fundamental to the growth and development of Nigerian football,” Dikko stated.
Beyond prize money, stakeholders agreed that club licensing regulations would be strictly enforced, with clubs expected to meet maximum professional standards rather than merely satisfy minimum requirements.
“Professional football must be run professionally. If strict enforcement means fewer clubs qualify initially, then so be it. What is important is raising standards across the board,” Mr Dikko added.
To support the reforms the NSC and league authorities also agreed on a plan to fix infrastructure make governance better and ensure compliance across the league.
Major outcome of the meeting was the approval of a proposed minimum wage of ₦2 million, for NPFL players. This move is meant to improve player welfare,but also aims to encourage professionalism. The goal is to strengthen the football ecosystem with these changes.
NPFL Champions to Earn ₦1bn as NSC, NFF Unveil Landmark Reforms
