The Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) has been paused for two weeks to allow clubs take part in the ongoing President Federation Cup state preliminaries.

The break gives teams time to meet domestic cup commitments, with league fixtures set to resume once state-level ties are concluded.

Matches across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory are already underway as clubs battle for places in the national competition. The state preliminaries began in March and will conclude with finals scheduled for April 26, when the representatives for the next round will be confirmed.

Under the revised league calendar, matchday 36 fixtures will now take place on May 3, while matchday 37 is fixed for May 10 as the season moves towards its closing stretch.

The decision follows earlier directives from the Nigeria Football Federation, which insisted on strict compliance with Federation Cup fixtures.

The federation has warned that clubs failing to honour matches at the national preliminary stage will face a fine of ₦1 million. Teams that withdraw after completing state registration risk a penalty of ₦500,000.

Nigeria’s oldest football competition begins with open entry at state level, giving grassroots teams the chance to compete alongside top-flight sides. Each state produces two representatives, the winner and runner-up, creating a 74-team field for the national stage.

Once the competition moves nationwide, lower-ranked teams will play preliminary play-offs before joining seeded clubs from the NPFL and the Nigeria National League in the round of 64.

From that stage, the tournament follows a straight knockout format played largely at neutral venues, with drawn matches settled by penalties to ease fixture congestion and keep the schedule on track.