The Nigeria National League (NNL) will commence its 2025/2026 season on November 8 with major structural changes agreed by club owners at the Annual General Meeting (AGM) held in Kaduna on Tuesday, 16 September.
At the meeting, the Super 8 playoff was unanimously abolished. In its place, the four group winners across the Southern and Northern Conferences will automatically gain promotion to the Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL).
The quartet will then contest a Super 4 tournament to determine the overall NNL champions.
In another key decision, relegation rules were adjusted to balance the 36 participating teams.
Three clubs will drop from Group A and Group B, which each contain 10 sides, while two teams will be relegated from Group C and Group D, which feature eight teams each.
The new format means the league will run with two fewer teams than last season.
The 2025/26 campaign will see 36 clubs divided into four groups:
Southern Conference A: Abia Comets, Beyond Limits, Crown, Edel, E-World United, Inter Lagos, Sunshine Stars, Heartland, Godswill Akpabio United, Smart City.
Southern Conference B: Akwa United, Abakaliki, Ekiti United, Dakkada, Sporting Lagos, Osun United, First Bank, Stormers, Rovers, Solution.
Northern Conference C: ABS, FC Basira, Doma United, Lobi Stars, City FC, Kada City, Mighty Jets, Sokoto United.
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Northern Conference D: Bichi First, Jigawa GS, Ranchers Bees, Adamawa United, Sporting Supreme, Gombe United, Kebbi United, Yobe Desert Stars.
Former Nigeria Premier Football League champions Akwa United have been drawn in Southern Conference B and will open their campaign at home to Solution FC.
The Promise Keepers, now under chairman Joseph Eno and coach Paul Offor, will aim for an immediate top-flight return.
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The coming season is expected to provide fierce competition as clubs chase one of only four promotion places available.
