2026/27 NPFL: NSC To Fund ₦1bn Prize For Champions, Elegbeleye Clarifies

2026/27 NPFL: NSC To Fund ₦1bn Prize For Champions, Elegbeleye Clarifies

By Niyi Busari 

Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) Chairman Gbenga Elegbeleye has clarified that the league’s existing ₦200 million prize money will remain unchanged, with the newly announced ₦1 billion prize for the 2026/27 champions expected to be funded by the National Sports Commission (NSC), BSNSports.com.ng reports.

Elegbeleye made the clarification during the NPFL’s 2025/26 Annual General Meeting in Ibadan, following the announcement of the proposed new prize structure by NSC Chairman Shehu Dikko.

“We are not the ones to pay the ₦1 billion prize money. Our own remains ₦200 million. It is the NSC that will pay,” Elegbeleye said.

Dikko had announced in June, in Abuja, that the winner of the 2026/27 NPFL season would receive a minimum prize of ₦1 billion.

“The champions of the 2026/27 NPFL season will receive a minimum prize money of ₦1 billion,” Dikko said.

He added that the runners-up would receive ₦500 million, while the third-placed team would earn ₦300 million, subject to official confirmation by the league authorities.

According to Dikko, the proposed prize structure is part of the NSC’s broader strategy to increase the commercial value of the domestic league, promote professionalism and make the NPFL more competitive.

Elegbeleye’s clarification indicates that the league’s existing ₦200 million prize commitment remains in place, while the proposed ₦1 billion championship award would come separately from the NSC.

If formally implemented, the new funding arrangement could substantially increase the financial rewards attached to success in the 2026/27 NPFL season and raise the stakes for clubs competing for the title.