NNL To Relegate 10 Teams As League Restructures For 2025/26 Season Takes Effect

NNL To Relegate 10 Teams As League Restructures For 2025/26 Season Takes Effect 

By Niyi Busari 

The Nigeria National League (NNL) has announced significant structural changes for the 2025/2026 season, including a revised promotion and relegation format aimed at reducing the number of participating clubs, BSNSports.com.ng reports.

Under the new structure approved at the league’s Annual General Meeting (AGM), the competition will be organised into four conferences—A, B, C and D.

As part of the restructuring, a total of 10 teams will be relegated to the Nationwide League One (NLO) at the end of the season.

The relegation system will vary by conference. In Conferences A and B, the bottom three teams in each group will drop to the NLO. Meanwhile, in Conferences C and D, the bottom two teams from each group will be relegated.

The promotion format has also been revised. The top team from each conference will secure automatic promotion to the Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL). This change eliminates the previously used Super 8 play-off tournament, which had determined promotion in recent seasons.

According to league officials, the reforms are designed to streamline the competition and reduce the overall number of teams. The long-term objective is to establish a more balanced structure consisting of two groups of 16 teams each beginning in the following campaign.

The changes mark one of the most significant overhauls of the NNL format in recent years as organisers seek to improve competitiveness and administrative efficiency within Nigeria’s second-tier football league.