Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) Chairman Gbenga Elegbeleye has clarified that the league’s existing ?200 million prize money will remain in place, while the proposed ?1 billion reward for the 2026/27 champions will be funded by the National Sports Commission (NSC), NigeriaSoccernet.com reports.
Elegbeleye made the clarification during the NPFL’s 2025/26 Annual General Meeting in Ibadan, following the announcement of the 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 that the champions of the 2026/27 NPFL season would receive a minimum prize of ?1 billion.
Under the proposed structure, the runners-up are expected to receive ?500 million, while the third-placed team would earn ?300 million, although the figures remain subject to formal confirmation by the league authorities.
According to Dikko, the proposed financial package is part of the NSC’s efforts to increase the commercial value of the domestic league, encourage professionalism and make the NPFL more competitive.
Elegbeleye’s comments make it clear that the league’s existing ?200 million championship prize will not be replaced. Instead, the proposed NSC-backed ?1 billion award would come as a separate financial commitment.
If implemented as announced, the arrangement would significantly increase the financial rewards available to clubs competing for the NPFL title in the 2026/27 season and could further raise the commercial stakes of the domestic campaign.