The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has directed that all state-level finals of the President Federation Cup must be completed this weekend across 35 states and the Federal Capital Territory, warning that failure to comply will attract sanctions, Saturday PUNCH reports.
The directive applies to all states except Lagos, which was granted an exemption after a formal request citing the use of its proposed venue for an official government function.
According to the NFF, the finals are scheduled to take place today and tomorrow, with all state football associations expected to conclude their competitions within the stipulated timeframe ahead of the national stage.
The NFF reiterated that strict compliance is mandatory and warned of financial penalties for defaulting states.
They added that failure to complete fixtures within the approved window would attract sanctions of N1,000,000, adding that adherence is essential to ensure smooth progression of the competition structure.
The state finals form part of the ongoing 2026 President Federation Cup, which is being contested across the country as clubs battle for qualification to the national stage of Nigeria’s oldest football competition.
The competition begins at state level with open participation from grassroots sides through to top-tier clubs, with each state producing two representatives to progress.
At the national phase, a total of 74 teams are expected to advance, with lower-ranked sides competing in preliminary play-offs before joining seeded clubs from the Nigeria Premier Football League and Nigeria National League in the round of 64.
From that stage, the tournament follows a straight knockout format, with matches typically played at neutral venues and decided by penalties if necessary.
The latest directive comes as the Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) has taken a two-week break to allow clubs to fully participate in the state-level Federation Cup matches.
The league, which is approaching its decisive phase, is expected to resume after the conclusion of state finals, with matchday 36 fixtures now scheduled for 3 May and matchday 37 set for 10 May.
The NPFL pause aligns with earlier instructions from the NFF, which had emphasised strict compliance with Federation Cup obligations, including fines for clubs that fail to honour fixtures or withdraw after registration.
The state finals this weekend will determine final representatives for the national competition, which will follow the completion of all state-level ties and subsequent national play-offs.
