September 26, (THEWILL) – The much-anticipated 2023/2024 Nigeria Premier League (NPL) season is finally set to commence this weekend after a tumultuous lead-up involving multiple postponements. The NPL board confirmed the September 30 kickoff date in an official announcement to the 20 participating clubs.
The upcoming NPL campaign marks the culmination of a disruptive period that saw the original August 26 start date pushed back to September 9 before settling on the end of the month. Defending champions Enyimba will be seeking to add to their record haul of 9 NPL titles when action gets underway.
Some matches on the opening weekend will be placed on hold due to continental fixtures. Both Bendel Insurance and Rivers United have CAF Confederation Cup commitments that take precedence. As a result, Enyimba’s clash with Bendel Insurance and Rivers United’s meeting with Remo Stars will be rescheduled.
The NPFL board has sought to incentivise clubs this season, with the league winners set to collect a N150 million prize. Each club will also receive a N20 million take-off grant to aid preparations, an uptick from the N10 million offered at the start of last season’s abridged campaign.
Fans will be eager to see the innovative AI cameras make their debut and to watch if any team can dethrone Enyimba to claim the lucrative top prize. The Aba Elephants cemented their status as Nigeria’s most successful club last term by winning the title play-off tournament.
The full matchday one fixtures will include:
Bayelsa United versus Akwa United
Shooting Stars versus Plateau United
Abia Warriors versus Niger Tornadoes
Enyimba Int’l versus Bendel Insurance
Rivers United versus Remo Stars
Katsina United versus Kwara United
Sunshine Stars versus Kano Pillars
Heartland versus Lobi Stars
Sporting Lagos versus Gombe United
Rangers United versus Doma United
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
