The Nigerian football league system is a series of interconnected leagues for

association football Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...

clubs in

Nigeria Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...

. It is made up of the top-most league, the

Nigeria Premier League The Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) is the highest level of the Nigerian football league system, for the Nigerian club-football championships. The Nigerian league has suffered, like many others, from the financial impact and dwind ...

, then the

Nigeria National League The Nigerian National League (formerly known as ''National Division 1'') is the second tier of club football in Nigeria. History From 1997-2011, the league has been split into 1A for Northern teams and 1B for southern teams. The top two f ...

which is divided into two groups, followed by the

Nigeria Nationwide League National Nationwide League Division One (formerly known as Nigerian Amateur League) is the third level of club football in Nigeria. Every year, up to eight teams are promoted to the Professional Division One. Starting in 2012, the league changed ...

of 300 clubs which is divided hierarchically into the Nigeria Nationwide League Division One, the Nigeria Nationwide League Division Two and the Nigeria Nationwide League Division Three consisting competitions divided in

geographical Geography (from Greek: , ''geographia''. Combination of Greek words ‘Geo’ (The Earth) and ‘Graphien’ (to describe), literally "earth description") is a field of science devoted to the study of the lands, features, inhabitants, and ...

zones with the Division One and Two having 4 zones and 8 in Division Three. Promotion and relegation from Nigeria Nationwide League Division Three is done with local and state amateur leagues considered as Non-League football and is requered for the promoted clubs to maintain their registration in their leagues to participate at the Division Three, remaining the originally relegated teams despite their stands on the League table if this requirement is not fulfilled.

Structure

References

Football in Nigeria Football leagues in Nigeria

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