Kwara United defend title as NFF releases President Federation Cup 2026 schedule

The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has confirmed that the preliminary rounds of the 2026 President Federation Cup will begin later this month, Afrik-Foot reports.

The announcement was made by the federation’s Director of Competitions, Ruth David, who revealed that the state qualifying rounds of Nigeria’s oldest football competition will run from 22 March to 26 April.

According to the NFF, all states and the Federal Capital Territory will organise their preliminary matches during this period to determine the teams that will represent them at the national stage of the tournament.

The football body also warned clubs to take their fixtures seriously. Any team that fails to honour a match in the national preliminary stage will be fined ₦1 million, while a club that completes registration at the state level but does not show up for a scheduled game will be required to pay a ₦500,000 penalty.

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Officials further confirmed that state finals must be played on either Saturday, 25 April, or Sunday, 26 April. After those matches, football associations across the country are expected to submit the names of their two finalists to the NFF for entry into the national competition.

The timetable announcement has drawn some criticism from stakeholders in Nigerian football, with many pointing out that the competition has often struggled with delays in recent years.

In last year’s edition, Kwara United lifted the men’s trophy after defeating Abakaliki FC in the final, while Rivers Angels came from behind to beat Nasarawa Amazons in the women’s final.

President Federation Cup: A rich history in Nigerian football

The President Federation Cup is Nigeria’s main knockout football competition, bringing together 74 teams from the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory. It is widely regarded as the Nigerian equivalent of famous domestic cups such as the FA Cup in England and the Coupe de France.

The tournament dates back to 1945, when it was first introduced as the Governor’s Cup. It replaced the earlier War Memorial Challenge Cup, which had been restricted to clubs based in Lagos.In its early years, teams from Lagos dominated the competition. Over time, the tournament evolved and was renamed several times, including the Nigeria FA Cup (1954–1959) and the Nigeria Challenge Cup (1960–1998).

Corporate sponsorship later changed the competition’s identity again. It was known as the Coca-Cola FA Cup from 1999 to 2008, before becoming the Nigeria Federation Cup between 2009 and 2016. From 2017 to 2022, the tournament was sponsored by the AITEO group and was called the AITEO Cup.

Historically, Shooting Stars remain the most successful side in the competition with eight titles, followed by the now-defunct Lagos Railways with seven trophies and Enugu Rangers with six.

One notable milestone came in 2021, when Bayelsa State became the first state to produce both the men’s and women’s champions in the same year.

With the new schedule now confirmed, attention will turn to the upcoming state rounds as clubs across Nigeria begin their journey in one of the country’s most historic football tournaments.