The 2023–24 Nigeria Premier Football League was the 53rd season of Nigeria's top-flight association football league, the 34th since attaining professionalism and the first under the current name. The season commenced on 30 September 2023 after initial delays.
Enyimba were the defending champions, after finishing top of the Championship round at the previous season. On 17 June 2024, Enugu Rangers won their eighth NPFL title with a game to spare.
This season sees the Interim Management Committee (IMC) entering into a partnership with technology firm GTI Investment, Propel Sports Africa and MTN to sponsor the league, with an exclusive broadcast right that shall cover eight live games every weekend and 300 throughout the season. Thus, this makes the NPFL the first African football league to deploy artificial intelligence at games.
This season also sees an increase of N50 million in prize money for the champions. Also, The NPFL secured $1 Billion Broadcast sponsorship deal with Chinese satellite provider StarTimes, for five years.
Teams Twenty teams are competing in the league – the top sixteen teams from the previous season and the four teams promoted from the Nigeria National League. The promoted teams are Heartland, Sporting Lagos, Kano Pillars and Katsina United. This is Sporting Lagos's first season in the Nigeria Professional Football League. With their promotion, Sporting Lagos became the first team to have been promoted after the first season of their creation. Heartland, Katsina United and Kano Pillars also returned to the top-flight after getting relegated two seasons ago. They replaced Wikki Tourists, Nasarawa United, El-Kanemi Warriors and Dakkada, who were relegated to the Nigeria National League.
Teams information
TeamLocationKit SupplierShirt Sponsor StadiumCapacityAbia WarriorsUmuahiaOwuEunisellUmuahia Township StadiumEnyimba International Stadium5,000Akwa UnitedUyoOwu1xBetGodswill Akpabio StadiumEket Stadium30,00018,000Bayelsa UnitedYenagoaGDF_Samson Siasia Stadium5,000Bendel InsuranceBenin CityFourteenSterling BankSamuel Ogbemudia Stadium12,000Doma UnitedGombeCone Sport_Pantami Stadium12,000Enugu RangersEnuguCone SportAfrinvest, Shopurban, Senior BarmanNnamdi Azikiwe Stadium22,000EnyimbaAbaKKStake.com, United Nigeria AirlinesEnyimba International Stadium16,000Gombe UnitedGombeCone Sport_Pantami Stadium12,000HeartlandOwerri__Dan Anyiam StadiumAwka City Stadium10,000Kano PillarsKanoPlayRamboSani Abacha Stadium16,000Katsina UnitedKatsinaOwu_Muhammadu Dikko Stadium35,000Kwara UnitedIlorinOwu_Kwara State Stadium18,000Lobi StarsMakurdiOwu_Lafia Township Stadium10,000Niger TornadoesMinnaCone Sport_Ahmadu Bello Stadium 16,000Plateau UnitedJosKapspor_New Jos Stadium60,000Remo StarsIkenneCone SportBet9jaRemo Stars Stadium5,000Rivers UnitedPort HarcourtOwu_Adokiye Amiesimaka Stadium40,000Shooting StarsIbadanCone SportPeculiarAdamasingba Stadium10,000Sporting LagosLagosUmbroKlasha, ChoplifeOnikan Stadium10,000Sunshine StarsAkureCone Sport_Akure Township Stadium5,000
League table
Results
Positions by round
Statistics Top scorers
Rank Player Club Goals1 Chijioke MbaomaEnyimba172 Sikiru AlimiRemo Stars153 Albert HilaryPlateau United12 Jonathan AlukwuSporting Lagos Godwin ObajeEnugu Rangers Hashiri UsmanNiger Tornadoes7 Ibrahim MustaphaKano Pillars11 Suleman SaniAkwa United Ubong Friday11 Robert MizoBayelsa United10 Rabiu AliKano Pillars Michael Okoro IbeKatsina United Christian PyagbaraShooting Stars
Hat-tricks +PlayerForAgainstScoreDateRef(s) Robert MizoBayelsa UnitedAkwa United5–3 (H)30 September 2023 Yusuf Abdullahi5Kano PillarsGombe United5–2 (A)3 December 2023 Albert HilaryPlateau UnitedBayelsa United5–1 (H)17 December 2023 Nyima NwaguaRivers UnitedDoma United3–2 (H)18 February 2024 Notes 5 Player scored 5 goals(H) – Home team(A) – Away team
Monthly awards MonthPlayer of the MonthManager of the MonthRef.PlayerClubManager ClubSeptember/October Robert MizoBayelsa United Daniel OgunmodedeRemo StarsNovember Kingdom OsayiDoma United Akinade OnigbindeDoma UnitedDecember Albert HilaryPlateau United Mbwas MangutPlateau UnitedFebruary Ibrahim MustaphaKano Pillars Meremu OkaraBayelsa UnitedMarch Suleman SaniAkwa United Fidelis IlechukwuEnugu RangersApril Clinton JephtaNiger Tornadoes Gbenga OgunboteShooting Stars
Attendances
Rangers International drew the highest average home attendance in the 2023-24 edition of the NPFL. Numerous NPFL games took place in front of capacity crowds.https://guardian.ng/sport/football-fever-sweeps-through-nigeria-as-fans-swamp-stadiums-for-npfl-matches/https://www.thisdaylive.com/index.php/2024/06/09/npfl-rangers-enyimba-oriental-derby-ends-in-confusion-in-enugu/
References