NPFL lands $7.5m sponsorship deal, clubs to get 60%

By Joseph Erunke, Abuja

Nigeria’s top-flight football league has secured a major financial lifeline with the Nigeria Premier Football League ,NPFL, unveiling a $7.5 million three-year title sponsorship deal, a development expected to trigger a new era of commercial growth and improved fortunes for domestic clubs and players.

The landmark partnership, valued at $2.5 million per season, was unveiled in Abuja on Wednesday with EUROMATCH coming on board as the new title sponsor of the NPFL.

Under the agreement, 60 per cent of the sponsorship proceeds will go directly to participating clubs, potentially providing much-needed financial muscle for improved players’ salaries, welfare and club operations.

NPFL Chairman, Gbenga Elegbeleye, who disclosed the details at the unveiling, said the deal represented a major turning point in the league’s drive to become commercially viable and globally competitive.

Elegbeleye stressed that the ultimate beneficiaries of the new commercial push must be the players, insisting that the league’s administrators should remain behind the scenes while the talents on the pitch take centre stage.

“We want the world to know our players. Let our league be known. Those of us behind the scene, let our work reflect and let our work show,” he said.

He said the additional revenue would help strengthen players’ welfare and wages while creating a more attractive environment for talented footballers to build their careers in Nigeria rather than seeking opportunities abroad.

The sponsorship deal comes against the backdrop of growing calls for the NPFL to move away from dependence on government and limited commercial income and embrace a business-driven model capable of attracting major local and international investment.

Former Minister of Sports and Special Adviser to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Media and Public Communication, Sunday Dare, described the deal as evidence that Nigeria’s decision to treat sports as a business was beginning to yield results.

Dare said the $7.5 million partnership demonstrated that sustained reforms could unlock the huge commercial potential of Nigerian football.

According to him, the NPFL, clubs, owners, management teams and other stakeholders had maintained the reform process despite significant challenges over the past three years.

He recalled that the Federal Government had, about four and a half years ago, classified sports as a business under the National Sports Policy, a move complemented by a 10-year football master plan aimed at developing the sector, attracting foreign direct investment, strengthening branding and making Nigerian football more commercially attractive.

Dare also pointed to the sharp increase in government funding for sports, saying budgetary allocation had risen from N1.9 billion to N76 billion.

He, however, cautioned that increased funding must be accompanied by reforms benchmarked against global standards if Nigeria is to derive sustainable value from its sports industry.

President of the Nigeria Football Federation ,NFF, Ibrahim Gusau, described the sponsorship as a major boost for the development of Nigerian football.

Gusau said the partnership would strengthen the NPFL and open up greater opportunities for clubs and players, assuring that the NFF would continue to support reforms designed to raise the standard, visibility and commercial value of domestic football.

He urged all stakeholders to work collectively to sustain the momentum generated by the new investment.

For EUROMATCH GROUP, the partnership represents more than a commercial arrangement.

Its Group Chairman, Sadi Semih, said the company was delighted to partner with the NPFL, describing the three-year agreement as a strategic investment in Nigerian football and an opportunity to contribute to the league’s growth and international visibility.

Semih pledged the company’s commitment to working with the NPFL and other stakeholders to ensure that the partnership delivers sustainable value to Nigerian football.

The unveiling, which brought together key figures in Nigerian football, also featured former Super Eagles stars including Daniel Amokachi, Samson Siasia, Austin Eguavoen and Brown Ideye, among others.

With 60 per cent of the new sponsorship revenue earmarked for clubs, the deal could mark a significant shift in the financial structure of the NPFL,provided the funds are transparently managed and translated into better club administration, player welfare, improved facilities and a more marketable league.

The 2026/27 season is therefore set to become a critical test of whether Nigeria can turn its domestic football league into a sustainable sports business capable of competing for attention and investment on the global stage.