The 2023 edition of the tournament would see 72 clubs from 36 states and the FCT, participate in the competition after qualifying as their state cup winners and runners-up.
The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) have revealed that the final of the 2023 Federation Cup will hold a week before the last matches of the 2023 Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) season.
The agreement was reached as the Executive Committee of the NFF met on Monday, February 13, 2023, at the body's secretariat in Abuja to deliberate on important issues in Nigerian football.
The 2023 edition of Nigeria's oldest club competition is set to make its return after the 2022 edition of the tournament, which got cancelled in the quarter-final stages.
Federation Cup final to presumably hold May 7
The structure of the 2023 NPFL season will see teams, play their last matches in the first stage of the abridged season on Sunday, May 14. The top three teams from Group A and B will then proceed to a Super 6 playoff tournament scheduled for later.
According to the NFF communique, the grand finale of the Federation Cup competition will hold a week before the last matches of the NPFL season.
"In affirming that the grand finale of this year’s Federation Cup competition will hold a week before the last matches of the Nigeria Premier Football League season," the communique said.
"The Executive Committee stated that this will allow the winner to prepare adequately for the task of flying the country’s flag creditably at the CAF Confederation Cup. It observed that failure to adhere to the calendar/lack of any in the past few years was the principal reason for Nigeria’s recent poor show in continental club competitions."
Cup winner to represent Nigeria in next season CAF Confederation Cup
Created in 1945 as the Governor's Cup, the competition later metamorphosed into the Nigeria FA Cup (1954–1959), and then Nigeria Challenge Cup (1960–1998). In 1999, it became the Coca-Cola FA Cup and remained like that until 2008 when it became the Federation Cup (2009–2016).
Following yet another name sponsorship in 2017, the competition became known as the AITEO Cup including the women's tournament and remained like that until last season.
The 2023 edition of the tournament would see 72 clubs from 36 states and the FCT, participate in the competition after qualifying as their state cup winners and runners-up.
The winner of the 2023 tournament will represent Nigeria at the 2023/2024 CAF Confederation Cup.
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