The NFF had warned that clubs that fail to honour matches at the national preliminary stage would face a fine of N1m, while those who withdraw after completing state registration risk a penalty of N500,000.

The Federation Cup, Nigeria’s oldest football competition, begins with open entry at state level, allowing participation from grassroots teams to top-flight clubs.

Each state produces two representatives, the winner and runner-up, for a total of 74 teams to advance to the national competition.

At the national stage, lower-ranked teams contest preliminary play-offs before joining seeded sides from the NPFL and Nigeria National League in the round of 64.

From that stage, the competition follows a straight knockout format played largely at neutral venues, with tied matches decided by penalties to reduce fixture congestion.