Mechanics of Player Participation
Registration:
Players will register for participation in the eNPFL via the official eNPFL website only.
* Players can not compete at more than one Regional Qualifiers.
Confirmation:
Upon successful registration, players will receive an email confirming their participation.
Match Info:
Players will be informed about the dates and schedules of their respective Regional Qualifiers via the league website, social media channels, and email.
Club Representation:
During registration, players will indicate their preferred region for the eNPFL Regional Qualifiers. Clubs will be assigned as groups for each Regional Qualifier (for instance, Doma United as Group 1, Niger Tornadoes as Group 2, and Kano Pillars as Group 3 for the North Regional Qualifiers).
Group Assignment & Accreditation:
Players will randomly be assigned to groups upon registration and will be informed via email and the eNPFL social media pages. Players will be seeded to play and given numbers within their assigned group, during accreditation process at their respective Regional Qualifiers
Competition:
Players will compete within their assigned groups to emerge as the winner.
* No form of unprofessional conduct or disrespect will be tolerated i.e deliberately scoring against yourself
Grand Final Representation:
Whoever emerges as the champion of their assigned group will automatically represent the Club tagged to that group at the Grand Final.
Regional Qualifiers
Gameplay:
The Regional Qualifiers will be played using EA FC 24 95-Rated Mode
Format:
Each Region will follow a single-elimination knockout competition format for the Qualifiers.
Seeding:
Players will be automatically seeded according to the number assigned to them during the accreditation process.
Flow of Play:
Players will be divided into two brackets with each group to play against each other in a Single-elimination format. Players will continue to play Matches until there is only one Player remaining in each bracket within the group. The two remaining Players will then face off in a final Match to determine the winner of the group, who will then represent the Club at the eNPFL Grand Finale.
Squad Building (Regional Qualifiers)
Eligible Teams:
All 95-Rated football teams can be used, with the exception of All-Star teams
Restrictions:
Players are only allowed to select team formations that include four defenders, such as the 4-3-3 or 4-2-3-1. Formations with five or three defenders, such as the 3-4-2-1 or 5-3-2 formations, are strictly prohibited.
* Only competitive settings allowed (No Custom settings)
* Camera Settings allowed are Co-op or Tele-broadcast.
Grand Finale
Gameplay:
The eNPFL Grand Final will be played using the EA FC Ultimate Team Competitive format.
Format:
The tournament format for the Grand Final will be a Group Stage + Knockout Stage competition
Seeding:
Groups will be seeded by a method determined by the League and communicated to Clubs (Players) in advance of the Group Stages.
Flow of Play:
The Grand Finals will comprise both the Grand Final – Group Stage (the “Group Stage”) and the Grand Final – Knockout Stage (the “Knockout Stage”). Each will consist of Players representing Clubs and competing against other Players, with the following formats applying:
The Group Stage
The Group Stage will include four groups of five Clubs. Groups will be seeded by a method determined by the League and communicated to Players in advance of the Group Stage. Groups will be formed in accordance with the graphic below:
In each group, players will play in a round-robin format against each other. Points will be received for each Match, i.e., three points for each game won, one point for each game drawn, and no points where a game is Lost.
The player/club in each group with the most points at the end of the Group Stage will receive a bye/automatic qualification to the Final round of the Knockout Stage. The remaining sixteen players/clubs in the group will compete in a single elimination knockout format where the winner that emerges will play against the player/club with the bye/automatic qualification.
Where two players have equal points at the end of the Group Stage, the Tie-breaker Procedure, set out below will be used to determine which Player(s)/Club(s) receive a bye and or their position in the group.
Tie-Breaker Procedure
“Tie-breaker Procedure” determines which players or clubs advance when they have the same score in certain situations:
The League applies the following rules in order until a winner is decided:
Head-to-Head Record:
If the tied players or clubs played each other, the one with the better result (win or higher score draw) wins.
Goal Difference:
The player or club with the higher difference between goals scored and goals conceded wins.
Most Wins:
The player or club with the most wins in the stage wins.
Most Goals Scored:
The player or club with the most goals scored wins.
Playoff Matches:
If none of the above rules decide the winner, the League will organize additional matches in a chosen format.
The Knockout Stage
The Knockout Stage will consist of two separate single elimination bracket competitions held over two rounds:
First Round:
- In the first round of the Knockout Stage, the sixteen Players/Clubs who did not receive a bye/automatic qualification for the second will be seeded according to their finishing position in each group. Where Players/Clubs have equal points at the end of the Group Stage, the Tie-breaker Procedurewill be used to determine seeding.
- Players/Clubs will then play Matches against each other, with the winner of each Match progressing to the next round. Matches will continue until there are four Clubs remaining who will progress to compete in the second roundof the Knockout Stage.
Second Round
- In the second round of the Knockout Stage, the eight qualifying Clubs will be seeded, with the four Clubs qualifying from the Group Stage as “higher” seeds and the four Clubs qualifying from the Knockout Stage as “lower” seeds as per the example graphic below.
- Clubs will then play Matches against each other in a single elimination format (Home and Away), with the winner of each Match progressing to the next round.
- Matches will continue until there is a single Club remaining, with that Club becoming the winner of the “eNPFL Grand Finale” and therefore the “eNPFL Champion”, all in accordance with the below graphic:
Squad Building (Grand Finale)
Each Player must adhere to the following squad building restrictions, which apply to both their starting 11 and substitutes (excluding goalkeepers):
Eligible Players:
ICON/TOTY/Hero Limit:
No limit to the number of ICON, TOTY or Hero items per squad.
Nigerian Player Requirement:
A minimum of Five (5) Nigerian footballers must be present in each Player’s squad and at least three (3) Nigerian footballers used in each half of matches played.
Squad Verification:
The League may, at its discretion, confirm adherence to the outlined squad building restrictions. Refusal to adhere will be considered a breach of these Rules.
Jersey Colors:
Players must each have a light-colored jersey and a dark-colored jersey. During matches, players must choose jerseys of opposite colors to avoid confusion. If players cannot agree on color selection, the home Player will choose a dark-colored jersey and the away Player will choose a light-colored jersey.
Match Forfeiture:
Any Player who fails to make themselves available for a Match at the agreed kick-off time will automatically forfeit that Match, with their opponent being awarded a 3-0 victory.
Formation Restrictions:
Players are only allowed to select team formations that include four defenders, such as the 4-3-3 or 4-2-3-1. Formations with five or three defenders, such as the 3-4-2-1 or 5-3-2 formations, are strictly prohibited.
Gameplay Settings
Default Settings: For each Match, the default game settings for FC 24 Ultimate Team Competitive mode will be utilized. These settings are as follows:
Difficulty Level: World Class
Half Length: 6 minutes
Stadium: UT Stadium
Season: Fall/Autumn
Time of Day: 3:00PM
Pitch Wear: None
Gameplay Settings
Default Settings: For each Match, the default game settings for FC 24 Ultimate Team Competitive mode will be utilized. These settings are as follows:
Difficulty Level: World Class
Half Length: 6 minutes
Stadium: UT Stadium
Season: Fall/Autumn
Time of Day: 3:00PM
Pitch Wear: None
Mandatory Settings:
The following settings will apply for all users and cannot be modified:
HUD: Player Name & Indicator
Player Indicator: Player Name
Time/Score Display: On
Radar: 2D
Gamertag Indicator: Off
Scrolling Line Ups: Off
Commentary Volume: 0
Stadium Ambience: 10
Music Volume: 0
Camera Settings:
The following single-player camera settings are NOT allowed:
- Pro
- End to End
- Dynamic