In a dramatic turn of events , the Federation of Uganda Football Associations (FUFA) has indefinitely suspended the newly introduced format for the 2025/26 StarTimes Uganda Premier League and reverted to the traditional structure.
The decision, according to FUFA President Moses Hashim Magogo followed a high-level meeting between FUFA, the Uganda Premier League (UPL) Secretariat, and club representatives. This means that Rule 14:4-12 of the FUFA Competition Rules 2025—which introduced the three-round league format—will not apply this season.
“As FUFA, we have listened to the clubs and other stakeholders and agreed that we revert to the old format for this season. We shall continue to review and sensitize stakeholders before reintroducing the new reforms in the future,” Magogo explained.
Out of the 16 top-flight clubs, 11 attended the meeting at FUFA House, with discussions centered mainly on how to chart a more acceptable way forward for Uganda’s elite football competition. Mr Magogo clarified that while the new format has been shelved, other reforms introduced this season will continue to be reviewed and implemented progressively.
“In today’s meeting, we only discussed the league format. The other reforms that were introduced at the start of the season will continue to be examined.” he added.
The decision comes amid strong opposition to the new structure from both clubs and fans. Despite 15 of the 16 clubs eventually agreeing to play under protest, Vipers SC boycotted their opening fixture against Kitara FC at Namboole Stadium, signaling deep dissatisfaction with the changes.
The discontent also spilled into the stands, with fan attendance noticeably dropping across the country—a development that, according to observers, has hurt the league’s image and commercial appeal.
Background: The Scrapped League Format
The new system had proposed that the Uganda Premier League be played over three rounds with 16 teams, maintaining the number from the 2024/25 season.
- Round 1: Each team would play 15 matches in a traditional round-robin format.
- Round 2: Teams would then split into a Top 8 and Bottom 8 based on performance, playing home-and-away fixtures within those groups.
- Round 3: The Top 8 would further divide into a Top 6 (title contenders) and 2 teams joining the best from the Bottom 8 for a mid-tier playoff. The remaining six from the Bottom 8 would battle relegation in single-leg fixtures.
While the new design was aimed at increasing competitiveness and television value, critics argued it complicated scheduling, created inequality in fixture difficulty, and risked diminishing fan interest.
With FUFA’s latest decision, the 2025/26 StarTimes Uganda Premier League will proceed under the traditional double round-robin format, as further consultations and stakeholder sensitization continue ahead of future reforms.