The Federation of Uganda Football Associations (FUFA) has announced a comprehensive reform of competitions, with major changes set to take effect in the 2025/26 season for the First Division League.
Under the new structure, the league will consist of a maximum of 16 teams and will be played across three rounds in a uniquely designed format. In the opening round, all teams will play a single-leg league that determines their ranking. The draw for these fixtures will dictate who plays at home or away. At the conclusion of Round One, the top eight teams will advance into Group One, while the bottom eight will drop into Group Two for Round Two.
During the second round, teams in both groups will play each other home and away. From Group One, the best six will qualify for Round Three and compete in Group Three to determine final season rankings, while the remaining two will settle in positions seven and eight. From Group Two, the top two finishers will close their season in positions nine and ten, while the other six move to Round Three in Group Four to determine the lower table places.
The decisive third round will again follow a one-leg league format, with home and away reversed from Round One to ensure balance. The final rankings from Group Three will decide positions one to six of the league, including the champions, while Group Four will determine positions eleven downwards. The team that tops Group Three will be crowned league champion, while relegation will involve the bottom sides of Group Four. Specifically, teams finishing in 11th, 12th, and 13th will retain their place in the First Division, while the 14th-placed side will face the third-placed team from the Second Division in a two-legged playoff. The winner will remain in or be promoted to the top flight, while the loser will drop to or stay in the lower division.
Player eligibility has also been tightened. Only those with at least two years left on their contracts will be allowed to feature in the 2025/26 season, except for players turning 31 during the campaign. FUFA will also introduce stricter requirements on data collection, obliging clubs to submit both sporting and business data within 48 hours after every match. Sporting data will be submitted through Form F601 and include match records, with clubs also mandated to use Catapult Technology during games. Business data, recorded on Form F605, will include match attendances and revenue figures. FUFA reserves the right to develop web-based applications to streamline this process, and non-compliance will attract corrective measures.
In terms of fixtures, the league will feature both single-header and double-header matchdays. A double-header will involve two matches played at the same venue on the same day with a short interval between kick-offs. The Uganda Premier League Secretariat (UPL) will determine which fixtures qualify as double-headers and may also reassign venues to accommodate them.
Financial reforms have also been introduced. FUFA has allocated UGX 500 million as prize money to be distributed across the three rounds, with amounts varying according to position. Additionally, UGX 2 million will go to the winner of the promotion-relegation playoff. Clubs will also be expected to declare gross gate collections for every match. Once taxes and operational costs are deducted, the remaining revenue will be shared. For single-header fixtures, the home team will retain 85 percent, while UPL, FUFA, and the winning team will each take five percent. In the case of a draw, the winner’s share reverts to the home team. For double-headers, revenue sharing will follow a structure determined by UPL.
FUFA says these reforms are aimed at improving competition, enhancing professionalism, and ensuring greater transparency in Uganda’s top division.
