Get ready, UPL fans. The league you’ve been used to is getting a big shake-up starting with the 2025/26 season.
FUFA has rolled out a brand-new format that changes everything from the number of games, to how champions are crowned, to how teams go down.
Here’s what you need to know.
More games, more action
In the old format, each of the 16 teams played home and away against everyone else, which meant 30 games per season. Simple.
Now, clubs will play at least 34 games and in some cases as many as 36 if they end up in the relegation playoff. That’s extra football for fans, extra pressure for players.
League split into rounds and groups
Forget the straight table. This time the season is chopped into three rounds.
- Round One: All 16 teams play each other once.
- Round Two: The table splits in half. Top 8 form one group, bottom 8 form another. Each group then plays home and away.
- Round Three: The top 6 fight for the title, while the bottom 6 battle to avoid the drop.
So, the champion won’t just be the team with the most points overall—it’ll come from that final mini-league of six.
Relegation gets spicier
Before, the bottom three dropped straight down. Now it’s different. The last two still go, but the team that finishes 14th isn’t safe yet.
They’ll have to play a two-leg playoff against the third-best team from the Big League. Survive, and you stay in the UPL. Lose, and you’re out.
New rules for players
FUFA also wants clubs to plan long term. Only players with at least two years left on their contracts can be registered, unless they turn 31 during the season.
Data and technology everywhere
Clubs now must track and submit both sporting data (like player performance using Catapult vests) and business data (attendance and revenue figures) after every game. Miss the deadline, and FUFA promises “corrective measures.”
Money matters
Prize money has been set at UGX 500 million for the season to be shared among the 16 clubs. Match-day revenue will also be shared differently, especially when games are staged as double-headers at the same venue.
What it all means
The new UPL will be longer, tougher, and more demanding. For fans, it means more football to watch and tighter battles at both ends of the table. For clubs, it means more planning, more paperwork, and less room for error.
Change is here. Buckle up.
