• FUFA halts the new 2025/2026 UPL format following consultations with clubs, sponsors, and the league board.
  • Vipers SC’s opposition over fairness and timing played a major role in the suspension.
  • The league reverts to the familiar home-and-away format as stakeholders review proposed reforms.

The Federation of Uganda Football Associations (FUFA) has suspended the proposed new format for the 2025/2026 StarTimes Uganda Premier League (UPL) season, following weeks of consultations with clubs, sponsors, and the league board.

The decision, announced after a FUFA Executive Committee meeting, means that Rule 14:4-12 of the 2025 FUFA Competition Rules— which had introduced the new format — will not apply this season. Instead, the league will revert to the traditional home-and-away structure familiar to clubs and fans.

The new format, which was meant to reduce the number of league games and split teams into groups after the first round, had sparked widespread debate. FUFA argued it would make the competition more competitive and commercially viable, but several clubs, led by defending champions Vipers SC, raised concerns about fairness, logistics, and the abrupt timing of the reforms.

Vipers, among others, insisted that such structural changes needed deeper consultation and gradual implementation. Their firm resistance reportedly influenced other clubs to push back, forcing FUFA to call a series of meetings with key stakeholders, including the Uganda Premier League Board and title sponsors StarTimes.

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After these discussions, FUFA resolved to suspend the new format to “allow stakeholders more time to understand and appreciate the UPL reforms through various forms of sensitisation.”

The decision has been received positively by clubs and fans who feared the changes would disrupt the league’s competitiveness and tradition. For now, Uganda’s top-flight football will continue under the familiar system—home and away battles, promotion and relegation—while talks on future reforms continue.

The new season is expected to continue with the games that have already been played by converting it to the normal points tally.