FUFA President Moses Magogo has confirmed that the federation will discontinue the new Uganda Premier League (UPL) format and revert to the old format.
The decision was reached on Saturday following a meeting between FUFA officials, the UPL secretariat, and club representatives.
Magogo stated that after extensive consultations and deliberations, all parties agreed that the league would return to its old format for the ongoing season.
“As FUFA, we have listened to the clubs and other stakeholders and agreed to revert to the old format for this season. We shall continue to review and consult further before revisiting the matter next season,” Magogo said.
Out of the 16 UPL clubs, 11 attended the meeting at FUFA House, where discussions focused primarily on finding a suitable way forward.
Magogo clarified that the decision only affects the league format and that other reforms introduced earlier in the season will continue to be reviewed.
“In today’s meeting, we only discussed the format. However, the other reforms introduced at the start of the season remain under review,” he added.
The new league format, introduced at the start of the 2025/26 season, had faced strong opposition from clubs and fans alike. Despite most clubs eventually agreeing to participate, Vipers SC refused to take part and did not show up for their fixture against Kitara FC at Namboole Stadium.
Fan attendance across other matches also dropped significantly as supporters protested the changes, affecting the league’s image and momentum.
The controversy traces back to July 2025, when FUFA met with UPL clubs to review the previous campaign. During that meeting, FUFA’s Executive Committee proposed a new league format to be implemented immediately for the 2025/26 season.
On August 20, 2025, FUFA CEO Edgar Watson issued a circular detailing the new structure, which covered not only fixture arrangements but also data management, player registration, and financial reforms.
Under the new format, the Uganda Premier League was to maintain 16 teams—similar to the 2024/25 season but be played over three rounds:
Round One: A standard round-robin format with each team playing 15 matches.
Round Two: Teams split into two groups—Top 8 and Bottom 8 and played home-and-away fixtures.
Round Three:The Top 8 split again, with the best six teams battling for the title, while the bottom two joined the top two from the “Bottom 8” to form a separate mini-group.
The remaining six teams from the “Bottom 8” would fight to avoid relegation, with matches played on a single-leg basis.
The format, however, was met with widespread disapproval, prompting FUFA to revert to the old system as discussions continue on the league’s future structure.