Moses Magogo, the president of the Federation of Uganda Football Associations (FUFA), has called on the sports media to support new reforms for the Uganda Premier League, stating that these changes will enhance the promotion of football in the country.
Magogo, accompanied by Nakiwala Kiyingi, the FUFA Head of Competitions and executive secretary, and Alsayed Lubega, the president of the Uganda Sports Press Association (USPA), made these remarks during a media engagement at the Labonita Conference Room in Kampala on Thursday.
“I am honoured to announce new reforms to guide the Uganda Premier League, enabling our clubs to compete effectively and attract sponsors to invest in Ugandan football. While some may be critical, I urge you to support these reforms so we can progress together,” Magogo said.
He explained that the reforms introduce a new competition format involving 16 clubs. In the first stage, all teams will play each other. The top eight will advance to Group A, and the next eight to Group B. From there, the best six teams from each group will be selected, followed by the top four. In the final stages, Group A will be reduced to the top three teams, Group B to the top two, and a new Group C will also select its top three.
These reforms will take effect in two weeks when the 2025/2026 Uganda Premier League season officially begins. Clubs such as KCCA FC, URA FC, Express FC, SC Villa Jogo, Vipers, Masaka LC, Mbale Heroes, Uganda Police, UPDF FC, Kinyara FC, and others will compete.
Under the new structure, each club will face every other team twice—home and away—in the first round, totalling four matches per pairing. The second round will feature group stages, with each group comprising eight teams.
On funding, Magogo revealed that FUFA has allocated an additional Shs 80 million to complement the Shs 80 million provided by the league’s main sponsor, StarTimes. Additionally, from the $1.2 million received from FIFA, FUFA has set aside Shs 3.4 billion to support clubs’ marketing, promotion, and media facilitation efforts.
Magogo also announced increased allowances for referees and the provision of modern tools to enhance their performance. Each club will be required to appoint a full-time marketing, promotion, and media officer. FUFA will deploy technical officers to all Uganda Premier League matches to ensure smooth operations.
He praised the contributions of former Ugandan football players and pledged to provide training to equip them with skills to fill these roles. Additionally, FUFA will reward the best player in each UPL match. Magogo urged the football fraternity, including the media, to embrace the reforms rather than criticising them prematurely.
“We are committed to ongoing collaboration with you, providing refresher training for sports media, as football management is constantly evolving. I assure you that FUFA remains dedicated to serving football alongside you, despite any differences of opinion. I encourage you to support the federation and club activities for the betterment of Ugandan football,” he said.
Nakiwala Kiyingi echoed Magogo’s sentiments, urging the sports media to back the reforms, noting that Uganda is in a pivotal sporting season from now until 2027.
USPA president Alsayed Lubega, who organised the media engagement, commended Magogo for fostering dialogue with the media, highlighting their crucial role in the sport.
“We have a social contract with the fans, our audience, to deliver football in an accessible and engaging way. We believe these reforms will be implemented progressively to enhance competition,” Lubega said.
