FUFA has confirmed further changes to the Uganda Premier League reforms following extended consultations and engagement on proposals submitted by clubs.
In a communication to clubs signed by the FUFA Chief Executive Officer Edgar Watson, the federation has shared updates related to the ongoing reforms and the corresponding benefits for Uganda Premier League (UPL) clubs.
Watson thanked various stakeholders and clubs for their committed support and involvement towards the process.
‘We thank you for your continued cooperation and commitment to the development of football in Uganda. Together, we can continue to grow the Uganda Premier League into a strong, competitive, and commercially viable product under the new format’ noted Watson.
Here are the details of the Communication in in Circular 1204 issued on Monday 15th September 2025.
Insurance of the Players
Effective 1st October 2025, FUFA has procured medical insurance from Case MedInsurance Ltd and now referred to as FUFA medical insurance scheme. Consequently, each UPL club is required to submit the details of the 25 players to be covered by the insurance
Prize Money
Prize money for the 2024/25 season has now been fully paid and for 2025/26 season as part of the reforms has been increased to 532m UGX to be distributed at the end of the season as follows:
| Pos | Round-1 | Pos | Round-2&3 |
| 1 | 20,000,000 | 1 | 80,000,000 |
| 2 | 18,000,000 | 2 | 44,000,000 |
| 3 | 16,000,000 | 3 | 40,000,000 |
| 4 | 14,000,000 | 4 | 36,000,000 |
| 5 | 12,000,000 | 5 | 32,000,000 |
| 6 | 10,000,000 | 6 | 30,000,000 |
| 7 | 8,000,000 | 7 | 26,000,000 |
| 8 | 6,000,000 | 8 | 24,000,000 |
| 9 | 5,000,000 | 9 | 22,000,000 |
| 10 | 4,500,000 | 10 | 18,500,000 |
| 11 | 4,000,000 | 11 | 17,000,000 |
| 12 | 3,500,000 | 12 | 13,500,000 |
| 13 | 3,000,000 | 13 | 10,000,000 |
| 14 | 2,500,000 | 14 | 6,500,000 |
| 15 | 1,500,000 | 15 | 2,500,000 |
| 16 | 1,000,000 | 16 | 1,000,000 |
Man of the Match
As part of the reforms, there shall be a Man of the match chosen by a panel of technocrats for each of the 268 matches to be played for the 2025/26 season as follows:
| Round | Matches | Award (UGX) |
| Round-1 | 120 | 100,000 |
| Round-2 | 112 | 200,000 |
| Round-3 | 36 | 500,000 |
Locker Room Bonuses
There shall be winning bonus for each of the 30 persons submitted as the matchday list before the match for the team that wins each of Round-2 and Round-3 matches distributed as follows:
| Round | Matches | Persons | Award (UGX) |
| Round-2 | 112 | 30 | 80,000 |
| Round-3 | 36 | 30 | 150,000 |
To facilitate the timely payment of locker room bonuses, each club is required to submit the MTN Mobile Money numbers for ALL the licenced players and officials eligible for this bonus (players and officials).
Club Financial Support
As part of FUFA’s commitment to supporting club operations and enhancing the competitiveness of the league, each UPL club will receive a financial support of UGX 80 million for the 2025/6 Season, to be disbursed as follows:
| Sno. | Schedule | Amount (UGX) |
| 1 | Beginning of Round-1 | 25,000,000 |
| 2 | Beginning of Round-2 | 25,000,000 |
| 3 | Beginning of Round-3 | 30,000,000 |
Fixtures
In response to feedback from the clubs, FUFA has asked the UPL to revise the initial fixtures generated through a draw in order to ensure fairness. A manually prepared fixture schedule for Round-1 has now been adopted and the UPL is required to issue a new fixture schedule
Format
Considering matters raised by some clubs and the majority opinion of the clubs, FUFA has now adopted the modified format as follows:
Round-1:
All the 16 clubs will play against each other in a one-leg competition and at the end of the 120 matches (15 matches per club), a table standing shall be drawn positioning clubs from position 1 to16
Round-2
Clubs that finish in the top 8 (1st-8th) positions of Round-1 shall compose Group-1 while those that finish in the bottom 8 (9th-16th) positions of Round-1 shall compose Group-2
The 8 clubs of Group-1 will play against each other in a two-leg competition (Home and Away basis) and at the end of the 56 matches (14 matches per club), a table standing shall be drawn positioning clubs from position 1st to 8th
The 8 clubs of Group-2 will play against each other in a two-leg competition (Home and Away basis) and at the end of the 56 matches (14 matches per club), a table standing shall be drawn positioning clubs from position 9th to 16th
Round-3
Clubs that finish:
a) in the top 6 (1st-6th) positions of Group-1 at the end of Round-2 shall compose Group-3. This group shall be composed of 6 clubs that will play against each other in a one-leg competition for 15 matches (5 matches per club)
b) in positions 7th-8th of Group-1 and positions 9th -10th of Group-2 at the end of Round-2 shall compose Group-4. This group shall be composed of 4 clubs that will play against each other in a one-leg competition for 6 matches (3 matches per club)
c) in the bottom 6 (11th-16th) positions of Group-2 at the end of Round-2 shall compose Group-5. This group shall be composed of 6 clubs that will play against each other in a one-leg competition for 15 matches (5 matches per club)
For all the one-leg matches of Round-3, the teams that hosted in the Round-1 shall play away and vice versa in the corresponding fixtures
Final Table Standing
Points and Goals from Round-1 shall not be considered for the final table standings. The Final Table Standing shall be drawn from points and goals accumulated in Round-2 and Round-3.
Champions and Relegation
The club that is ranked in 1st Position in the Final Table Standing shall be declared the 1st Division Champions for the UPL 2025/26 Season
The club that is ranked in 1st to 14th Position in the Final Table Standing shall be eligible for club licensing for the 2026/27 1st Division League
The club that is ranked in 15th and 16th Position in the Final Table Standing shall be relegated and shall be eligible for club licensing for the 2026/27 2nd Division League
Top Scorer
Goals scored in all Rounds (Round-1, Round-2, Round-3) shall be considered while determining the Top Scorer
Cautions and Send-Offs
Cautions that have not yet accumulated to cause suspension shall not be carried from one Round to the other.
Cautions causing suspension shall be served as per the FUFA Competitions Rules in any round.
Send-offs shall be served as and when they are due irrespective of the Rounds.
The FUFA Competitions Rules shall provide further details on matters not highlighted in this Circular.
