Advertisement
FKF abolishes promotion-relegation play-offs as league structure changes take effect
19th September, 2026 07:04 AM
Football Kenya Federation (FKF) has introduced significant changes to the promotion and relegation structure of its leagues, including the abolition of the FKF Premier League promotion-relegation play-off.
According to a circular dated Tuesday, September 23, 2025, the FKF National Executive Committee approved recommendations by the Leagues and Competitions Committee aimed at reshaping the country’s league system for the 2025/26 season.
One of the key changes is the scrapping of the end-of-season play-off between the 16th-placed Premier League side and the third-placed team in the National Super League (NSL).
Under the new arrangement, the bottom three teams in the FKF Premier League at the end of the 2025/26 campaign will be automatically relegated to the NSL.
At the same time, the top three NSL teams will secure automatic promotion to the Premier League, removing the previous route in which the third-placed side had to face a play-off against the 16th-placed top-flight team.
The NSL will also have four teams automatically relegated to Division One, while the four zonal winners in Division One will earn promotion to the second tier.
FKF is also expanding Division One to four zones, with each zone expected to have 16 teams. The bottom three sides in every zone will be relegated to the lower tier at the conclusion of the season.
The federation has retained the existing structure of the Women’s Premier League (WPL) and Women’s National Super League (WNSL), although promotion and relegation arrangements have also been outlined.
The bottom three WPL teams will drop into the WNSL. The two WNSL zonal winners will gain automatic promotion to the WPL, while the third promotion place will be decided through a one-off play-off involving the second-placed teams from the respective WNSL zones.
There will also be an expansion of the Women’s Division One League, with each zone increasing from eight teams to 10.
The four zonal winners at the end of the season will automatically earn promotion to the WNSL, while the bottom three teams in each zone will be relegated to the lower tier.
FKF further confirmed that Division Two and the Regional Leagues would remain in place for the 2025/26 season.
However, the federation said its NEC members and county branch officials would engage clubs at regional meetings to discuss promotion and relegation criteria and proposals for a possible merger of the two competitions.
The proposed changes represent a shift towards a more direct promotion and relegation system in the men’s top two tiers, with teams now able to secure their fate through their final league positions rather than relying on a play-off for the third promotion spot.
