The Football Kenya Federation (FKF) has unveiled a comprehensive plan to restructure the Kenyan football pyramid, aiming to improve competitiveness, financial sustainability, and overall organization. Central to these proposed changes is the reduction of the top-flight FKF Premier League from 18 teams to 16, beginning in the 2026-2027 season.
The FKF Premier League, which expanded to 18 teams in 2017, will maintain this format for the 2025-2026 season. However, to facilitate the reduction, four teams will be relegated at the end of that campaign, with only two earning promotion from the second tier. FKF argues that a 16-team league will streamline operations, reduce fixture congestion, and raise the level of competition.
The changes don’t stop at the top. The second tier, currently known as the National Super League (NSL), will be renamed the Kenyan Super League. This league will revert to a two-zone format of 12 teams each, increasing from the current 20 teams to 24 starting next season, and potentially expanding to 28 by 2026-2027. The winners of each zone will earn automatic promotion to the Premier League, while second and third-placed teams will engage in playoffs for an additional promotion slot. Three teams from each zone will be relegated to the third tier.
That third tier will be known as the FKF Conference League and will shift from a zonal structure to a four-conference model: Eastern, Western, Northern, and Southern. Each conference winner will earn promotion to the Super League. Runners-up will compete in playoffs to decide two more promotion slots, while the bottom three teams per conference will drop to the newly established fourth tier—the FKF Regional League.
The Regional League, replacing the current Division Two, will be organized around FKF’s nine regional zones. Each zone will host up to 48 teams, divided into groups with a maximum of 16 teams. Regional champions will gain automatic promotion, while second and third-placed teams enter playoffs. The bottom four teams in each group face relegation to the FKF County League.
The County League, fifth in the new pyramid, will feature leagues in all 48 FKF-recognized counties. No more than 64 teams will participate in each county, structured into zones of 16 teams or fewer. Promotion and relegation will follow the same format as the Regional League, feeding into the Sub-County League, the sixth and lowest tier.
This tiered structure, rooted in geographic and administrative clarity, is designed to streamline talent development and professionalize football from grassroots to elite levels across Kenya.
