FKF Premier League 2026/27 Fixtures: Gor Mahia, AFC Leopards Among Teams Handed Opening Matches

The 2026/27 Football Kenya Federation (FKF) Premier League season is scheduled to begin on the weekend of August 29-30, with a full slate of nine matches on the opening weekend.

The fixtures, released on Monday evening, will see defending champions Gor Mahia begin their title defence at home against Murang’a Seal. Meanwhile, their historic rivals, AFC Leopards, are set to host Bandari.

Elsewhere, Nairobi United will face KCB, while Ulinzi Stars, who narrowly avoided relegation last season, will welcome domestic cup winners Tusker FC to their Lang’ata Sports Complex home ground.

The league's newcomers face a challenging start. Newly promoted 3K FC will host Mara Sugar, while fellow debutants Mombasa United and Migori Youth are set for a baptism of fire against Kakamega Homeboyz and Kenya Police, respectively.

Looking at the early fixtures, Gor Mahia, also known as K’Ogalo, appear to have a difficult run. Following their opener, they will face APS Bomet, Bandari, Kakamega Homeboyz, KCB, and Nairobi United.

Notably, Charles Akonnor’s squad struggled to secure maximum points against most of these opponents during the 2025/26 campaign.

AFC Leopards, who finished as runners-up last season, will travel to the Police Sacco Stadium for a tough Matchweek Two encounter against Kenya Police, a team that defeated them 4-0 in their last meeting.

Ingwe will then host another top-five side, Shabana, in Matchweek Three before an away fixture against Mara Sugar. Their fifth match will be the "Ingo Derby" against Kakamega Homeboyz in Nairobi.

The highly anticipated Mashemeji Derby between Gor Mahia and AFC Leopards is scheduled for the weekend of November 19-22, with AFC Leopards hosting the first leg. The return fixture is slated for the weekend of April 2-4.

The league's start date had been uncertain due to legal challenges concerning the FKF's controversial relegation and promotion rules, which were introduced last September.

The new regulations mandated that the bottom three top-flight teams be relegated, with the top three from the National Super League (NSL) earning promotion.

Kariobangi Sharks, who finished 16th last season, contested their relegation at the Sports Disputes Tribunal (SDT). They argued that the new rules were irregularly ratified by the federation's National Executive Committee (NEC) and lacked public participation.

However, the tribunal ruled in favour of the federation on Monday, stating that the club had not exhausted all internal dispute resolution mechanisms within the FKF.