Uganda Premier League clubs will be allowed to name up to 26 players on match day and include as many as six foreign players under FUFA’s revised competition rules for 2026.
The changes give coaches more options but could also increase operational costs for clubs already dealing with transport, accommodation, allowances and match bonuses over the course of the season.
Under the 2025 rules, UPL clubs were permitted to submit a match-day list containing a maximum of 23 players and nine officials.
Rule 19 of the 2026 edition raises that number to 26 players for the men’s first division, meaning a club naming a full squad can have 11 starters and 15 substitutes available.
The FUFA Big League, Women Super League, Uganda Cup from the round of 64 and FUFA Drum will continue operating with a maximum match-day list of 23 players.
Despite the larger bench, clubs will still be limited to five substitutions during four substitution intervals, including halftime.
The change therefore increases tactical and injury cover without increasing the number of players a coach can actually introduce during a match.
It could also make it easier for clubs to comply with FUFA’s new youth-player requirements, which oblige UPL teams to include at least five eligible youth players on their match-day lists and maintain at least two on the pitch during matches.
Foreign-player regulations have also been relaxed. Rule 35(37) allows a first division men’s club to name “at most six foreign players” among its maximum match-day list of 26, up from five under the previous rules.
The overall registration ceiling of eight foreign players per club remains unchanged.
The wording of the rule specifically addresses the match-day list. Unless another provision imposes a separate on-field restriction, the regulation appears to govern how many foreign players may be included in the squad rather than how many may be used at the same time.
The increase gives clubs that recruit heavily from outside Uganda an additional match-day option, particularly those competing domestically while also building squads capable of handling continental football.
It also creates an interesting balance within FUFA’s player-development policy.
On one hand, clubs are being given more room to include foreign players in match-day squads. On the other, the same regulations compel them to create space for young Ugandan players and ensure that at least two remain on the pitch.
The federation is therefore attempting to combine access to foreign talent with guaranteed opportunities for local youth players.
Registration limits have also been expanded. A UPL club that is not competing in CAF competitions may now register up to 35 players, compared with 30 under the 2025 rules.
Clubs involved in CAF competitions may continue registering up to 40 players, while no club is permitted to contract more than 40 players during a single season.
The additional five registration places should reduce cases where clubs have contracted players but cannot register them because their available squad slots are full.
However, the expanded limit could also encourage clubs to carry larger squads, increasing wage, accommodation, medical and logistical obligations. The financial impact could become more visible on away trips.
A club travelling with 26 players instead of 23 may incur additional costs in meals, accommodation and allowances, particularly during long-distance league fixtures.
There could also be internal financial implications depending on how clubs structure appearance fees, travel allowances and match bonuses for players who make the bench but do not feature.
Sportingly, the larger match-day squad gives coaches greater flexibility, especially when managing injuries, tactical changes and congested schedules.
But with only five substitutions available, several players on a 15-man bench may repeatedly travel without entering the game.
The new rules therefore give UPL clubs more room to build and manage deeper squads, but the benefits will depend on whether clubs can afford the additional numbers and still provide meaningful playing opportunities to the players they register.