The Botswana Premier League will kick off this Friday for a packed 2025/26 season amid scheduling challenges and regulatory changes
GAZETTE REPORTER
The 2025/26 FNB Premiership season kicks off at 6pm this Friday with a fixture between BDF XI and defending champions Gaborone United at the Gaborone United Stadium.
Speaking on the sidelines of the Botswana Football Association (BFA) Ordinary General Assembly held in Jwaneng over the weekend, the CEO of Botswana Premier League (BPL), Bennett Mamelodi, said the season is expected to be demanding due to multiple breaks in the football calendar.
“It’s going to be a long season and there are other things to consider,” he said. “The FIFA international breaks and the Africa Cup of Nations break, which will take at least seven weeks from the season, are some of them. So the earlier we start, the better. We need to gain momentum.”
CAF interclub, AFCON
Mamelodi added that the timely start of the season is also aimed at allowing local teams participating in the Confederation of African Football (CAF) interclub competitions sufficient time to prepare for their campaigns.
He pointed out that beginning the season early is crucial to giving the national team, the Zebras, adequate preparation time ahead of the AFCON, which is scheduled to commence in December.
“We’ve seen a lot of commitment from the clubs and our staff, and we’re confident that the league will remain competitive and end on time,” he stated.
New betting restrictions
Meanwhile, addressing a press conference called by BPL over the weekend, Mamelodi revealed new restrictions aimed at maintaining the integrity of the local game.
Under the restrictions, players, BPL staff, and referees and their immediate family members are prohibited from betting on local matches.
“The idea is to work with betting companies around this. It’s going to be complicated though,” Mamelodi acknowledged, adding that the league is engaging stakeholders to ensure compliance and monitoring.