THE 2025-26 GHANA PREMIER LEAGUE KICKS OFF ON FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 12

• By: Isaac Amponsah (Dr Ike) and Aaron Kintoh 

The Ghana Premier League will officially kick off on the weekend of September 12, 2025, across the length and breadth of the country, featuring exciting matches. 

The 2025-26 season of the Ghana League will be the 63rd edition since the competition started in 1956, but it will be the 29th edition since the inception of the Ghana Premier League on December 18, 1993, in the 1993-94 season. 

Clubs across the country have strengthened their technical teams and recruited a blend of youth and experience as they aim to improve their squads and challenge for honors.

FACTSGH.COM aims to briefly provide insightful information to our readers about the Ghana League before the commencement of the 2025-26 season. 

Below is some vital information.

• Ghana League was first organized by the country's former Football Association President in 1956. The Association was then headed by Mr. Richard Akwei, alias Lion Heart.

• He initially named the competition GAFA Championship, which represented the Gold Coast Amateur Football Association (GAFA).

• Fourteen (14) clubs were set to take part in the competition, namely:
1. Hearts of Oak
2. Great Olympics
3. Asante Kotoko
4. Standfast FC
5. Great Argonauts
6. Ebusua Dwarfs
7. Venomous Vipers
8. Cornerstone
9. Kumasi Dynamos
10. Eleven Wise
11. Hasaacas
12. Obuasi Everton
13. Obuasi Hearts of Oak
14. Kumasi Evergreens

• However, before the start of the league season, Kumasi Asante Kotoko, Kumasi Cornerstone, Kumasi Evergreens, Obuasi Hearts of Oak, Obuasi Everton, and Kumasi Dynamos boycotted (withdrew). It was left with only eight clubs from the Southern Sector, and the league association called the league off mid-way.

• Due to the boycott of the league by Kumasi Evergreens, Kumasi Dynamos, Obuasi Hearts of Oak, and Obuasi Everton, they cannot be included in the number of clubs featured in the Ghana League at its initial stages. However, Great Argonauts from Accra can be part of the number of clubs featured in the Ghana League because they played in the league before it was brought to an end.

The 1956 season saw eight teams competing (Accra Hearts of Oak, Accra Great Olympics, Standfast FC, Great Argonauts, Cape Coast Ebusua Dwarfs, Cape Coast Venomous Vipers, Sekondi Eleven Wise, and Sekondi Hasaacas). Hearts of Oak were declared winners halfway.

• The 2025-26 season of the Ghana League will be the 63rd edition since the competition started in 1956, but it will be the 29th edition since the inception of the Ghana Premier League on December 18, 1993, in the 1993-94 season.

• The 2025-26 season will be the 12th time that the Ghana elite competition will be played with 18 clubs.

• The debut 18-club league was the 1962-63 season, which Accra Real Republicans won, followed by the 1963-64 season, which Asante Kotoko won.

• Moreover, Asante Kotoko won the 1975 season title with 18 clubs competing, and Hearts of Oak repeated that feat in the 1978 season.

• Furthermore, Hearts of Oak won the 1979 season with 18 clubs, while Asante Kotoko won in 1980. Similarly, Hearts of Oak won the 2020-21 season with 18 clubs, and Asante Kotoko took the title in the 2021-22 season.

• The 2022-23 season was won by Medeama SC with 60 points, and FC Samartex 1996 took the title in the 2023-24 season, a league featuring 18 clubs, with 61 points.

• The 2023-24 season was the last time a Ghanaian top-flight competition featured 18 clubs competing. That season, FC Samartex emerged as the champions and will hope to replicate that feat this season.

• Since the inception of the Ghana League, 106 new clubs have featured, and only fourteen (14) clubs have won the title so far, with Kumasi Asante Kotoko being the most successful club with 24 titles, followed by Accra Hearts of Oak (21), Obuasi Ashanti Gold [Goldfields] (4), Accra Great Olympics (2), Dormaa Aduana FC (2), Sekondi Eleven Wise (1), Real Republicans (1), Cape Coast Ebusua Dwarfs (1), Sekondi Hasaacas (1), Berekum Chelsea (1), Legon Cities [Wa All-Stars] (1), Tarkwa Medeama SC (1), Samreboi FC Samartex 1996 (1), and Bibiani Gold Stars (1).

.Legon Cities (Wa All Stars) was the 11th club to win the title, while Medeama SC became the 12th, FC Samartex 1996 was the 13th, and Bibiani Gold Stars is the 14th and last new club so far to win the title.

• The defending champions, Bibiani Gold Stars FC, are the fifth club from the Western part of Ghana to have won Ghana's top-flight league title since its inception in 1956:
- Sekondi Eleven Wise (1960-61)
- Sekondi Hasaacas (1977)
- Tarkwa Medeama SC (2022-23)
- Samreboi FC Samartex 1996 (2023-24)

• Three Premier League clubs, Techiman Eleven Wonders (Zone 1 champions), Swedru All Blacks (Zone 2 champions), and Hohoe United (formerly Liberty Professionals) (Zone 3 champions), will participate in the 2025-26 Ghana Premier League campaign.

• Techiman Eleven Wonders is the third team from Techiman to participate in the Ghana Premier League, following Techiman Holy Stars (1985-86) and Techiman City (2015-16), with Techiman Eleven Wonders joining in 2020-21.

Apart from Techiman Eleven Wonders, which played in the league for more than one season, the other two teams were relegated the same season they joined the league.

• Swedru All Blacks' first appearance in the Ghana League was in the 1961-62 season, and they placed 9th at the end of the season. They were relegated for the first time at the end of their second season (1962-63). Swedru All Blacks was the first club from Swedru to participate in the Ghanaian top-flight competition. Swedru Fankobaah FC became the second team, joining in the 1963-64 season.

• Hohoe United (formerly Liberty Professionals)
Note that Liberty Professionals' name was changed to Hohoe United in June 2023, following the sale of their Division One slot to new owners, led by the then Member of Parliament for Hohoe, Peter Amewu. The Ghana Football Association (GFA) approved the name change after receiving the necessary documents from the new ownership group.

• Basake Holy Stars is the 10th club from the Western part of Ghana to have participated in Ghana's top-flight league since its inception in 1956:
- Sekondi Hasaacas 
- Sekondi Eleven Wise 
- Sekondi Ghana Independence 
- Tarkwa Wassaman United 
- Tarkwa Gold Stars 
- Prestea Mines Stars 
- Aiyinase Karela United 
- Bibiani Gold Stars 
- FC Samartex 1996 
- Basake Holy Stars 

Note that although Medeama SC is from the Western Region, they were previously known as Kessben FC, associated with the Ashanti Region.

• Asante Kotoko pulled out of the 1956 and 1967 seasons. Asante Kotoko refused to participate in the 1967 season following controversy over how the GFA had handled their coin toss loss in the 1967 African Champions Cup. In 1967, the league was played on a knockout basis, and Cape Coast Ebusua Dwarfs won the tournament through a coin toss after drawing 1-1 on two occasions with Sekondi Eleven Wise in the final.

Below is match Day 1 fixtures:

• Friday September 12, 2025
Venue: Accra Hearts of Oak vs Hohoe United FC (7:00pm)

• Saturday, September 13, 2025
Venue: Golden City Park
Berekum Chelsea vs Kumasi Asante kotoko 3:00pm

• Saturday September 13, 2025
Venue: Dun's Park 
Bibiani Gold Stars vs Bechem United 3:00pm

• Sunday, September 14, 2025
Venue: Kpando Sports Stadium 
Heart of Lions vs Dreams FC 3:00pm

• Sunday, September 14, 2025
Venue: Nsenkyire Sports Arena
Basake Holy Stars vs Techiman Eleven Wonders 3:00pm

• Sunday, September 14, 2025
Venue: Nii Adjei Kraku II Park
Vision FC vs FC Samartex 1996 3:00pm

• Sunday, September 14, 2025
Venue: Nana Agyemang Badu II Park 
Young Apostles vs Medeama SC 3:00pm

• Sunday, September 14, 2025
Venue: Aliu Mahama Sports Stadium 
Karela United vs Aduana FC 3:00pm

• Sunday, September 14, 2025
Venue: Dr Kwame Kyei Sports Complex 
Nations FC vs Swedru All Blacks FC 3:00pm