The Federation of Uganda Football Associations (FUFA) has set 20th November 2026 as the opening date for registration for the 53rd edition of the Uganda Cup, the 2026/27 national knockout competition.
FUFA has communicated the participation requirements, registration fees and preliminary round arrangements to clubs and Regional Football Associations ahead of the new edition.
Participation will be mandatory for all 18 Uganda Premier League (UPL) clubs and 13 FUFA Big League (FBL) clubs, who will automatically enter the competition at the Round of 64.
All Third Division clubs will also be required to participate. These clubs, together with teams from the Fourth, Fifth and Sixth Divisions and other non-league clubs, will compete in preliminary rounds organised by their respective FUFA Regional Football Associations.
The regional preliminary competitions will produce 33 qualifiers to complete the Round of 64.
Regional allocation of qualifying slots
FUFA has allocated the 33 qualifying slots across the eight Regional Football Associations as follows:
- Buganda: 4 slots
- Kampala: 5 slots
- Eastern: 4 slots
- Western: 4 slots
- North East: 4 slots
- Kitara: 4 slots
- West Nile: 4 slots
- Northern: 4 slots
Registration fees
The registration fees for the 2026/27 competition have been set according to club categories:
- Uganda Premier League: UGX 300,000
- FUFA Big League: UGX 250,000
- Regional League (Third Division): UGX 150,000
- DFA (Fourth Division): UGX 100,000
- DFA (Fifth and Sixth Divisions): UGX 100,000
- Non-league clubs: UGX 300,000
Registration and preliminary round schedule
Registration will open on 20th November 2026, while all Regional Football Associations must submit their qualified teams to the FUFA Competitions Department by 20th December 2026.
Each Regional Football Association is responsible for organising its preliminary competition and submitting the proposed fixtures to the FUFA Competitions Department for guidance.
FUFA requires the final lists of qualified clubs to be submitted by the stipulated deadline. Failure to meet the deadline will result in the reallocation of the affected region’s qualifying slots.
Other competition dates will be communicated in accordance with the FUFA Calendar for the 2026/27 season.
Final and continental qualification
FUFA will communicate the host region, District Football Association and venue for the final in due course.
The winner of the 53rd edition of the Uganda Cup will earn sporting qualification to represent Uganda in the CAF Confederation Cup, subject to the applicable CAF eligibility and club licensing requirements.
FUFA calls upon all participating clubs and Regional Football Associations to take note of the communicated requirements and ensure timely compliance.
