Zim GBC News | Sports Reporter
HARARE, Zimbabwe – The Zimbabwe Football Association (ZIFA) has tabled a significant proposal to reshape the nation’s football landscape, urging the Premier Soccer League (PSL) to expand to twenty teams and establish a National First Division (NFD) league by the 2026 season.
In a formal letter to the PSL, ZIFA outlined that the move is aimed at strengthening the entire football ecosystem by creating a broader platform for talent.
“Pursuant to our mandate to develop, organize, and regulate football across all levels in the country, ZIFA wishes to formally propose the increase in the number of teams participating in the Premier Soccer League from eighteen (18) to twenty (20), effective from the 2026 season,” the association stated in its communiqué.
The proposal also includes plans for wide-ranging consultations on the creation of a National First Division league. This new, unified national competition would replace the current structure of four regional Division One leagues, serving as the primary feeder league to the top flight.
“Expanding the league will create more opportunities for clubs from various regions to participate at the highest level, thereby promoting inclusivity, talent identification, and balanced regional representation,” ZIFA added, emphasizing the benefits of a larger, more inclusive league structure.
This is not the first time such an expansion has been attempted. A similar initiative was first introduced in 2017 under the leadership of Philip Chiyangwa, which saw the PSL grow to its current 18 teams. A subsequent effort during Felton Kamambo’s tenure as ZIFA president failed to materialize.
If successful, the 2026 implementation would mark the most substantial restructuring of Zimbabwean domestic football in nearly a decade.
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