The road to the 2026/27 domestic football season officially got underway on Wednesday as the Malta Football Association conducted the draws for the men’s and women’s senior and youth competitions.
Broadcast live on TVMSport+ and streamed on the Malta FA’s YouTube channel, the draw established the opening fixtures and the sequence of matches across the various leagues ahead of the new campaign.
Challenge League set for another competitive season
The BOV Challenge League will once again feature 16 teams.
Clubs will play each other once during the opening phase of the competition before the league splits into two sections. The top eight teams will form the Top Eight Group, while the remaining clubs will compete in the Play-Out Group. Teams will then play each other once more within their respective groups, with the top two sides earning promotion to the Malta Premier and the bottom two from the Play-Out Group suffering relegation.
The season will begin on the weekend of 12 and 13 September.
Among the standout opening-day fixtures are Pietร Hotspurs against Naxxar Lions, while newly promoted Attard face Swieqi United and Victoria Hotspurs take on St Andrews.
Women’s champions begin title defence
The Assikura Women’s League will again consist of six clubs competing over four rounds, with each team playing 20 matches.
The league winners will be crowned national champions and qualify for the UEFA Women’s Champions League.
The new season gets underway between 17 and 19 September.
Defending champions Mฤกarr United will begin their title defence against Valletta, while Birkirkara meet San ฤ wann and Swieqi United face Hibernians in the other opening-round fixtures.
National League I begins under new identity
The former National Amateur League has been rebranded as BOV National League I, becoming the third tier of Maltese football.
The competition has been reduced to 12 teams, with clubs playing each other home and away over 22 matches.
The top two teams will earn promotion, while the bottom two will be relegated to National League II.
The opening round, scheduled for the weekend of 19 and 20 September, features recently relegated Marsa against newly promoted Kalkara United, while Pembroke Athleta host Qormi in another notable fixture.
National League II expanded
The fourth tier has also been renamed, becoming BOV National League II.
The competition has expanded to 14 teams, with each club playing 26 matches across two rounds.
The top two teams will be promoted to National League I, while the bottom two clubs will need to re-apply for participation next season.
The campaign starts on the weekend of 12 and 13 September, with several interesting fixtures, including Mdina Knights against Rabat Ajax and Msida St Joseph taking on Kirkop United.
With the fixture lists now confirmed, clubs across all divisions can begin their final preparations ahead of what promises to be another exciting domestic football season.
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