Sports
GFA unveils 2025/26 Premier League season; Kotoko/Hearts to clash on Match Day 5
The Ghana Football Association (GFA) has officially released the fixture list for the 2025/26 Ghana Premier League season, setting the stage for another thrilling campaign of local football.
The season will kick off on the weekend of September 12, 2025, with defending champions Gold Stars FC beginning their title defence at home against Bechem United at the Duns Park in Bibiani.
Some of the biggest opening-weekend clashes include Accra Hearts of Oak hosting Premier League debutants Hohoe United, while their arch-rivals Asante Kotoko SC travel to the Golden City Park to face Berekum Chelsea.
Meanwhile, Medeama SC and FC Samartex begin their campaigns away at Young Apostles and Vision FC, respectively.
The first leg of the highly anticipated “Super Clash” between Hearts of Oak and Asante Kotoko will take place on Match Day 5 at the Accra Sports Stadium, with the reverse fixture scheduled for Match Day 22 in Kumasi at the Baba Yara Sports Stadium.
The season will also see the return of regional derbies that are expected to reignite old rivalries.
In the Volta Region, newly promoted Hohoe United will take on Kpando Heart of Lions on Match Day 17, with the reverse leg set for Match Day 34, the final day of the season.
The Brong Ahafo derbies will feature multiple showdowns between Young Apostles, Bechem United, Aduana FC, and Berekum Chelsea.
In the Western Region, Medeama SC will face Basake Holy Stars on Match Day 15 in what is already being billed as a fiery Western Derby, while FC Samartex take on Holy Stars on Match Day 14.
According to the GFA, the 2025/26 season will end on the weekend of May 23/24, 2026, aligning with the global football calendar and giving Ghanaian players ample time to prepare for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Matches will be played on weekends, with midweek dates reserved for outstanding fixtures. Congress is scheduled for Tuesday, August 12, 2025, ahead of the league’s start.
By: Jacob Aggrey
Otto Addo is taking a calm and focused approach to the World Cup after being drawn against England, Panama, and Croatia in Group L.
“I look forward to every game as special,” he told ghanafa.org.
“Very important for us that we don’t underrate any team. For sure, England is the favourite in that group,” he acknowledged. “But for me as a coach, to be honest, I’m looking at each and every game equally.”
Addo is particularly focused on getting a strong start against Panama. “I’m hoping that we have a good start against Panama, that will be very, very crucial,” he said. “It will make the other games a little bit more relaxed and easier for the players psychologically. We will use the window of March for test matches, and then see,” he said.
Despite being a young team, Addo is proud of his squad’s progress. “I think we did very well in the qualifiers ” he said. “We didn’t lose a single official game, like the qualifying games, we did very well. We just played one draw and the rest we won, so we had quite a good year in 2025, after a bad year in 2024’’.
“Even though we have a very young team, we really, really did well, had a good harmony in the team, good union,” he added.
Ghana will open their FIFA World Cup campaign against Panama in Toronto on June 17 before facing England and Croatia in the other Group L matches on June 23 and 27 respectively.
The unbeaten away run of Accra Hearts of Oak will be put to the test tomorrow when they visit the Aliu Mahama Sports Stadium in Tamale to play as guests of Karela United. Described as one of the top-liners of the weekend games, the match will pitch one of the best home teams against the best away team, with their records on the line.
After playing a pulsating 2-2 draw with Kumasi Asante Kotoko last week, league leaders Medeama SC return to their fortress, the TnA Stadium, to welcome Berekum Chelsea FC in a clash of former league winners. Medeama have struggled in recent times to hold their own against the ‘Bibires’, losing their last four games both home and away.
However, according to Head Coach of Medeama, Tanko Ibrahim, that sequence of results will come to an end tomorrow as they look to crawl out of the claws of their opponents with victory. Eleven points separate the sides, with Berekum Chelsea lying a distant 14th position on the log. They have been a pale shadow of themselves this season, and it remains to be seen if Coach Samuel Boadu’s side can keep the bragging rights over the Yellow and Mauves in what has been described as one of their worse starts to a league season.
Today, second-placed Kpando Heart of Lions will trek to the Kwame Kyei Sports Complex in Abrankese to play as guests of struggling Nations FC. Having suffered a 1-0 away loss to Basake Holy Stars in their last game, Nations FC would look to pick all three points to better their current 12th position.
In other games, the Hohoe Sports Stadium will come alive as new boys Hohoe United FC welcome Kumasi Asante Kotoko. The Nii Adjei Kraku II Sports Complex in Tema will host the Vision FC versus Young Apostles FC game, the Tuba Astro Turf will host the Dreams FC versus Bechem United FC clash, while the Nsenkyire Sports Arena will host the Samartex FC versus Bibiani Gold Stars game. High-riding Aduana FC will sort things out with Basake Holy Stars at the Nana Agyeman Badu I Park in Dormaa.
By Raymond Ackumey
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