The Libyan Football Federation has denied reports that the start of the 2026-27 Premier League season has been postponed, with the competition still scheduled to begin on 8 October.
Conflicting reports had emerged over the possible delay, creating uncertainty among Libyan football supporters as clubs prepared for the new campaign.
Private sources told WinWin that there were indications the opening of the league could be pushed back, with football authorities expected to make a decision on the matter.
However, Abdullah Al-Shahoumi, head of the competitions committee of the Libyan Football Federation, said there had been no official decision to change the scheduled start date.
Al-Shahoumi confirmed that the league remains due to begin on 8 October, in line with the date established during the competition’s draw ceremony.
“Up to this moment, I have not received any official letter from the Executive Office of the Libyan Football Federation regarding postponing the competition.”
The 2026-27 Libyan Premier League will operate under an expanded format involving 28 clubs. The teams have been divided into two groups, with 14 clubs in each group.
Each team will compete against the other clubs in its group on a home-and-away basis before the competition reaches its decisive stage.
The league title will be settled through a direct final between the teams that finish at the top of the two groups. The relegation battle will also involve a significant number of clubs, with the bottom three teams from each group facing relegation.
That means six clubs will be relegated at the end of the season under the new competition format.
Another issue still awaiting a decision concerns supporters’ return to the stadiums.
Al-Shahoumi said there has been no official decision to lift the current restriction on fans attending matches. As a result, supporters are still waiting for further decisions from the relevant authorities on whether they will be permitted to return to the stands during the 2026-27 campaign.
The new season will begin with Al-Ittihad as the most successful club in the history of the Libyan Premier League, having won the competition 18 times.
Al-Ahly Tripoli are second on 14 league titles, while Al-Ahly Benghazi have won the championship four times.
Al-Madina, Al-Tahadi and Al-Nasr have each won the title three times, while Al-Mahalla have been champions twice.
Al-Dhahra, Al-Shatt, Al-Olympi, Darnes and Al-Suwaihli have each lifted the Libyan league trophy once.
For now, despite the reports of a possible postponement, the official position remains that the 2026-27 Libyan Premier League will start on 8 October. Any change to that schedule would require an official decision from the Libyan Football Federation.
