Clubs will undergo an intensive pre-season program that includes player registration, amendments to competition regulations
Dar es Salaam. The Zanzibar Football Federation (ZFF) has confirmed that the 2026/27 PBZ Premier League season will kick off on August 29, 2026, with clubs set to begin a demanding campaign that will run through to May 18, 2027, according to the federation's newly released football calendar.
The calendar also confirms that the First Division League (FDL) will commence on the same date, marking the official start of domestic league football in Zanzibar after weeks of pre-season preparations.
Ahead of the opening round, clubs will undergo an intensive pre-season program that includes player registration, amendments to competition regulations, referees' fitness tests and Laws of the Game workshops, team managers' seminars, ICT training on the new ZFF management system, media training, and leadership and governance workshops.
The federation will also stage the 2026/2027 Community Shield before league action begins.
According to the schedule, the opening five rounds of league fixtures will be played between August 29 and September 26 before the competition pauses for FIFA international matches and the opening stages of the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers.
The calendar has been carefully aligned with FIFA and CAF competitions to minimize fixture congestion.
During the season, clubs participating in continental competitions will have to balance domestic commitments with the CAF inter-club preliminary rounds, which are scheduled for early September and again in October.
The CAF group stage registration period has also been factored into the program.
The Zanzibar FA Cup will also return as part of the packed domestic schedule, beginning with the preliminary rounds in October before progressing through the Round of 32, Round of 16, quarter-finals, semi-finals and culminating in the final on May 22, 2027.
The league will observe a mid-season break in January to accommodate the traditional Mapinduzi Cup, which is scheduled from January 1 to 14next year.
The ZFF has also designated the same period for the mid-season transfer window, which opens on December 15, 2026, and closes on January 31, 2027.
The football calendar also accommodates major international events, including FIFA international windows, the 2027 AFCON qualifiers, the FIFA Women's international windows.
