2025/26 Ghana Premier League enters bold chapter: Big money, free TV, fierce title race
The 2025/26 Ghana Premier League (GPL) roared into action this weekend with a renewed sense of purpose, heightened expectations, and the promise of a brighter, richer, and more competitive era for domestic football.
The new season began in grand style yesterday when Accra Hearts of Oak hosted debutants Hohoe United (the 10th team from the Volta Region to ever feature in Ghana’s topflight) at the Accra Sports Stadium, a match watched by only a handful of spectators despite heightened expectations of a fierce battle for honours by the 18 clubs.
Fresh broadcast dawn
Perhaps the most transformative development is the entry of new broadcast partners, TV3, Onua TV, and Adesa+ streaming. Under a landmark deal with Adesa Productions Limited (APL), the league will now enjoy world-class production across free-to-air television and digital platforms, guaranteeing millions of Ghanaians unprecedented access to live games.
For the first time in over a decade, Ghana’s top-flight football has returned to free-to-air television, and football fans no longer have to pay for TV subscriptions on SuperSport and StarTimes to follow their favourite clubs.
Now, with syndicated live commentary across 78 radio stations nationwide, the league is set to reach every corner of Ghana, and it ensures that no supporter is left behind.
To complement this, half-time flash interviews—a first for the league—will bring viewers instant tactical insights directly from the dugouts, aligning the competition with the best global practices in sports broadcasting. The GPL is not only back on terrestrial television; it is back in style.
Big money, big ambitions
The financial uplift this season is staggering. Thanks to the new rights package, prize money has quadrupled, with the champions set to pocket GH¢2 million—up from the GH¢500,000 Bibiani Gold Stars received for winning last term.
Each of the 18 clubs is also guaranteed a GH¢1 million participation fee, offering a solid financial foundation before a ball is kicked.
In total, GH¢9.5 million in merit awards will be spread across the top 15 finishers. For many clubs long accustomed to operating on shoestring budgets, this windfall marks the dawn of sustainability and competitiveness.
The GFA’s new minimum wage policy—GH¢1,500 monthly for Premier League players—adds another layer of security, aligning with FIFA’s standards and ensuring footballers can pursue careers at home rather than flee abroad for survival wages.
The hope is that better pay and stability will keep top players at home longer, raise the overall technical quality of the league, and ultimately strengthen Ghanaian clubs in continental competitions.
Bibiani Gold Stars enter the season as defending champions, an unfamiliar position for the Western Region club. Last season’s fairy tale was built on consistency and tactical balance, but retaining the crown is another matter altogether.
Coach Frimpong Manso’s side have bolstered their ranks with experienced forwards Emmanuel Agyenim Boateng, Prince Opoku Agyemang, and Burkinabé striker Sanou Razack.
They begin their defence against Bechem United at Dun’s Park tomorrow, aiming to avoid the champions’ curse — no side has retained the GPL title since Asante Kotoko in the 2013-2014 season.
Giants reload
The traditional giants, Kotoko and Hearts, have not taken their recent struggles lightly. Both clubs have invested heavily and will arrive in 2025/26 with renewed hunger, determined to wrestle the crown back to their trophy rooms.
Kotoko, under the guidance of the seasoned Abdul Karim Zito, enter the new season in a buoyant mood, having bagged the President’s Cup, the Toyota Cup in South Africa, and Ghana’s Champion of Champions match in pre-season.
The Porcupine Warriors have reinforced their squad with goalkeeper Dari Aziz Haruna and Guinean striker Morifing Donzo, signalling their intent to compete on all fronts.
Hearts, meanwhile, are banking on fresh energy under new coach Mas-Ud Didi Dramani. The Phobians lifted both the Gbese Mantse Homowo Cup and the 2025 Democracy Cup in pre-season and impressed in the GHALCA Top Four.
Their squad rebuild features goalkeeper Solomon Agbasi and striker Prince Kwabena Owusu, among others. For a club that have drifted off the domestic summit for too long, this season offers a chance at redemption.
This season will see the nostalgic return of Swedru All Blacks to the top flight after a 15-year exile. Led by Egyptian coach Ahmed Fati and spearheaded by last season’s Division One goal king, Rudolf Junior Nana Mensah—who netted a staggering 27 goals in 21 matches—the Black and Whites are determined to revive their storied past.
Managerial Merry-go-round
Technical benches have also seen a shake-up. Only two of the 18 Ghana Premier League clubs will be led by foreign coaches this season. Swedru All Blacks have turned to Egyptian tactician Ahmed Fati, while Aduana FC continue their project under Romanian Cioba Arista.
Continuity remains the preferred route for many sides, with 10 clubs retaining their head coaches.
Among them are Abdul Karim Zito at Asante Kotoko, Frimpong Manso at champions Gold Stars, Nurudeen Amadu at Karela United, Nana Agyemang at Vision FC, Ibrahim Tanko at Medeama SC, Samuel Boadu at Berekum Chelsea, Christopher Ennin at Samartex, Bashir Hayford at Heart of Lions, and Kasim Mingle Ocansey at Nations FC.
Elsewhere, the winds of change have blown across the technical benches. Hearts of Oak have handed the reins to Mas-Ud Didi Dramani, Eleven Wonders turned to Nii Odartey Lamptey, Basake Holy Stars recruited Augustine Evans Adotey, Hohoe United appointed Tijani Abdul Rahman Bashiru, Dreams FC named Winfred Dormon, Bechem United installed Stephen Desmond-Issah Botchway, while Young Apostles placed their faith in Abdul Henan.
For these clubs, fresh leadership is seen as the spark to reset ambitions and sharpen tactical direction.
All signs point to a fiercely contested campaign. The West Region has dominated the past three years—thanks to Medeama SC, FC Samartex 1996, and Gold Stars—leaving the traditional giants desperate to reclaim lost ground.
Meanwhile, ambitious sides like Aduana Stars, Nations FC, and Dreams FC lurk in the wings, ready to pounce on any slip in a season that promises a drama-filled nine months.
