The race for promotion to Sierra Leone’s top-flight football league will officially begin today, as Marampa Stars FC face Western United FC in the opening match of the 2026 National Division One Playoffs at the Port Loko Mini Stadium.
The highly anticipated clash between the two regional champions, scheduled for 10:00 a.m. on Wednesday, July 8, 2026, marks the start of a tournament that will determine which clubs secure places in the 2026/27 Leone Rock Premier League.
Later in the day, Great Scarcies FC of Kambia District will take on Waterloo FC in the second fixture of the opening round. The Sierra Leone Football Association (SLFA) has grouped the 10 qualified teams into two pools of five after the conclusion of regional Super-10 championships across the country’s five football regions, namely: East, Northeast, Northwest, Southern and Western Area.
Group A comprises Makeni’s Sebora, Marampa Stars, Prospect FC, Ram Kay, and Western United, while Group B features Al-Kallon, Great Scarcies, Kholifa Stars, Premier Academy and Waterloo FC.
Under the tournament format, each team will play its group opponents once, with the top two teams accumulating the highest points earning automatic promotion to Sierra Leone’s premier men’s football competition, the Leone Rock Premier League.
The playoffs, being hosted in Port Loko for the first time, are expected to attract football enthusiasts from across the country as clubs battle for a coveted place in the nation’s elite division.
