The Congolese championship kicks off this Tuesday 20 October 2026, almost two months after the scheduled date, with 25 clubs split into two groups. TP Mazembe, the reigning champions, are the target to beat.
The 2026-2027 Linafoot is underway. According to Foot Africa, the official kick-off of the Illicocash Ligue 1 is given this Tuesday 20 October 2026 in the Democratic Republic of Congo, while the initial calendar had set the start for 30 August. The postponement will have lasted almost two months.
For this restart, the format is tighter: the field drops from 30 to 25 teams, split into two groups. Group A has 13 teams, Group B has 12. This is a transitional arrangement, ahead of the move to a single group.
Mazembe, the target to beat
Tout Puissant Mazembe go into this campaign as reigning champions, and therefore as favourites to be knocked off their perch. According to Flashscore, the club face Butras in the opening game of their domestic calendar. The score and kick-off time of that match are not known at this stage.
A transitional year towards a single group
This 2026-2027 season is, according to Foot Africa, a transitional year towards a single-group championship. The Congolese Ligue 1 will be stabilised at 20 clubs from the 2027-2028 campaign.
The sporting toll of the campaign will be heavy: at the end of the season, 8 clubs will be relegated to the lower tier, against only 3 promotions from Ligue 2. That represents almost a third of the 25 clubs involved.
The reduction in the number of participants, from 30 to 25, accompanies this transition to a single group.
Vita Club barred from signing players
AS Vita Club begin the season with a handicap: the club was recently hit with a transfer registration ban before the resumption of the competition, reports Foot Africa. The reason for the sanction and the body that imposed it are not specified.
In an off-season already marked by the postponement of the championship, this measure limits the reinforcements available to launch the campaign.
The weekend of 23-25 October 2026 will offer a first glimpse: the continuation of the first Linafoot matchday and the return legs of the CAF preliminaries are scheduled for that period.