The 2026 transitional season kicked off over the weekend with the league split into two streams. It’s a short campaign with little room to recover from a slow start, and the opening round showed why.
There were upsets, a few statements and four promoted sides finding out what life at the top feels like. One weekend can’t settle a season, but it can say plenty about who’s ready for it.
Powerless Champions
Champions are supposed to start seasons by flexing, not flinching. Power Dynamos did the opposite on Saturday. They were beaten 2-1 by Konkola Blades at the very ground where they clinched last season’s title.
Such is the cruelty of football. Just in May, Power left Chililabombwe champions. They came back in October hoping to launch a decent title defence, but they left with nothing.
Blades, coached by Beston Chambeshi top Stream A. Power are pointless. It’s too early to call it a crisis, but it’s not a wobble they can shrug off.
Some scary stuff for their fans is that they have not won a game in their last four competitive matches.
Green Eagles throw down a marker
If you want to know who looked sharpest in the opening round, it’s Green Eagles. A 4-1 win over Mufulira Wanderers was the most convincing result of the weekend, and it puts them top of Stream B on goal difference, with Wanderers bottom after one round.
Elsewhere in Stream B, ZESCO United, only tenth last season, and Kabwe Warriors, fourth, shared a 1-1 draw at the Railways Stadium in Kabwe. It was an honest result but not an exciting one, and it hints at a Stream B where reputations may count for less than form. Eagles look the early threat. Whether they can stay there is another matter.
The promoted sides: one win, one draw, two defeats
The new boys arrived to a mixed reception.
Roan United were the pick of the bunch, the only promoted side to win, edging Nkwazi 2-1. That’s a perfect start for a club who’ll want to prove they belong.
This is a big result for the people of Luanshya in that it was Roan’s first Super League since their demotion back in 2013.
Makeni All Stars earned a goalless draw with Kansanshi Dynamos. It’s not glamorous, but a point on the road to an established side is a solid harvest.
Trident lost 1-0 at home to record champions Nkana. Losing to Nkana is no disgrace, but it’s still a defeat, and the margin suggests they weren’t far off.
Chirundu United had the roughest of it, beaten 2-0 by Green Buffaloes. They were the only newcomers to lose without scoring, and the only ones to concede twice.
Four points from twelve is a modest haul, but there’s no cause for panic yet. In a short season, though, early points matter, and Chirundu in particular will know they have work to do.
