FSL Champions League 2025 launches on Friday
The much-anticipated FSL Champions League 2025 will finally see its kickoff next Friday, November 14, at the Racecourse ground in Colombo, following a brief postponement of two weeks. The 14-team premier football competition, fully organised and hosted by Football Sri Lanka (FSL), will feature a total of 85 games in the coming weekends, consisting of six games per week.
“The reason behind holding the competition two weeks after its intended kickoff date was mainly due to requests made by almost all participating clubs, and the persistent weather conditions that hampered the preparations of the teams, as well as the competition,” explained Jaswar Umar, the President of FSL.
The FSL Champions League 2025 will see 14 teams competing in two groups of seven each, playing against one another. Group ‘A’ has been lined up with Java Lane SC, Saunders SC, New Star SC, Serendib FC, Sri Lanka Transport Board, Negombo Youth FC and Crystal Palace FC, while Matara Citi FC, Solid SC, Moragasmulla SC, Police SC, Super Sun SC, Pelicans SC and St Mary’s SC form Group ‘B’.
Each team will play six games in the group stage, with the top two sides of each group advancing to the final round. The remaining 10 teams, formed by the bottom sides, will compete in the relegation round, with two teams expected to give way for their replacements from the lower tier.
All matches are scheduled to be played at the Racecourse ground, with two games lined up each on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, completing a weekend of action at a single venue. With the entire hosting responsibility of the competition falling on the shoulders of FSL, on behalf of the competing clubs, the current football administration hopes to implement changes from this comeback event, expecting the clubs to take over their own hosting responsibilities from next season.
“FSL is not just hosting a tournament after a massive dearth of competitions. After considerable planning and a comprehensive restructure, FSL’s intention is to initiate the long-overdue football culture, and the possibility of the game being utilised as a mode of entertainment under a festival atmosphere. That intent will be practically put into action with the Champions League,” Umar revealed.
With this projected idea, FSL has drawn plans to create fan zones, starting from the main venue, the Racecourse ground in Colombo, where fans will experience action, entertainment and other activities firsthand, including watching the game live on a giant screen surrounded by food stalls. The organisers have teamed up with the title partner of the Champions League, Supreme TV, to create fan zones at selected locations across the island, mainly from where competing teams originate.
“We have earmarked Jaffna, Matara, Beruwela and probably a few areas around Colombo as potential fan zones for now. This is an extra project beyond what we had for the competition, and we are currently looking out for more partners to make this project a feasible one.”
Unlike in past years, FSL has laid out a plan to issue entry tickets at reasonable and affordable prices, targeting each game, double-headers, and even a weekend pass, where the rates reduce with the number of matches in a single ticket. Each team will be presented with two playing kits and a monetary grant for each match, along with additional benefits for players who emerge as player-of-the-match at each game and for the scorer of the ‘goal of the week’.
“This is something that takes place around the world, and for the game to sustain itself, players and teams should be compensated as well as educated on the potential clubs and players can gain financially if they properly lay out a plan. Following this season, each team will have to perform their duties as hosts, with lessons from this season, and that’s the motive — to inculcate the value and maintain it in the coming years,” Umar noted, explaining the rationale behind FSL entirely hosting the whole competition.
The FSL Champions League 2025 will kick off with an opening ceremony at the Racecourse on Friday, and the unveiling of the trophy that’s up for grabs. All matches will be shown live on the free-to-air, satellite and live-streaming platforms of Supreme TV and FSL.