Uzbekistan Super League may transition to autumn-spring system
The Professional Football League of Uzbekistan plans to hold the Super League season under the autumn-spring system. In this regard, the League's work plan was presented to the representatives of the General Meeting.
Uzbekistan Super League may switch to autumn-spring system
According to the proposed project, there is a possibility that the new system will be introduced starting from the 2028/29 season.
The preliminary calendar is set as follows:
Uzbekistan Cup — from March 1 to May 31, 2028;
summer transfer window — from July 1 to September 9 (10 weeks);
first round of the Super League — from August 18 to December 24;
winter transfer window — from January 2 to February 13, 2029 (6 weeks);
second round of the Super League — from February 23 to May 31.
Thus, instead of the current spring-autumn format, a system is being proposed where the championship starts in August and ends in May of the following year.
If the proposal is approved, this will be the first autumn-spring season in the history of the Uzbekistan championship. Since its establishment in 1992, the Uzbekistan Super League (formerly the Higher League) has always been held under the spring-autumn system, i.e., within one calendar year.
The PFL has not yet disclosed the reasons for switching to the new system.
However, this may be related to adapting to the calendar of the Asian Football Confederation club competitions. In 2022, the AFC decided to transition club competitions to the autumn-spring system, and the new calendar came into force from the 2023/24 season.
The two different calendars cause long breaks in the participation of Uzbek clubs in AFC tournaments. For example, "Neftchi", which became the champion of Uzbekistan in November 2025, played its first match in the AFC Champions League on September 14, 2026 — almost 10 months later. That is, after winning the ticket to the Asian competition through the championship, the club was forced to wait almost a year to actually use it.
Switching the Super League to the autumn-spring system could significantly shorten this period. Under the new calendar, a club that becomes the champion of Uzbekistan in May can start its participation in AFC club competitions after the summer break. This will reduce the time gap between the end of the domestic championship and the start of Asian competitions.
Starting from the 2024/25 season, AFC club competitions are also being held on an autumn-spring calendar in a new three-tier format, including the Champions League Elite, Champions League 2, and Challenge League.