SportPesa Premier League 2026: Gor Mahia, AFC Leopards & the Title Race
The 2025/26 SportPesa Premier League title race ended with Gor Mahia crowned champions for a record-extending 22nd time, after a season-long duel with AFC Leopards that came down to the final rounds. It was the closest Kenyan top-flight race in years, a throwback to the old Gor Mahia and AFC Leopards duopoly, and Ingwe’s strongest title push in over two decades before they fell agonisingly short. Here is how the race unfolded and what it means for both giants.
The quick answer: how the title was decided
Gor Mahia sealed the championship on 24 May 2026, without even playing. AFC Leopards needed to win at APS Bomet to keep their fading hopes alive, but a Philip Wasai brace handed Bomet a 2-1 win, mathematically confirming Gor Mahia as champions with games to spare. K’Ogalo finished on 68 points, four clear of AFC Leopards on 64. It was Gor Mahia’s 22nd league title, extending their record as Kenya’s most successful club, and it returned them to the CAF Champions League.
Final top of the table
| Pos | Club | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gor Mahia (Champions) | 68 |
| 2 | AFC Leopards | 64 |
| 3 | Kakamega Homeboyz | (chasing pack) |
| 4 | Kenya Police | (chasing pack) |
Gor Mahia and AFC Leopards pulled clear of the field, turning the title race into a two-horse contest reminiscent of the 1980s, when the two clubs dominated Kenyan football.
The race that defined the season
For much of the campaign, this was genuinely tight. At one point only two points separated the rivals, and AFC Leopards even topped the standings in January. Gor Mahia then went on a long unbeaten run and opened a nine-point lead after 22 rounds, looking like comfortable champions.
Then it wobbled. A 1-0 loss to Tusker at Wang’uru Stadium ended Gor’s 16-match unbeaten run and let a surging AFC Leopards cut the gap back to two points, setting up a nail-biting homestretch. For the first time in 14 years, the title looked like it might go to the wire between the old archrivals.
The Mashemeji Derby decided it
The decisive moment came in the derby. Gor Mahia beat AFC Leopards 1-0 in the return Mashemeji Derby on 26 April, a result that let K’Ogalo open a critical gap at exactly the right time. Across the season, the two derby meetings were the emotional heartbeat of the league, shifting momentum and packing out Nyayo National Stadium. In the end, the head-to-head record went Gor’s way, and that proved the difference.
AFC Leopards: so close, still waiting
For AFC Leopards, the season was both encouraging and painful. Ingwe finished second on 64 points, 13 more than the previous season, making them the most improved team in the league and earning praise for the project led by the Ambani brothers, chairman Boniface and coach Fred. But the bottom line did not change: their wait for a league title since 1998 stretches to 28 years. Crucial late defeats to Kenya Police and Gor Mahia ultimately cost them.
Beyond the big two
The season had strong subplots away from the title race:
- Golden Boot: Murang’a Seal striker Joseph Waithira won it with 19 goals, narrowly ahead of Ulinzi Stars’ Paul Okoth on 18.
- Gor’s depth: Ebenezer Assifuah-Inkoom led the champions’ scoring with eight, in a balanced side that won a league-high 38 points on the road.
- Shabana’s rise: The Gusii outfit pulled some of the biggest home crowds in the league, at times outdrawing both giants.
- Off-field drama: A leadership dispute at the federation, including a failed attempt to remove FKF President Hussein Mohammed (rejected by FIFA), and persistent complaints about refereeing standards hung over the campaign.
What it means going forward
Gor Mahia head into the CAF Champions League as Kenyan champions, with the job now to translate domestic dominance into continental respect. AFC Leopards face the harder emotional task: turning “most improved” and “so close” into an actual title, and proving this competitive era was a foundation rather than another near-miss.
The bottom line: the 2025/26 SportPesa Premier League will be remembered as the season the Gor Mahia and AFC Leopards rivalry roared back to life. Gor Mahia won the trophy and the bragging rights, but AFC Leopards made it a genuine race for the first time in years, and that rivalry is the best thing Kenyan club football has going into next season.
For full standings and results, see the Football Kenya Federation, and global match data is tracked on Flashscore. For more on the players these clubs are producing for the national team, read our piece on the top Kenyan players abroad in 2026, and for more sports news and analysis across Kenya and Africa, visit the K-One Media homepage.