2026 Interim League Matchday 1 Concludes
Yesterday, 12 September, the first matches of the so-called "MFF Development League Interim Season 2026" kicked off with the remaining matches being played today.
The 2026 Interim League is being held as the MFF transitions from a split Autumn to Spring schedule to a Spring to Autumn schedule beginning in 2027. This new format will allow the league to play a continuous season without pausing for the harsh Mongolian winter. In the opening round of the 2026 interim league, each club will play each other once for eight matches each with final first round matches being played 19 October. At that point, the league will be divided into a leader's group for teams ranked 1-5 in the league standings and a loser's group for teams 6-9. Each club will play the other's in its new group two more times to determine final standings. The overall winner will represent Mongolia in the 2027-28 AFC Challenge League. There will be no teams relegated during the interim season
The 2027 Mongolian Premier League season will kick off in April 2027. The league will again feature ten clubs as Khangarid FC will return after opting to sit out the interim season and join the nine teams who are participating in the interim league.
Below are the results from Matchday 1:
12 September 2026
Hunters FC 1 vs. Deren FC 2
Park Yeon-Seung (22')
A. Purevsuren (41')
B. Batmunkh (80' Pen.)
Hunters FC opened the scoring with a Park Yeon-Seung tally in the 22nd minute set up by fellow Korean and last year's MPL top scorer Ki-tae Min. The club couldn't hold the lead, however, as B. Batmunkh converted his penalty in the 82nd minute to secure the 2-1 victory for Deren.
Amtat FC 0 vs. Central Stallions 2
Kumoki Shuto (11', 32')
Amtat FC took the field for its first top-flight match still wearing its WARD FC kits as its rebranding was only announced earlier this week. Central Stallions took an early lead through off-season signing Japanese midfielder Shuto Kumoki who last played for Kaya FC in the Philippines top flight. Kumoki struck twice in the first half to secure the 2-0 victory.
13 September 2026
Ulaangom City 0 vs. Erchim FC 1
G. Batbilguun (70')
Ulaangom City took the field with almost an entirely new squad after a major roster overhaul this summer. The team held newly-promoted Erchim FC scoreless for seventy minutes before G. Batbilguun broke the deadlock. Erchim held on to secure the 1-0 victory.
Khovdyn Khuleguud 4 vs. Khovd Western 0
Soshi Kadowaki (36' pen., 53')
Tatsuya Iwamoto (72')
Makhura Jonas Mmamaite (78')
It was a day of scoring by Khovdyn Khuleguud's legionnaires as three foreign-born players scored a total of four goals to give the club a 4-0 victory over provincial rivals Khovd Western. New signing Soshi Kadowaki scored two goals to join his countryman Kumoki Shuto at the top of the league scoring charts. Kadowaki joined in the off-season from FC Jurong Reserves in Indonesia. Tatsuya Iwamoto continued the trend of Japanese scoring in the 72nd minute before Makhura Jonas Mmamaite rounded out the scoring six minutes later.
Reigning champions FC Ulaanbaatar had a bye week as this season the league features nine clubs rather than the typical ten. The club will play its first match on 17 September against Deren FC to finish out Matchday 2 fixtures.
As has become the norm in recent seasons, several clubs took to social media to question the league's structure and intent. Among the most vocal is Western FC who published a letter to the Mongolian Football Federation on 5 August questioning the lack of communication or notice provided to the clubs about the season. Among the key points of the letter is that short notice does not allow clubs to adequately prepare its roster and secure required funding while calling the league organization unprofessional and accusing the committee of shoddily planning a season that meets FIFA and the AFC's bare minimum requirements to receive its yearly funding. The point was also made that squeezing so many matches into a short calendar is not beneficial to the health and safety of the players. Other clubs either published statements of their own or shared Western FC's post. The MFF did not release a schedule for the current season to the public until 5 September, only one week before the start of matches.
Despite the concerns raised by clubs regarding he planning of the 2026 season, the format change moving forward is a welcome one and the correct decision by league organizers. The change will bring Mongolia more in line with other "summer leagues" worldwide in addition to determining AFC competition entrants sooner. Watch MFC for more exclusive content as the season unfolds.
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