New Regulations for the 2026/27 Armenian Premier League Approved: What Will Change This Season

The Executive Committee of the Football Federation of Armenia has held its latest meeting, after which the regulations for FFA professional football competitions for the 2026/27 season were approved.

The document was adopted following an online vote. Eight members of the Executive Committee voted in favor of approving the regulations, with no votes against and no abstentions.

The main changes concern the structure of the Armenian Premier League, relegation rules, play-off matches and BKMA’s special status.

The Armenian Premier League Will Keep the 12-Team Format

In the 2026/27 season, a maximum of 12 teams will be able to compete in the Armenian Premier League. The championship will be played in a round-robin format over three rounds.

In the first and second rounds, each team will play every opponent once at home and once away. The third round will follow the format of the first round. As a result, with 12 participants, each team will play 33 matches during the season.

At the same time, the number of Armenian Premier League participants may be changed before the 2027/28 season by a separate decision of the FFA Executive Committee.

The Last-Placed Team Will Be Relegated to the First League

Under the new regulations, the team that finishes last, in 12th place, in the Armenian Premier League table at the end of the season will lose the right to play in the top division the following season and will be able to continue only in the First League.

The winner of the First League, in turn, will earn the right to move up to the Armenian Premier League, provided it holds the required license.

If first place in the First League is taken by a team whose club is already represented in the Armenian Premier League, the right to promotion will pass to the next club in the table that has a license to participate in the top division.

The 11th-Placed Team Will Play a Relegation Play-Off

The team that finishes 11th in the Armenian Premier League will play a relegation play-off to keep its place in the top division.

Its opponent will be the team that finishes second in the First League. If that club is already represented in the Armenian Premier League or does not receive the required license, the right to participate in the play-off will pass to the next First League team that meets the requirements of the regulations.

The play-off match will be played as a single game on neutral ground. If regular time ends in a draw, the teams will play extra time. If the winner is still not determined after that, a penalty shootout will take place.

BKMA Cannot Be Relegated and Will Not Play in the Play-Offs

A separate clause in the regulations concerns BKMA. The team retains its special status in the Armenian Premier League and cannot be relegated to the First League on sporting grounds.

In addition, BKMA will not participate in relegation play-offs.

If BKMA finishes the season in 12th place, the team will keep its place in the Premier League, while the club that finishes 11th will lose the right to play in the top division. In that case, the team that finishes 10th will take part in the play-off.

If BKMA finishes in 11th place, its place in the play-off match will be taken by the team placed immediately above it in the standings.

Thus, BKMA’s participation in the Armenian Premier League remains protected by separate provisions of the regulations.

The Armenian Premier League Prize Fund Remains Unchanged

The financial conditions for participation and prize payments remain unchanged in the new regulations.

The participation fee for the Armenian Premier League is 4.5 million drams. For First League clubs, the fee is set at 1.5 million drams. Participation in the Armenian Cup and Super Cup remains free of charge.

The Armenian champion at the end of the 2026/27 season will receive 10 million drams, the Armenian Premier League trophy and 50 gold medals.

European Competition Places

The Armenian champion of the 2026/27 season will receive the right to compete in the 2027/28 UEFA Champions League, provided it holds the required license.

The Armenian Cup winner, as well as the teams finishing second and third in the Armenian Premier League, will receive the right to compete in European competitions. If the Armenian Cup is won by a team from the top three of the league, the European berth will pass to the club that finishes fourth in the Armenian Premier League.

If BKMA finishes in a position that gives the right to participate in European competitions, that berth will also pass to the next team in the standings.

Why the New Regulations Matter

The new regulations will make the battle at the bottom of the table more intense. Now 12th place leads directly to relegation, while 11th place means a relegation play-off. At the same time, BKMA’s special status could have a major impact on the distribution of places in the relegation and play-off zones.

For First League clubs, the regulations also open up an additional route to the elite: in addition to direct promotion for the champion, the second-placed club will get a chance to fight for a place in the Armenian Premier League through a play-off match.

The 2026/27 season will be the first after the approval of the updated regulations for FFA professional competitions and may significantly change the intrigue in the Armenian championship.

The full document can be downloaded via the link.

It should be noted that the 2025/26 season featured 10 teams and consisted of 27 rounds.