Schoolboy football gets 2026 format makeover

The Inter-Secondary Schools Sports Association (ISSA) schoolboy football competitions have undergone a massive overhaul ahead of the 2026 season as both the urban and rural competitions have seen a change in format.

ISSA president Keith Wellington confirmed a change in format for the Manning Cup, daCosta Cup, Walker Cup, and Ben Francis Cup competitions.

Wellington said the changes were made with the intent of keeping the competitions fresh and entertaining for players and fans alike.

“I think you are aware that we have always tried to make the competition as interesting as possible, and so we have, over time, always tried to look at the format to see what we can do to improve the quality of the competition,” Wellington explained.

The major change for the Manning and daCosta Cup will see 16 seeded teams for each competition based on their results from last year.

The unseeded teams will begin their campaign in the first round for a chance to advance to the second round and join the seeded teams.

Eight teams from the Manning Cup and 20 teams from the daCosta Cup will advance to the second round.

The second round will be a group-stage format, where the teams will compete for a spot in the round of 16 before the quarterfinals, semi-finals, and, ultimately, the final.

Wellington said the changes were made following discussions with ISSA’s football committee, school principals, and the various teams.

“The changes have come about after a process of consultation with our football committee, and we have also already met with all schools,” the ISSA president explained.

“We met with the principals and spoke with them first. Then we met with the Manning and the daCosta Cup teams just earlier this week and shared with them the proposed changes, and the feedback has been very positive.”

He continued, “We looked at the circumstances prevailing now, especially as it relates to the number of schools participating and the cost around the competition, as well as the benefits that the sponsors are looking for, and hence the changes that we have made.”

KNOCKOUT PRESTIGE

The Walker Cup and Ben Francis Cup have also undergone changes, which Wellington believes will bring prestige back to the competitions.

Previously, they were only open to teams who failed to advance past the second round of the Manning and daCosta Cup, which had earned the competitions the reputation of being the ‘Losers’ Cup’.

In the new format, every single team will enter their respective knockout competitions with the caveat that they competed in last year’s competition and registered a win.

Thirty-two of the 38 Manning Cup teams will compete in the Walker Cup, and 64 of the 83 daCost Cup teams will enter the Ben Francis Cup.

Wellington said this offers a level playing field for each team while bringing back the ability for the urban and rural champions to win both trophies.

“I think we would have been at pains to explain when we made the changes to those competitions about five or six years ago,” Wellington said. “The issue had to do with timing and scheduling and how we were able to fit our competitions.”

“We have now come up with a strategy where, yes, it will return the prestige to the Walker and Ben Francis Cup, and it now means that teams participating can win all trophies.”

FEWER GAMES, MORE REST

Wellington also said another advantage of the change in format is a reduced number of games on average for each team.

The ISSA president explained that each team would now play two games per week on average and should allow for more rest for players between games.

“We will have less games than we had last year – overall, about 100 games less than we had last year,” he confirmed.

“So we won’t have a packed schedule. The fixtures are made up in such a way that we will have a little bit more breathing room. I think that in terms of the number of games played, we have reduced the number of games that a team will be required to play to win all trophies.”

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