The 2026/27 Airtel Top 8 will kick off with two quarterfinal first leg matches at Bingu National Stadium on Saturday, 13 June 2026, as Blue Eagles face Civil Service United at 14:00 before FCB Nyasa Big Bullets take on Ekhaya FC at 17:00.
The quarterfinal action will continue on Sunday, 14 June, with Mighty Wanderers hosting Creck Sporting at Zomba Stadium while Silver Strikers will be at home against Karonga United at Silver Stadium. Both matches will kick off at 14:30.
The competition will feature eight teams that finished in the top eight of the 2025/26 Super League season. The participating teams are Mighty Wanderers, FCB Nyasa Big Bullets, Silver Strikers, Blue Eagles, Civil Service United, Karonga United, Ekhaya FC and Creck Sporting.
The Airtel Top 8 will be played on a knockout basis, with the quarterfinals staged over two legs on home and away basis. The away goal and aggregate score rules will apply in the first round.
In the quarterfinal pairings, the teams that finished in the top four positions will host the first legs. Blue Eagles will face Civil Service United, FCB Nyasa Big Bullets will meet Ekhaya FC, Mighty Wanderers will take on Creck Sporting, while Silver Strikers will play Karonga United.
The return legs will be played on 11 and 12 July. Ekhaya will host FCB Nyasa Big Bullets at Mpira Stadium on 11 July, while Civil Service United will face Blue Eagles at Civo Stadium on the same day. On 12 July, Creck Sporting will host Mighty Wanderers at Aubrey Dimba Stadium, while Karonga United will welcome Silver Strikers at Karonga Stadium.
The semifinals will be played as single fixtures, with the winner of Quarterfinal One facing the winner of Quarterfinal Four on 1 August, while the winner of Quarterfinal Two will meet the winner of Quarterfinal Three on 2 August.
The final is scheduled for 29 August 2026 at a venue to be confirmed.
The winner of the competition will receive K40 million, while the runner up will get K14 million. Each participating team will receive K4 million. Individual prizes will also be awarded, including Top Goal Scorer, Player of the Tournament and Man of the Match awards for each game.
