After a protracted delay occasioned by court battles, the long-awaited 2026/27 FKF Premier League season finally kicked off on Saturday, 10 October, with match week one lasting till Wednesday, 14 October, across various counties.Download our Mozzart Sport app for more newsThe league was initially scheduled to commence on 22 August, but a dispute involving the promotion/relegation criteria was the subject of legal battles that ended with a playoff match between Kariobangi Sharks and Mombasa United.While each team has only played one of their 34 matches, the journey of winning the league as well as the relegation battle involves every single match.Tens of millions FKF will receive from CAF's annual fundingA point gained or points dropped on match week one will have the same impact as those in match week 34.Mozzart Sport provided comprehensive coverage of all the matches and, in the first of what would be a 34-match-week series, highlights six valuable takeaways from the season opener.Lethal wing play gets Gor Mahia off the markA classic display of wing play from Gor Mahia inspired the Kenyan giants to demolish Murang’a Seal in a Tuesday, 13 October, clash played under the Nyayo Stadium floodlights.##NAJAVA_MECA_10027934##As has been the case under head coach Charles Akonnor, K’Ogalo have been heavily reliant on their excellent wing play to tear opponents apart, and that was just the case in their 4-2 win over Seal.The evergreen Shariff Musa started on the left with Cameroonian attacker Patrick Esombe operating on the right.The two proved to be a headache to the Seal defense and were the architects of the majority of K’Ogalo's chances.Adel Amrouche compares his Harambee Stars tenure to Benni McCarthy'sIt was Esombe who was fouled by Elly Saenyi to win the free kick from which Alpha Onyango scored the opener.Shariff exploited the space left by the overlapping left-back to score the second before Jackson Dwang’ netted a spectacular goal for Gor Mahia’s third.Esombe would then dribble to the byline before lofting a cross that was met by a rare Musa header to complete the scoring for the defending champions, with Seal head coach Dennis Odhiambo attributing the loss to the lethal wing play by Gor Mahia.##NAJAVA_MECA_10027914##New season, same old problems for AFC LeopardsKenyan giants AFC Leopards continued to be haunted by last season’s ghosts even as they began the season with a clash against Bandari FC on Wednesday afternoon.As was the case last season, Ingwe wasted numerous goalscoring opportunities in the game.Leopards were particularly impressive in the opening 30 minutes, but neither James Kinyanjui, Ronald Sichenje nor Samuel Ssenyonjo could convert any chance into a goal.Gor Mahia head coach provides update on suspended Harambee Stars duoCoach Fred Ambani will be working extra hard to ensure the profligacy problems in the team are sorted if they are to challenge for the title.Ahmed Fathi sends early title message to Shabana fansShabana FC’s hopes of clinching what would be their maiden league title kicked off on the right note after the club secured a 1-0 away win over Posta Rangers.The match also marked head coach Ahmed Fathi’s debut on Shabana’s touchline in a competitive match.##NAJAVA_MECA_10027911##Having been one of the title contenders for the better part of last season, The Glamour Boys have now set their eyes on what has been an elusive league title.Floodlit matches key to midweek game attendance Midweek FKFPL matches, and indeed numerous games in the country, have been characterised by low fan attendance over the years.However, that was not the case during Gor Mahia’s season opener against Murang’a Seal played under the Nyayo floodlights.Bandari coach reveals homework done on AFC Leopards that yielded a drawWith kickoff set at 1900 hrs, Kenyan football faithful had not to choose between work and the match as they comfortably completed their duties of the day before making it to Nyayo.In fact, Gor Mahia collected about Ksh1.6 million, which is even more than what they banked in the majority of matches played over the weekend last season.League newbies struggle in season openerNewly promoted FKF Premier League sides had a rather difficult start to life in the top tier after none managed to secure a win in their respective matches.##NAJAVA_MECA_10027931##3K FC, Migori Youth and Mombasa United gained promotion to the FKFPL after exemplary performances in the National Super League (NSL). However, none of them were able to start the journey with three points as 3K and Migori Youth settled for a draw against Mara Sugar and Kenya Police FC respectively, while Mombasa United conceded an 89th-minute goal to lose 1-0 to Mozzart Bet-backed Kakamega Homeboyz.Mozzart Bet historic sponsorships Leading gaming firm Mozzart Bet made history once again at the season kick-off as the league’s largest single sponsor.AFC Leopards head coach picks positives from opening draw against BandariA total of four teams in the top tier are now backed by Mozzart Bet as their main sponsor, a testament to the gaming firm’s continued support of Kenyan football.With Mozzart already sponsoring Kakamega Homeboyz and APS Bomet, 3K FC and Migori Youth also joined the top tier courtesy of the financial boost from the gaming giants.