Phase A of the 5th Nicosia Championship is nearing its completion, with the matches of the 9th and final matchday taking place next week. After that, all teams will have a two-week break due to the Christmas and New Year’s holidays.
But what will follow after the holidays? This is a reasonable question many friends are asking, especially those who did not participate in last year’s championship. Let’s take a detailed look at what will follow immediately after the completion of Phase A of the Championship and with the start of 2026.
The 2 Regions become 3 Categories: Gold, Silver & Bronze
Based on the final ranking of the teams in the two Regions (Morphou and Kyrenia), 3 Categories will be formed: Gold, Silver, and Bronze, as follows:
| From Kyrenia Region | From Morphou Region | Total Teams | |
| Gold Category | Teams from positions 1-3 | Teams from positions 1-3 | 6 |
| Silver Category | Teams from positions 4-7 | Teams from positions 4-7 | 8 |
| Bronze Category | Teams from positions 8-10 | Teams from positions 8-10 | 6 |
Teams Carry Points from Phase A to Phase B
For the purpose of indirectly rewarding the teams’ performance in Phase A, teams will carry points into Phase B, depending on their final ranking in Phase A, as follows:
| Positions 1-3 | Positions 4-7 | Positions 8-10 | |
| Gold Category | 1st: 3 points 2nd: 2 points 3rd: 1 point | — | — |
| Silver Category | — | 4th: 4 points 5th: 3 points 6th: 2 points 7th: 1 point | — |
| Bronze Category | — | — | 8th: 3 points 9th: 2 points 10th: 1 point |
How will the Championship proceed in Phase B?
Because the number of teams in the 3 Categories varies (6 in Gold & Bronze, and 8 in Silver), the format of the Championship will differ accordingly, as follows:
| Category | Description |
| Gold Category | The 6 teams will play a Championship of 5 matchdays (single games). The top 2 qualify for the Final Four. Teams 3-6 will play qualifying matches against each other up to 2 wins (in which their head-to-head match from Phase B also counts) as follows: 3 vs 6 and 4 vs 5. Subsequently, a Final Four will be held with two single Semifinals and one single Final held at neutral venues. |
| Silver Category | The 8 teams will play a Championship of 7 matchdays (single games). The top 4 qualify directly for the Final Four (two single Semifinals and one single Final at neutral venues), while the other 4 teams end their participation in the Championship. |
| Bronze Category | The 6 teams will play a Championship of 5 matchdays (single games). The top 2 qualify for the Final Four. Teams 3-6 will play qualifying matches against each other up to 2 wins (in which their head-to-head match from Phase B also counts) as follows: 3 vs 6 and 4 vs 5. Subsequently, a Final Four will be held with two single Semifinals and one single Final held at neutral venues. |
IMPORTANT: In case of a tie in Phase B, only the games between the tied teams in Phase B will count, and not the result from Phase A, in case they happened to participate in the same Region.
Cup First, then Championship
We remind you that immediately after the holiday break, teams will return to action, but first with games for the Cup competition. In the week of January 5-9, 2026, we will have the Phase A Cup matches, with 20 teams from Nicosia and Limassol battling for a place in the Sweet 16. The detailed Cup schedule is posted here.
