The league was supposed to commence on October 25, 2020, under a shortened calendar with each club playing a total of only five matches.
[4] The league adopted a double home-and-away format for the 2020 seasons, with each club playing against each other four times for a total of 60 matches.
The PFF has submitted a 27-page document outlying the protocols on how to organize the league amidst the pandemic to the Games and Amusements Board (GAB) on May 30 for approval prior to sending the same to the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) on June 1.
[11] A joint administration order by GAB, the Department of Health, and the Philippine Sports Commission[12] was released within the July 2020, but start of training was postponed due to the re-imposition of modified enhanced community quarantine in Metro Manila and nearby provinces from August 4 to 18.
[15] The kickoff of the league on October 25 was postponed due to expected inclement weather conditions caused by Typhoon Molave (Quinta).
[23] This plan was scrapped in favor of a shorter schedule to minimize injury risk for the league's players.
[24] The Copa Paulino Alcantara for the 2020 season was cancelled due to the time constraints caused by the postponement of the league.
refusing to pay their players' salaries, the PFF and PFL ordered Global to comply with the regulations and sort out all their payments within 10 days.
After 10 days, Global had still not paid, and therefore their case was referred to the PFF's Club Licensing First Instance Body (FIB), and rendered them unable to compete in the 2020 season.
[34] However, due to disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, all matches were held at the PFF National Training Center in Carmona, Cavite, approximately 6.70 kilometers (4.16 mi) south of Metro Manila.
However, the PFF waived the regulations for the 2020 season due to difficulties teams had in entering in the PFL bubble, such as player commitments and in-team COVID cases.