Domestic football champions explained

In men's association football, national associations organise annual championships for their member clubs. The winners of those are declared champions of the country. Normally, as per tradition, the club is presented a title and the players and staff receive winners' medals.

Domestic champions usually gain access to continental leagues for the next season.

Current champions

Below are lists of the current or last known champions of the nations that are members, full or associate, of one of FIFA's six continental confederations: AFC (Asia), CAF (Africa), CONCACAF (North and Central America and the Caribbean), CONMEBOL (South America), OFC (Oceania), and UEFA (Europe). The great majority of those nations are also members of FIFA itself; where this is not the case, this is noted.

Former and defunct championships are not included, and neither are those where there has been no evidence for activity for at least a couple of years.

AFC

In Palestine two top-level leagues coexist (the West Bank Premier League and the Gaza Strip Premier League), and thus the country has two champions.

Northern Mariana Islands currently uses the split-season format: "Spring" and "Fall", and thus championship is awarded twice within a calendar year.

Northern Mariana Islands also does not have FIFA membership.

There is no indication of current activity of the championship of Pakistan since c. 2021.

CAF

Réunion and Zanzibar are associate members of CAF and do not have FIFA membership.

CONCACAF

In Saint Kitts and Nevis two top-level leagues coexist (the SKNFA Premier League and the N1 League), and thus the country has two champions.

Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, and Puerto Rico currently use the split-season format: "Apertura" and "Clausura" ("Opening" and "Closing" in Belize), and thus championship is awarded twice within a calendar year.

Bonaire, French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Martinique, Saint Martin and Sint Maarten do not have FIFA membership.

There is no indication of current activity of the championship of Montserrat since c. 2017, and of the N1 League of Saint Kitts and Nevis since c. 2021.

CONMEBOL

Colombia ("Apertura" and "Finalización") and Paraguay ("Apertura" and "Clausura") currently use the split-season format, and thus championship is awarded twice within a calendar year.

OFC

In Vanuatu two top-level leagues coexist (the Port Vila Football League and the VFF Champions League), and thus the country has two champions.

Kiribati and Tuvalu are associate members of OFC and do not have FIFA membership.

UEFA

One UEFA member, Liechtenstein, does not currently organise a domestic championship.

Notes

Historical records

Longest streaks

The below tables list the teams with the longest streaks of consecutive titles, current or historical.[1]

Active
TitlesTeamCountryStreakNotes
scope=row rowspan=113Ludogorets Razgrad Bulgaria2011–12 to 2023–24
scope=row rowspan=210Istiklol Tajikistan2014 to 2023
Johor Darul Ta'zim Malaysia2014 to 2023
scope=row rowspan=47Dinamo Zagreb Croatia2017–18 to 2023–24
Mamelodi Sundowns South Africa2017–18 to 2023–24
Nouadhibou Mauritania2017–18 to 2023–24
Red Star Belgrade Serbia2017–18 to 2023–24
scope=row rowspan=56Ferencváros Hungary2018–19 to 2023–24
Lincoln Red Imps Gibraltar2017–18 to 2023–24
Real Rincon Bonaire2016–17 to 2023–24
Slovan Bratislava Slovakia2018–19 to 2023–24
Zenit Saint Petersburg Russia2018–19 to 2023–24
scope=row rowspan=55APR Rwanda2019–20 to 2023–24
ASKO Kara Togo2019–20 to 2023–24
Bashundhara Kings Bangladesh2019 to 2023–24
Nyasa Big Bullets Malawi2018 to 2023
Pakhtakor Uzbekistan2019 to 2023
Overall
TitlesTeamCountryStreakNotes
scope=row rowspan=115Tafea Vanuatu1994 to 2008–09
scope=row rowspan=214Lincoln Red Imps Gibraltar2002–03 to 2015–16
Skonto Latvia1991 to 2004
scope=row rowspan=413Al-Faisaly Jordan1959 to 1974
BATE Borisov Belarus2006 to 2018
Ludogorets Razgrad Bulgaria2011–12 to 2023–24
Rosenborg Norway1992 to 2004
scope=row rowspan=511Al-Ansar Lebanon1987–88 to 1998–99
Bayern Munich Germany2012–13 to 2022–23
Dinamo Zagreb Croatia2005–06 to 2015–16
Lotohaapai Tonga1998 to 2008
Nauti Tuvalu1980 to 1990
scope=row rowspan=1010Dinamo Tbilisi Georgia1990 to 1998–99
Dynamo Berlin East Germany1978–79 to 1987–88
Istiklol Tajikistan2014 to 2023
Johor Darul Ta'zim Malaysia2014 to 2023
MTK Budapest Hungary1913–14 to 1924–25
Nauti Tuvalu2007 to 2016
Pyunik Armenia2001 to 2010
Red Bull Salzburg Austria2013–14 to 2022–23
Sheriff Tiraspol Moldova2000–01 to 2009–10
Taiwan Power Company Chinese Taipei1994 to 2004
Notes

Most championships

The below table lists the teams with the most championship titles overall.[2] For some clubs sources may disagree about the numbers of titles won, due to differing views on the legitimacy of some championships or on the historical continuities of clubs that folded and were revived, merged with or split from other clubs, or were rebranded.[3]

TitlesTeamCountryFirstLatestNotes
scope=row rowspan=156Linfield Northern Ireland (44); Ireland (12)1890–912021–22
scope=row rowspan=155Rangers Scotland1890–912020–21
scope=row rowspan=154Celtic Scotland1892–932023–24
scope=row rowspan=153Peñarol Uruguay19002021
scope=row rowspan=149Nacional Uruguay19022022
scope=row rowspan=147Olympiacos Greece1930–312021–22
scope=row rowspan=146Olimpia Asunción Paraguay19122022 Cl
scope=row rowspan=145Olimpia Tegucigalpa Honduras1957–582023–24 Cl
scope=row rowspan=143Al-Ahly Egypt1948–492022–23
scope=row rowspan=141South China Hong Kong1923–242012–13
scope=row rowspan=140Saprissa Costa Rica19522023–24 Cl
scope=row rowspan=238Benfica Portugal1935–362022–23
River Plate Argentina19202023
scope=row rowspan=336Ajax Netherlands1917–182021–22
Juventus Italy19052019–20
Real Madrid Spain1931–322023–24
scope=row rowspan=535Al-Faisaly Jordan19442022
Boca Juniors Argentina19192022
Ferencváros Hungary19032023–24
Red Star Belgrade Serbia (10); Serbia&Montenegro/FR Yugoslavia (5); Yugoslavia (20)1945–462023–24
Sparta Prague Czech Republic (14); Czechoslovakia (21)1925–262023–24
scope=row rowspan=334Al-Muharraq Bahrain1956–572017–18
Anderlecht Belgium1946–472016–17
Cerro Porteño Paraguay19132021 Cl
scope=row rowspan=633Bayern Munich Germany19322022–23
Colo-Colo Chile19372022
Espérance de Tunis Tunisia1941–422023–24
HJK Helsinki Finland19112023
Rapid Wien Austria (32); Germany (1)1911–122007–08
RCA Aruba19382022–23
Notes

See also

References

RSSSF lists of champions

Notes and References

  1. https://www.rsssf.org/miscellaneous/kamprec.html#cnc Trivia on Winning Domestic Championships: Consecutive National Championships
  2. https://www.rsssf.org/miscellaneous/kamprec.html#tnc Trivia on Winning Domestic Championships: Total Number of Championships
  3. https://www.rsssf.org/miscellaneous/kamprec.html Trivia on Winning Domestic Championships