Liga 1 (Indonesia) Explained

Liga 1
Upright:0.7
Organiser:PT Liga Indonesia Baru
Founded: (as Indonesia Super League)
(as Liga 1)
First:2008–09
Country:Indonesia
Confed:AFC
Teams:18
Relegation:Liga 2
Levels:1
Domest Cup:Piala Indonesia
Confed Cup:AFC Champions League Two
AFC Challenge League
ASEAN Club Championship
Champions:Persib (2nd title)
Season:2023–24
Most Champs:Persipura (3 titles)
Tv:
Current:2024–25

Liga 1 (English: League 1), also known as BRI Liga 1 for sponsorship reasons with Bank Rakyat Indonesia, is the men's top professional football division of the Indonesian football league system. Administered by the PT Liga Indonesia Baru, Liga 1 is contested by 18 clubs and operates on a system of promotion and relegation with Liga 2.

Top-flight professional league in Indonesia started from the 2008–09 season onwards, initially under the name Indonesia Super League until 2015. Prior to the 2008 reforms, the national competitions used a tournament format. Liga 1 started in 2017 as a rebranding of the league.

Forty-two teams have competed in the top-tier league of Indonesian football since the start of the modern era in 2008 as the Indonesia Super League. Eight teams have been crowned champions, with Persipura Jayapura winning the title three times (2009, 2011, 2013), the most among the teams.

History

Origins

In 1994, PSSI merged teams from Perserikatan, which was a popular league for amateur clubs representing regional football associations, and Galatama, which was a less popular league made up of semi-professional teams, to form Liga Indonesia, integrating the fanaticism in the Perserikatan and the professionalism of the Galatama with the aim of improving the quality of Indonesian football. This effort ushered in a tiered system in the Indonesian competitive football scene. The group stage format, which was used in Perserikatan, was combined with a full competition system followed by the semi-final and final rounds like Galatama.

Foundation

The modern competition era started in 2008 with the 2008–09 Indonesia Super League. The first season began with 18 clubs. The first Indonesia Super League goal was scored by Ernest Jeremiah of Persipura in a 2–2 draw against Sriwijaya F.C. The 18 inaugural members of the new Indonesia Super League were Persipura, Persiwa, Persib, Persik, Sriwijaya, Persela, Persija, PSM, Pelita Jaya, Arema, Persijap, Persiba, PKT Bontang, Persitara, PSMS, Deltras, Persita, and PSIS. Originally, Persiter and Persmin qualified to register but they failed the verification requirements to be inaugural members of the Indonesia Super League.

Dualism

As the football scene in Indonesia was heavily politicized with rival factions upending each other, conflict was the norm prior to 2017. The worst conflict occurred in 2011. After the inauguration of the new PSSI board in 2011, a member of PSSI's Executive Committee and chairman of its Competition Committee, Sihar Sitorus, appointed PT Liga Prima Indonesia Sportindo as the new league operator replacing PT Liga Indonesia because LI failed to provide an accountability report to the PSSI. Sitorus, one of many politicians in the PSSI, announced the Indonesia Premier League as the new top-level competition in Indonesia. Upon the emergence of Liga Primer Indonesia (LPI), PSSI did not recognize the validity of ISL. ISL regulars PSM, Persema, and Persibo, which had boycotted the ISL operators due to referee and management decisions, gladly defected to join LPI along with splinters of existing ISL teams. However, the 2011 LPI season was stopped mid-season, due to continued schism within PSSI; a new league, Indonesian Premier League (Indonesian: Liga Prima Indonesia, IPL) replaced it in late 2011 for the 2011–12 season.

Before the schism of PSSI, Sitorus triggered more controversy when he said the new competition would be divided into two regions and there would be an addition of six clubs in the top division, which angered many association members. Thus, 14 teams that were supposed to be Indonesia Premier League contestants chose to support the Indonesia Super League that continued to roll under the support of the pro-IPL faction, despite being labeled as an illegal competition. The official PSSI, supported by FIFA and AFC, did not recognize the ISL for two seasons. In the meantime, the Indonesian Premier League became the top-tier league from 2011 to 2013 with only 11 teams.

In a PSSI extraordinary meeting on 17 March 2013, association members slammed Sitorus and decided that the Indonesia Super League would once again emerge as the top-level competition, following the disbandment of the Indonesian Premier League. Sitorus and five other PSSI board members were suspended from the sport for their roles in the split (locally referred to as Indonesian: dualisme,) that disrupted Indonesian football.

The new PSSI board also decided that the best seven teams of the 2013 Indonesian Premier League, following verification, would join the unified league. Semen Padang, Persiba Bantul, Persijap, and PSM passed verification, while Perseman, Persepar, and Pro Duta did not, meaning the 2014 season was contested with 22 teams.

Government intervention and FIFA suspension

The impact of split haunted Indonesian football years after the reconsolidation. On 18 April 2015, Minister of Youth and Sports Affairs Imam Nahrawi officially banned the activities of PSSI after PSSI refused to recognize the recommendations from the Indonesian Professional Sports Agency (Indonesian: Badan Olahraga Profesional Indonesia; BOPI), an agency under the ministry, that Arema Cronus and Persebaya should not pass ISL verification because there were still other clubs using the same name. Previously, Nachrawi had sent three letters of reprimand. However, PSSI refused to answer his call until a predetermined deadline. As a result, PSSI officially stopped all competitions in 2015 season after PSSI's Executive Committee meeting on 2 May 2015 called the government intervention as a force majeure.

The government intervention also led FIFA to punish Indonesia with a one-year suspension of all association football activities as the world body considered overbearing state involvement in footballing matters as a violation against its member PSSI. During the suspension, some tournaments were made to fill the vacuum, starting with the 2015 Indonesia President's Cup, in which Persib came out as champions, until the Bhayangkara Cup closed the series of unrecognized tournaments.

On 13 May 2016, FIFA officially ended the suspension, following the revocation of the Indonesian ministerial decision on 10 May 2016. A long-term tournament with full competition format, Indonesia Soccer Championship, emerged shortly thereafter. The 2016 season saw Persipura take the title.

Name change

In 2017, the top-flight football competition was rebranded under a new official name, Liga 1. The name changes also applied to Premier Division (became Liga 2) and Liga Nusantara (became Liga 3). The operator of the competition was also changed from PT Liga Indonesia (LI) to PT Liga Indonesia Baru (LIB). Bhayangkara was the first champion of the competition under the new name in the 2017 season. True to the controversial nature of Indonesian football, the crowning triggered flak from fans. Bhayangkara, a team managed by the Indonesian Police that had no fanbase, won due to head-to-head advantage against Bali United, a team with rapidly growing support due to its modern professional management, after both teams had the same points at the end of the season. Bali United finally won the title in 2019, the year after Persija did so.

The 2020 season was canceled after the COVID-19 pandemic hit Indonesia. The 2021–22 season used the bubble-to-bubble system so that it would not become a new cluster for the spread of COVID-19. The 2022–23 season was marred by the Kanjuruhan Stadium disaster and was finished without relegation. The 2023–24 season introduced the championship play-off after the regular season. The 2024–25 season will see at least one team represent each island in the league.

Competition format

Competition

There are 18 clubs in Liga 1. During the course of a season, the teams play each other twice (a double round-robin system), once at their home stadium and once at that of their opponents', for 34 games. Teams receive three points for a win, one point for a draw, and no points for a loss. Teams are ranked by total points, then head-to-head records, then goal difference, and then goals scored. If still equal, the fair play points and then drawing of lots determine the winner.

Promotion and relegation

A system of promotion and relegation exists between Liga 1 and Liga 2. The three lowest placed teams in Liga 1 are relegated to Liga 2, and the semi-final and third-place play-off winners from Liga 2 are promoted to Liga 1. The Indonesian Super League had 22 teams in 2014 due to the merging of the two professional leagues in Indonesia.

Video assistant referee

Video assistant referee (VAR) was introduced to Liga 1 at the championship series in the 2023–24 season.

Clubs

Forty-two clubs have played in the top-flight Indonesian football competitions from the start of the modern era in 2008 as Indonesia Super League, up to and including the 2024–25 season.

Champions

See also: List of Indonesian football champions.

SeasonLeague nameChampionsRunners-up
2008–09Indonesia Super LeaguePersipuraPersiwa
2009–10AremaPersipura
2010–11PersipuraArema
2011–12SriwijayaPersipura
2013PersipuraArema
2014PersibPersipura
2015Season abandoned due to FIFA suspension of Indonesia
2017Liga 1BhayangkaraBali United
2018PersijaPSM
2019Bali UnitedPersebaya
2020Season abandoned due to COVID-19 pandemic in Indonesia
2021–22Bali UnitedPersib
2022–23PSMPersija
2023–24Persib

Performance by clubs

Club Winners Runners-up Winning seasons Runner-up seasons
Persipura332008–09, 2010–11, 20132009–10, 2011–12, 2014
Bali United212019, 2021–222017
Persib212014, 2023–242021–22
Arema122009–102010–11, 2013
Persija1120182022–23
PSM112022–232018
Sriwijaya102011–12
Bhayangkara102017
Persiwa012008–09
Persebaya012019
Madura United012023–24
Italics indicate former champions and runners-up that are currently outside the Liga 1.

2024–25 season

The following 18 clubs will compete in the Liga 1 during the 2024–25 season.

2024–25
Club
2023–24
Position
First season in
top division
First season in
Liga 1
Seasons
in top
division
Seasons
in Liga 1
First season of
current spell in
top division
National titlesMost recent
national title
data-sort-value="15"15th 1994–95 2008–09 27 15 2005 2 2009–10
data-sort-value="4"4th 1994–95 2009–10 21 14 2009–10 2 2021–22
data-sort-value="10"10th 1994–95 2013 20 11 2013 0
data-sort-value="3"3rd 2015 2015 9 9 2015 0
data-sort-value="5"5th 2022–23 2022–23 3 3 2022–23 0
data-sort-value="2"2nd 1994–95 2008–09 27 15 2007–08 3 1993–94
data-sort-value="18"3rd in
the Liga 2
(promoted)
2024–25 2024–25 1 1 2024–25 0
data-sort-value="12"12th 1994–95 2009–10 21 8 2018 6 2004
data-sort-value="1"1st 1994–95 2008–09 28 15 1994–95 8 2023–24
data-sort-value="8"8th 1994–95 2008–09 28 15 1994–95 11 2018
data-sort-value="9"9th 2003 2008–09 13 8 2020 2 2006
data-sort-value="7"7th 2007–08 2022–23 4 3 2022–23 7 1943
data-sort-value="14"14th 1994–95 2008–09 20 8 2020 0
data-sort-value="16"1st in
the Liga 2
(promoted)
2024–25 2024–25 1 1 2024–25 0
data-sort-value="6"6th 1994–95 2008–09 20 8 2018 2 1998–99
data-sort-value="11"11th 1994–95 2008–09 27 12 2011–12 7 2022–23
data-sort-value="13"13th 2001 2019 13 6 2019 0
data-sort-value="17"2nd in
the Liga 2
(promoted)
1994–95 2010–11 21 6 2024–25 1 2011–12

Notes:Former names:Leagues:

Maps

Former clubs

The following clubs competed in the Liga 1 for at least one season, but are not competing in the 2024–25 season.

ClubCurrent
league
2023–24
Position
First season in
top division
First season in
Liga 1
Seasons
in top
division
Seasons
in Liga 1
Most recent
season in
Liga 1
National titlesMost recent
national title
Defunct 2014 2014 5 5 2019 0
17th in
the Liga 1
(relegated)
2014 2014 9 9 2023–24 1 2017
Did not enter 1994–95 2008–09 18 3 2010–11 0
Championship round 1994–95 2008–09 16 3 2011–12 0
Championship round 1994–95 2011–12 15 5 2017 1 2002
Liga 2
(relegated)
2013 2019 2 1 2019 0
Withdrew 1994–95 2011–12 10 6 2018 3 1987–88
Championship round 2004 2008–09 16 12 2021–22 0
Provincial phase 1994–95 2009–10 14 1 2009–10 0
Provincial phase 2013 2013 2 2 2014 0
Liga 2
(relegated)
1994–95 2008–09 16 8 2017 0
National phase 2011–12 2014 3 1 2014 0
Did not enter 2011–12 2011–12 2 2 2012–13 0
Relegation round 2001 2008–09 10 4 2014 0
18th in
the Liga 1
(relegated)
2011–12 2011–12 11 11 2023–24 0
Relegation round 1994–95 2008–09 25 12 2021–22 4 2013
4th 1994–95 2020 12 2 2021–22 1 1980
National phase 2006 2008–09 4 2 2009–10 0
Did not enter 2006 2008–09 7 5 2012–13 0
Provincial phase 2011–12 2011–12 1 1 2011–12 0
Championship round 1994–95 2008–09 15 3 2018 5 1985
Relegation round 1999–2000 2009–10 10 4 2012–13 0
16th in
the Liga 1
(relegated)
2022–23 2022–23 2 2 2023–24 0
Relegation round 1994–95 2008–09 19 9 2018 2 2011–12

Notes:Former names:Leagues:

All-time Liga 1 table

The All-time Liga 1 table is an overall record of all match results, points, and goals of every team that has played in Liga 1 since its inception in 2008. The table is accurate as of the end of the 2023–24 season. The 2014 season used a two-region format and the 2023–24 season used two phases, therefore as per statistical convention in football, matches decided in extra time are counted as wins and losses, while matches decided by penalty shoot-outs are counted as draws. This all-time table also includes the abandoned 2015 and 2020 season.

Team
1 14 405 195 105 105 661 471 +190 690 2 1 2 3
2 14 400 181 90 129 609 477 +132 630 1 2 1 1
3 12 333 177 89 67 604 331 +273 617 3 3 1
4 14 392 169 109 114 572 427 +145 616 1 1 1 1
5 13 363 167 76 120 567 461 +106 577 2 1 1
6 14 404 153 105 146 568 530 +38 561 1 1
7 11 297 124 83 90 418 360 +58 455 1 1 1
8 12 331 109 83 139 449 484 −35 410 1
9 9 255 112 55 88 404 359 +45 391 1
10 9 235 105 60 70 355 275 +80 372 1 2 1
11 10 264 90 73 101 363 382 –19 343
12 8 213 95 56 62 328 249 +79 341 1 1
13 11 297 87 77 133 388 469 −81 338
14 7 206 81 55 60 304 280 +23 298 1
15 8 219 75 52 92 289 314 −25 277 1
16 7 207 69 49 89 225 277 −52 256
17 7 193 66 50 77 258 277 −19 248 1
18 5 164 74 23 67 250 242 +8 245 1 1
19 6 164 70 26 68 255 262 −7 236 1
20 7 193 51 52 90 209 314 −105 205
21 5 124 42 38 44 149 151 –2 164 1
22 5 139 41 38 50 170 204 –34 161
23 5 124 36 31 57 128 182 −54 139
24 4 130 39 20 71 147 245 −98 134
25 4 116 34 26 56 121 190 −69 128
26 5 125 32 27 66 129 253 −124 120
27 3 102 26 26 50 134 186 −52 101
28 3 96 24 24 48 129 185 −56 96
29 2 68 25 19 24 100 94 +6 94
30 3 96 25 18 53 98 155 −57 93
31 2 68 22 21 25 93 101 –8 87
32 2 68 21 13 34 96 126 −30 76
33 2 54 18 12 24 70 86 −16 66
34 2 68 16 16 36 77 107 −30 64
35 2 68 11 21 36 76 132 –56 54
36 1 34 13 6 15 43 52 −9 45
37 1 34 8 7 19 33 54 −21 31
38 1 34 6 9 19 33 66 −33 27
39 2 37 3 9 25 19 69 –50 18
40 1 20 2 3 15 17 53 −36 9
41 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 −0 0
42 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 −0 0

Notes:

Point deductions:

League or status at 2024–25:

2024–25 Liga 1 teams
2024–25 Liga 2 teams
2024–25 Liga 3 teams
Defunct teams

Foreign players

See main article: List of foreign Liga 1 (Indonesia) players. Liga 1's policy on foreign players has changed multiple times since its inception.

Awards

Top scorers

See main article: List of Indonesian football competitions all-time top scorers.

SeasonPlayerNationalityClubGoalsGamesRate
2008–09 IndonesiaPersipura28310.90
UruguayPersik/Persib281.00
2009–10Aldo Barreto ParaguayBontang19320.59
2010–11 IndonesiaPersipura22270.81
2011–12Alberto Gonçalves BrazilPersipura25340.74
2013 IndonesiaPersipura25320.78
2014 CameroonPersebaya ISL25251.00
2017 NetherlandsBali United37341.09
2018Aleksandar Rakić SerbiaPS TIRA21340.62
2019Marko Šimić CroatiaPersija28320.88
2021–22Ilija Spasojević IndonesiaBali United23340.68
2022–23Matheus Pato BrazilBorneo Samarinda25320.78
2023–24David da Silva BrazilPersib30340.88
Notes:

Best players

SeasonPlayerPositionNationalityClub
2008–09Forward IndonesiaPersipura
2009–10Goalkeeper IndonesiaArema
2010–11Forward IndonesiaPersipura
2011–12Forward Saint Kitts and NevisSriwijaya
2013Forward IndonesiaPersipura
2014Forward IndonesiaPersib
2017Paulo SérgioMidfielder PortugalBhayangkara
2018Midfielder NepalPersija
2019Midfielder BrazilBorneo
2021–22Midfielder JapanPersebaya
2022–23Midfielder NetherlandsPSM
2023–24Francisco RiveraMidfielder MexicoMadura United

Best young players

SeasonPlayerNationalityClub
2013 IndonesiaPersiba
2017 IndonesiaPersija
2018 IndonesiaPersebaya
2019 IndonesiaPersipura
2021–22 IndonesiaPersebaya
2022–23 IndonesiaPersija
2023–24 IndonesiaBorneo Samarinda

Best coaches

SeasonCoachNationalityClub
2013Jacksen F. Tiago BrazilPersipura
2018Stefano Cugurra BrazilPersija
2019Stefano Cugurra BrazilBali United
2021–22Aji Santoso IndonesiaPersebaya
2022–23Bernardo Tavares PortugalPSM
2023–24Bojan Hodak CroatiaPersib

Best goals

SeasonPlayerNationalityClubOpponentDate
2017Septian David IndonesiaMitra KukarPersiba10 November 2017
2019 BrazilPersebayaArema12 December 2019
2021–22 PortugalAremaPersija5 February 2022
2022–23 BrazilBorneo SamarindaBali United3 April 2023

Fair play teams

SeasonClub
2017Perseru
2018Barito Putera
2019TIRA–Persikabo
2021–22Madura United
2022–23Bhayangkara
2023–24Borneo Samarinda

Best referees

SeasonReferee
2017Musthofa Umarella
2018Thoriq Alkatiri
2019Yudi Nurcahya
2021–22Thoriq Alkatiri
2022–23Bangbang Syamsudar
2023–24Nendi Rohaendi

Sponsorship

PeriodSponsor(s)Name
2008–2011DjarumDjarum Indonesia Super League
2011–2013No sponsorIndonesian Premier League
2011–2014Indonesia Super League
2015QNB GroupQNB League
2017Go-Jek and TravelokaGo-Jek Traveloka Liga 1
2018Go-JekGo-Jek Liga 1
2019–2020ShopeeShopee Liga 1
2021–presentBank Rakyat IndonesiaBRI Liga 1

Media coverage

Current

BroadcasterCoverageYearSummary
EmtekFree-to-air (FTA)2018–2027Up to six matches per week, live on Indosiar. Most big matches only available via digital terrestrial antenna.
StreamingLive on Vidio Premier (pay). Up to five live matches per week (including big matches) must require a subscription (live coverage only available for Indonesia viewers) and non-Vidio Premier live matches (excluding big matches) available for free, with free highlights and free full coverage of 314 matches available in Indonesia and other countries via on demand (through Indosiar and Liga 1 official Vidio channels).
Pay TV2021–2027Matches available for Nex Parabola customers.

Former

YearBroadcaster
Free-to-air (FTA)Pay TVStreaming
2008–2012 ANTVrowspan="2"
2013 VIVA
2014 MNC Media
Kompas TV
K-Vision Domikado
2015 MNC Media
NET.
Lippo Group
Matrix Garuda
2017 tvOne Orange TV iflix
SportsFlix
2018 Moji
tvOne
Orange TV
Matrix Garuda
IndiHome
SportsFlix
2019 Moji Matrix Garuda
IndiHome
2020–2022 MVN
IndiHome
Vision+
2022–2023 IndiHome
2023–2024 MVN Vision+
Notes:

See also