Syrian Premier League

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Syrian Premier League
Organising bodySyrian Football Association (SFA)
Founded1966; 58 years ago (1966)
CountrySyria
ConfederationAFC
Number of teams12
Level on pyramid1
Relegation toSyrian League 1st Division
Domestic cup(s)Syrian Cup
Syrian Super Cup
International cup(s)AFC Champions League
AFC Cup
Arab Club Champions Cup
Current championsAl-Fotuwa (3rd title)
(2022–23)
Most championshipsAl-Jaish (17 titles)
Top goalscorerRaja Rafe (194)
TV partnersSyria TV, Sama TV
(live matches and highlights)
Websitesfa.sy
Current: 2023–24 Syrian Premier League

The Syrian Premier League (Arabic: الدوري السوري الممتاز) is a professional association football league in Syria and the top division of the Syrian football league system. The league comprises 12 teams and operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the Syrian League 1st Division.[1] The Syrian Premier League was founded in 1966, unifying the local leagues that had existed previously.[2] Seasons mostly run from August to May.

The first team to win the title was Al-Ittihad in 1967, whilst Al-Jaish has the record with 17 league titles. Their closest rivals, Al-Karamah, have won the league 8 times.

In the beginning, the main tournament was the first division, then the Syrian Football Association developed the competition in a historic step that allowed the participation of foreign players to turn the competition into a professional league.

Competition format[edit]

Competition[edit]

From the 2022–23 season, there are 12 clubs in the Premier League, instead of the previous 14. During the course of a season (usually from August or September to May) each club plays the others twice (a double round-robin system), once at their home stadium and once at that of their opponents; for 22 games.

Teams receive three points for a win and one point for a draw. No points are awarded for a loss. Teams are ranked by total points, then goal difference, and then goals scored. If still equal, teams are deemed to occupy the same position. If there is a tie for the championship, for relegation, or for qualification to other competitions, a play-off match at a neutral venue decides rank.

Promotion and relegation[edit]

A system of promotion and relegation exists between the Syrian Premier League and the Syrian League 1st Division. The two lowest placed teams in Premier League are relegated to the League 1st Division, and the top two teams from the League 1st Division are promoted to the Premier League.

Number of teams[edit]

Qualification for Asian competitions[edit]

As of 7 December 2021[3]

Ranking Member Association Club Points Points
2021 2020 Mvmt 2018 2019 2020 2021 Total
25 27 Rise +2 Bahrain Bahrain 1.633 2.500 0.000 3.583 7.717 16.812
26 24 -2 Indonesia Indonesia 4.100 5.045 0.000 0.000 9.145 15.960
27 22 Fall -5 Syria Syria 2.000 3.133 0.000 1.778 6.911 12.061
28 28 Same position Myanmar Myanmar 4.062 1.600 0.000 0.000 5.662 9.881
29 26 Fall -3 Maldives Maldives 4.300 0.000 0.000 0.200 4.500 7.853

Qualification criteria for 2022[edit]

At present, the winners of Syrian Premier League qualify for the AFC Champions League play-off, and the league runners-up qualify for the AFC Cup group stage alongside the winners of Syrian Cup.[4]

If the cup winners are also the league winners or runners-up, the third-placed team in the league qualifies for the AFC Cup group stage. The winners of the AFC Champions League and AFC Cup may earn an additional qualification for the subsequent season's AFC Champions League qualifying play-offs if they have not already qualified.

The number of places allocated to the Syrian clubs in AFC competitions is dependent upon the position the country holds in the AFC Club Competitions Ranking, which is calculated based upon the performance of teams in AFC competitions in the previous four years.

Current clubs (2023–24)[edit]

Stadiums and locations[edit]

Team Location Stadium Capacity
Al-Fotuwa Deir ez-Zor Deir ez-Zor Municipal Stadium 13,000
Hutteen Latakia Al-Assad Stadium 28,000
Al-Ittihad Aleppo Al-Hamadaniah Stadium 15,000
Jableh Jableh Al-Baath Stadium 10,000
Al-Jaish Damascus Al-Fayhaa Stadium 15,000
Al-Hurriya Aleppo Bassel Al-Hamdanoaj Stadium 15,000
Al-Karamah Homs Khalid ibn al-Walid Stadium[1] 32,000
Al-Sahel Tartus Basel-Alassad Stadium 28,000
Al-Taliya Hama Hama Municipal Stadium 22,000
Tishreen Latakia Al-Assad Stadium 28,000
Al-Wahda Damascus Al-Jalaa Stadium 10,000
Al-Wathba Homs Khalid ibn al-Walid Stadium[2] 32,000

1: ^ Al-Karamah and Al-Wathba also use Bassel al-Assad Stadium (25,000 seats) as a home stadium.

List of seasons[edit]

Champions so far are:[5]

Season Winner Runner-up Third Place
1966–67 Al-Ittihad Al-Futowa Barada
1967–68 Al-Ittihad Al-Futowa Barada
1968–69 Barada Al-Futowa Al-Ittihad
1969–70 Barada Al-Futowa Al-Ittihad
1970–71
No Championship
1971–72
No Championship
1972–73 Al-Jaish Al-Shorta Al-Karamah
1973–74
No Championship
1974–75 Al-Karamah Al-Futowa Al-Ittihad
1975–76 Al-Jaish Al-Shorta Al-Karamah
1976–77 Al-Ittihad Al-Karamah Al-Hurriya
1977–78
No Championship
1978–79 Al-Jaish Al-Shorta Al-Ittihad
1979–80 Al-Shorta Al-Hurriya Al-Ittihad
1980–81
No Championship
1981–82 Tishreen Al-Wathba Al-Ittihad
1982–83 Al-Karamah Al-Ittihad Al-Futowa
1983–84 Al-Karamah Jableh Al-Ittihad
1984–85 Al-Jaish Al-Karamah Jableh
1985–86 Al-Jaish Jableh Al-Futowa
1986–87 Jableh Al-Karamah Al-Shorta
1987–88 Jableh Al-Ittihad Al-Futowa
1988–89 Jableh Al-Shorta Al-Ittihad
1989–90 Al-Futowa Al-Karamah Al-Wathba
1990–91 Al-Futowa Jableh Al-Shorta
1991–92 Al-Hurriya Jableh Al-Ittihad
1992–93 Al-Ittihad Al-Karamah Al-Hurriya
1993–94 Al-Hurriya Jableh Al-Ittihad
1994–95 Al-Ittihad Al-Karamah Jableh
1995–96 Al-Karamah Hutteen Al-Hurriya
1996–97 Tishreen Al-Jaish Al-Karamah
1997–98 Al-Jaish Al-Karamah Hutteen
1998–99 Al-Jaish Al-Karamah Al-Wahda
1999–00 Jableh Hutteen Tishreen
2000–01 Al-Jaish Al-Karamah Al-Jihad
2001–02 Al-Jaish Al-Ittihad Al-Wahda
2002–03 Al-Jaish Al-Ittihad Qardaha
2003–04 Al-Wahda Al-Karamah Tishreen
2004–05 Al-Ittihad Al-Karamah Al-Wahda
2005–06 Al-Karamah Al-Jaish Al-Wahda
2006–07 Al-Karamah Al-Ittihad Taliya
2007–08 Al-Karamah Al-Majd Al-Ittihad
2008–09 Al-Karamah Al-Ittihad Al-Jaish
2009–10 Al-Jaish Al-Karamah Tishreen
2010–11
Suspended
2011–12 Al-Shorta Al-Jaish Al-Wahda
2012–13 Al-Jaish Al-Shorta Al-Hurriya
2013–14 Al-Wahda Al-Jaish Al-Muhafaza
2014–15 Al-Jaish Al-Wahda Al-Shorta
2015–16 Al-Jaish Al-Wahda Al-Ittihad
2016–17 Al-Jaish Tishreen Al-Wahda
2017–18 Al-Jaish Al-Ittihad Al-Wahda
2018–19 Al-Jaish Tishreen Al-Wahda
2019–20 Tishreen Al-Wathba Hutteen
2020–21 Tishreen Al-Jaish Al-Karamah
2021–22 Tishreen Al-Wathba Al-Jaish
2022–23 Al-Fotuwa Al-Ittihad Jableh
2023-24

Performances[edit]

Performance by club[edit]

Club Winners Runners-up Third place Winning years
Al-Jaish
17
5
1
1972–1973, 1975–1976, 1978–1979, 1984–1985, 1985–1986, 1997–1998, 1998–1999, 2000–2001, 2001–2002, 2002–2003, 2009–2010, 2012–2013, 2014–2015, 2015–2016, 2016–2017, 2017–2018, 2018–2019
Al-Karamah
8
12
4
1974–1975, 1982–1983, 1983–1984, 1995–1996, 2005–2006, 2006–2007, 2007–2008, 2008–2009
Al-Ittihad
6
8
12
1966–1967, 1967–1968, 1976–1977, 1992–1993, 1994–1995, 2004–2005
Tishreen
5
2
3
1981–1982, 1996–1997, 2019–2020, 2020–2021, 2021–2022
Jableh
4
5
3
1986–1987, 1987–1988, 1988–1989, 1999–2000
Al-Futowa
3
5
3
1989–1990, 1990–1991, 2022–2023
Al-Shorta
2
5
3
1979–1980, 2011–2012
Al-Wahda
2
3
8
2003–2004, 2013–2014
Al-Hurriya
2
1
4
1991–1992, 1993–1994
Barada
2
2
1968–1969, 1969–1970

Performance by city[edit]

City Winners Club(s)
Damascus 23 Al-Jaish, Al-Shorta, Al-Wahda, Barada
Aleppo 8 Al-Ittihad, Al-Hurriya
Homs 8 Al-Karamah
Latakia 5 Tishreen
Jableh 4 Jableh
Deir ez-Zor 3 Al-Futowa

Doubles[edit]

Five teams have won the double of the Syrian Premier League and the Syrian Cup in the same season.

Club Number of titles Winning seasons
Al-Karamah
5
1983, 1996, 2007, 2008, 2009
Al-Jaish
4
1986, 1998, 2002, 2018
Al-Fotuwa
2
1990, 1991
Al-Shorta
1
1980
Al-Hurriya
1
1992

Records and statistics[edit]

All seasons top goalscorers[edit]

All time top goalscorers[edit]

As of 9 January 2024

Boldface indicates a player still active in Syrian Premier League.

No. Player Goals Years
1 Raja Rafe[6] 194 2000-2021
2 Aref Al Agha 161 1995-2009
3 Mohammed Al Wakid 154 2004-

League participation[edit]

As of 2022, 35 clubs have participated. The tallies since its establishment in 1966 until the end of the 2021–22 season.[5]

Records[edit]

  • The highest points average for the league champion: 64 points (Al-Karamah, 2007–2008 season).
  • The fastest goal in the history of the league was scored by Al-Majd player Samer Awad against Qardaha, the 2005-2006 season, after just 16 seconds.

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ الدوري السوري الكروي حكاية مثيرة عمرها 51 عاما الهدافين التاريخيين 2 Archived 2018-05-13 at the Wayback Machine
  2. ^ الاتحاد العربي السوري لكرة القدم /Syrian FA/. حساب اتحاد الكرة السوري على موقع فيسبوك. Archived 2020-06-04 at the Wayback Machine
  3. ^ "AFC Club Competitions Ranking". Asian Football Confederation. 13 February 2021.
  4. ^ "AFC to expand Champions League".
  5. ^ a b Davide Angelini, Hans Schöggl, Allam Rahmeh. "Syria - List of Champions". RSSSF. Retrieved 6 July 2012.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  6. ^ أفضل 4 مهاجمين في تاريخ الكرة السورية Archived 2018-05-13 at the Wayback Machine

External links[edit]