Football leagues
Overviews and historical facts about football leagues.
European leagues
Collection of articles, beginning with the top-flight leagues in Europe. Other leagues follows further down.
Premier League
The top-level division in England. Founded in 1992 (previously English Football League).
Spanish La Liga
The football league in Spain. Founded in 1929.
Italian Serie A
The top-level division in Italy. Founded in 1929 (with prehistory since 1898).
Bundesliga
The top-level division in Germany. Founded in 1963 (with prehistory since 1898).
French Ligue 1
The top-level division in France. Founded in 2002 (previously Division 1).
Portuguese Primeira Liga
The top-level division in Portugal. Founded in 1934.
Scottish Premiership
The top-level division in Scotland. Founded in 1890 (a.k.a. Scottish Championship).
Polish Ekstraklasa
The top-level division in Poland. Founded in 1927 (previously Polska Liga Piłki Nożnej).
Greek Super League
The top-level division in Greece. Founded in 1959 (previously A National).
Turkish Süper Lig
The top-level division in Turkey. Founded in 1959 (previously Milli Lig).
Russian Premier League (Premjer-Liga)
The top-level division in Russia. Founded in 1992.
Swiss Super League (Raiffeisen Football League)
The top-level division in Switzerland. Founded in 1898 (previously Swiss Serie A).
Ukrainian Premier League
The top-level division in Ukraine. Founded in 2008 (previously Vyshcha Liha).
Romanian Liga
The league system of Romanian. Founded in 1919.
Croatian Prva Liga
The top-level division in Croatia. Founded in 1991 after the closure of the Yugoslav First League. Commonly abbreviated Prva HNL.
Austrian Football Bundesliga
The top-level division in Austrian. Founded in 1911.
Serbian SuperLiga
The top-level division in Serbia. Founded in 2007.
Premier League of Bosnia and Herzegovina (Premijer Liga)
The top-level division in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Founded in 2000.
South American leagues
After the game of fotball was imported from the Britons in late 19th century, Argentina was the first South American country to establish an official league.
Argentine Association Football League
What started as a mini-league in 1891 by the Argentine Association Football League (AAFL, later renamed to Asociación del fútbol) would develop into a bigger competition in 1893. The top division is known as Primera División de Argentina. The league would expand the following years: second division in 1895, third division in 1899, and forth division in 1902.
In the early years, the matches were played by British immigrants. The first season was contested by the following teams: Old Caledonians, St. Andrew's, Buenos Aires and Rosario Railway, Belgrano FC, Buenos Aires FC – all based in Buenos Aires. In the years to come, a growing number of native players would be involved. But it was not until the 20th century that today well-known clubs would be part of the league (Estudiantes did their first season in 1904; River Plate in 1909; Gimnasia in 1910; Racing in 1911).
Uruguayan Primera División
A Uruguayan football league was established in 1901, the second organized league in South America. The top division is known as the Uruguayan Primera División and is organized by the Uruguayan Football Association (Asociación Uruguaya de Fútbol; AUF).
Brasileirão
A Brazilian football league was established in 1902. Campeonato Brasileiro Série A is the top division in Brazil and is organized by The Brazilian Football Confederation (Confederação Brasileira de Futebol; CBF).
Leagues overview
| Name | Country | Founded |
|---|---|---|
| La Liga | Spain | 1929 |
| Bundesliga | Germany | 1963 |
| Ekstraklasa | Poland | 1992 |
| Prva hrvatska nogometna liga | Croatia | 1992 |
| Jupiler League | Belgium | 1895 |
| Premjer-Liga | Russia | 1992 |
| Persha Liha | Ukraine | 1992 |
| Synot liga | Czech Republic | 1993 |
| Nemzeti Bajnokság | Hungary | 1901 |
| Premier League | England | 1992 |
| A Profesionalna Futbolna Grupa | Bulgaria | 1924 |
| Österreichische Fußball-Bundesliga | Austria | 1974 |
| Swiss Super League | Switzerland | 1898 |
| Superleague Greece | Greece | 1927 |
| Allsvenskan | Sweden | 1924 |
| Tippeligan | Norway | 1937 |
| Super League | Greece | 1927 |
| Superligaen | Denmark | 1991 |
| Veikkausliiga | Finland | 1990 |
| Primera División de Argentina | Argentina | 1891 |
| Campeonato Brasileiro Série A | Brazil | 1959 |
| Liga MX | Mexico | 1943 |
| Major League Soccer | USA | 1993 |
The oldest leagues
The oldest of all league is English Football League. The league still exists, but the top-flight is since 1992 replaced with the Premier League.
| Name | Country | Founded |
|---|---|---|
| English Football League | England | 1888 |
| Scottish Football League | Scotland | 1890 |
| Primera División de Argentina | Argentina | 1891 |
| Calcutta Football League | India | 1898 |
| Nemzeti Bajnokság | Hungary | 1901 |
| Campeonato Paulista | Brazil | 1902 |
Dissolved leagues
Some no longer existing leagues.
| Name | Country | Existence |
|---|---|---|
| The Combination | England | 1888-1911 |
| Football Alliance | England | 1889-1892 |
| Istanbul Football League1 | Turkey | 1905-1959 |
| Yugoslav First League | Yugoslavia | 1923-1992 |
| Soviet Top League | Soviet | 1936-1991 |
1. Originally called Istanbul Sunday League. It was later renamed Istanbul Friday League before becoming the Istanbul Football League.