Syrian Premier League

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Syrian Premier League
Al-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-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

Competition

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

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

Qualification for Asian competitions

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
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

At present, the winners of Syrian Premier League 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
qualifying play-offs if they have not already qualified.

The number of places allocated to the Syrian clubs in

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)

Stadiums and locations

Locations of teams in the Syrian Premier League 2023–24
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

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 Al-Fotuwa Jableh Tishreen

Performances

Performance by club

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
4
1981–1982, 1996–1997, 2019–2020, 2020–2021, 2021–2022
Jableh
4
6
3
1986–1987, 1987–1988, 1988–1989, 1999–2000
Al-Futowa
4
5
3
1989–1990, 1990–1991, 2022–2023, 2023-2024
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

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

Doubles

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

All seasons top goalscorers

All time top goalscorers

As of 1 May 2024

Boldface indicates a player still active in Syrian Premier League.

No. Player Goals Years
1 Raja Rafe[6] 194 2000-2021
2 Mohammed Al Wakid 173 2004
3 Aref Al Agha 161 1995-2009

League participation

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

Records

  • 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

References

  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