 | |
| Organising body | FFK Competitions Commission |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1945; 81 years ago (1945) asKosovo Province League 1991; 35 years ago (1991) asIndependent League of Kosovo |
| First season | 1945 asKosovo Province League 1991–92 asIndependent League of Kosovo |
| Country |  Kosovo |
| Confederation | UEFA |
| Number of clubs | 10 |
| Level on pyramid | 1 |
| Relegation to | Kosovo First League |
| Domestic cup(s) | Kosovar Cup Kosovar Supercup |
| International cup(s) | UEFA Champions League UEFA Conference League |
| Current champions | Drita (4th title) (2024–25) |
| Most championships | Prishtina (11 titles) |
| Most appearances | Artan Latifi (493) |
| Broadcaster(s) | ArtMotion viaArtSport andKlan Kosova |
| Website | Official website |
| Current:2025–26 Football Superleague of Kosovo | |
TheFootball Superleague of Kosovo (Albanian:Superliga e Futbollit të Kosovës), officially known as theALBI MALL Superleague of Kosovo (Albanian:ALBI MALL Superliga e Kosovës) for sponsorship reasons, is the top division of themen's football league system inKosovo. It is organised by theFootball Federation of Kosovo (FFK) and, as of the 2024–25 season, is contested by ten clubs playing a 36-match schedule in which each club meets every other side four times. The two lowest-placed teams are relegated to theKosovo First League, with two clubs promoted in their place.[1]
The competition traces its roots to theKosovo Province League, founded in 1945 as a regional division within the Yugoslav football pyramid, and to the parallelIndependent League of Kosovo, which Kosovar Albanians organised outside state structures between 1991 and theKosovo War of 1998–99.[2][3] After 1999 the FFK re-established a unified national championship under the currentSuperliga name.[4]
Kosovo was admitted toUEFA andFIFA in May 2016, enabling Superleague clubs to enter European competitions.[5][6] Since then, the Superleague champions have qualified for the preliminary and qualifying rounds of theUEFA Champions League, while other high-placed clubs and the domestic cup winners enter theUEFA Europa Conference League.[7][8]Prishtina are the most successful club with 11 league titles, whileDrita won their fourth championship in 2024–25.[2]
In UEFA's association coefficient rankings the Superleague sits in the mid-30s among European top divisions, reflecting improving results by Kosovar clubs in continental competition.[9]
BeforeWorld War II, clubs from the territory of present-day Kosovo took part in regional competitions organised by theBelgrade Football Subassociation within theFootball Association of Yugoslavia. During the period ofItalian and laterGerman occupation, when most of Kosovo was attached to the Albanian Kingdom, local teams were integrated into1942 Albanian National Championship.[10]
In 1945, following Kosovo's reintegration into socialist Yugoslavia, theKosovo Province League (Albanian:Liga e Provincës së Kosovës) was established as a regional division within theYugoslav football league system. It brought together leading Kosovar clubs that were not competing at federal level, and its champions could progress into the all-Yugoslav tiers.[2][4] Throughout the socialist period the standard and structure of the league fluctuated, with Kosovar teams occasionally reaching the Yugoslav First or Second Leagues but most clubs remaining at provincial level.[2]
In 1991, amid rising ethnic tensions and the removal of Kosovar Albanians from public institutions, the FFK began organising a parallel, unrecognised competition known as theIndependent League of Kosovo (Albanian:Liga e Pavarur e Kosovës). In the summer of that year, after Kosovar clubs were effectively pushed out of the Yugoslav league system, local officials reconstituted the Football Federation of Kosovo as an independent body under president Agim Bytyçi and launched the first separateRepublic of Kosova championship.[11] Eight of the ten fixtures in the opening round, played on 13–14 September 1991, went ahead on schedule despite difficult conditions, with the remaining matches completed later.[12][11]
Matches in the Independent League were often staged on school pitches and improvised village grounds, as Albanian clubs had been denied access to municipal stadiums, and were seen by participants as a way of maintaining sporting life and national identity under conditions of repression.[3][12] The league operated until the escalation of theKosovo War in 1998–99, when regular competition became impossible.[4] In 2011 the FFK marked two decades of these parallel structures by publishing the volumeFutbolli 1991–2011: 20 vjet mëvetësim, which documents the independent championships and related activities.[11]
After the end of the conflict, the FFK re-established a unified league structure in 1999, with the top division taking the nameSuperliga e Kosovës. Serbian clubs from northern municipalities continued to participate in the Serbian football system, while the Superleague became the de facto national championship recognised by the FFK.[4]
In the 2000s and early 2010s,Prishtina,Feronikeli andDrenica were among the leading clubs, with Drita andGjilani also emerging as title contenders. League champions could not enter UEFA competitions until Kosovo was admitted as a member association in 2016.[2][5]
Following UEFA and FIFA recognition, Kosovar teams began appearing regularly in European qualifiers. In June 2018, Drita defeated Santa Coloma in the Champions League preliminary round, recording the first victory by a Kosovan club in the competition.[13] In 2022–23,Ballkani became the first Kosovar side to reach the group stage of a UEFA tournament, qualifying for theEuropa Conference League group phase.[14]
The Superleague currently consists of ten clubs. Each club plays every other side four times—twice at home and twice away—for a total of 36 matches per team and 180 matches in the season.[1] Teams receive three points for a win, one point for a draw and none for a loss. League positions are determined by total points, then goal difference and goals scored.[1]
The bottom two teams in the final table are relegated directly to theKosovo First League, while the champions and runners-up of that division are promoted to the Superleague. Depending on the competition regulations in a given season, an additional promotion/relegation play-off has sometimes been held between a Superleague club and a high-placed First League team.[4]
The leаgue consisted of ten teams – the top eight teаms from the previous season, and two teams promoted from theKosovo First League.Drita entered the season as defending champions.
The promoted teаms were the 2024–25 Kosovo First League Group A winnersDrenica who return to the top tier after three years, and Group B winnersPrishtina e Re. They replaced the2024–25 Kosovo Superleague bottom two teamsFeronikeli andSuhareka.
| Club | Town | Stadium and capacity | UEFA license[15] | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ballkani | Suharekë | Suva Reka City Stadium | 1,500 |  |
| Drenica | Skenderaj | Bajram Aliu Stadium | 3,000 |  |
| Drita | Gjilan | Gjilan Synthetic Grass Stadium[B] | 1,500 | |
| Dukagjini | Klinë | 18 June Stadium | 3,000 | |
| Ferizaj | Ferizaj | Ferizaj Synthetic Grass Stadium | 3,000 | |
| Gjilani | Gjilan | Gjilan Synthetic Grass Stadium[B] | 1,500 | |
| Llapi | Podujevë | Zahir Pajaziti Stadium | 8,000 | |
| Malisheva | Malishevë | Liman Gegaj Stadium | 2,000 | |
| Prishtina | Prishtinë | Fadil Vokrri Stadium | 13,000 | |
| Prishtina e Re | Hajvali | Sami Kelmendi Stadium[C] | 2,500 | |
There are 37 teams that have taken part in the Football Superleague of Kosovo since 1999.Prishtina is the only team that has played in every season since 1999. As of 2025/26 season; teams inbold are part of current season.
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Since Kosovo joined UEFA in 2016, the Superleague champions have entered the preliminary and qualifying rounds of theUEFA Champions League, while league runners-up and domestic cup winners qualify for theUEFA Europa Conference League.[8][7] Clubs must obtain a UEFA licence from the FFK to participate in European competitions.[7]
Drita's preliminary-round win over Santa Coloma in 2018 was the first Champions League victory for a Kosovan side.[13] In 2022 Ballkani reached the Europa Conference League group stage, the first time a team from Kosovo progressed to the main phase of a UEFA club competition, and repeated the achievement in subsequent seasons.[14] Their performances, together with qualifying rounds reached by clubs such as Drita,Prishtina andFeronikeli, have helped improve Kosovo's position in the UEFA association coefficient rankings.[9]
This is a list of winners of Football Superleague of Kosovo since 1945.[2]
From the late 2000s the league has usually carried the name of a title sponsor. The competition’s official designation since 1999 has beenSuperliga e Futbollit të Kosovës (Football Superleague of Kosovo), but for sponsorship reasons it has been marketed at different times as the:
| Name | Period | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Albanian | English | ||
| Raiffeisen Superliga e Kosovës | Raiffeisen Superleague of Kosovo | 2008–2016 | Sponsored by Raiffeisen Bank Kosovo, a subsidiary of theRaiffeisen Bank International. |
| Vala Superliga e Kosovës | Vala Superleague of Kosovo | 2016–2018 | Sponsored byKosovo Telecom.[18] |
| IPKO Superliga e Kosovës | IPKO Superleague of Kosovo | 2018–2020 | Sponsored byIPKO.[19] |
| BKT Superliga e Kosovës | BKT Superleague of Kosovo | 2021–2022 | Sponsored byBanka Kombëtare Tregtare.[20] |
| ALBI MALL Superliga e Kosovës | ALBI MALL Superleague of Kosovo | 2022–present | Sponsored by Albi Mall, a subsidiary of the Albi Commerce.[21] |
Television rights to the Superleague are held by cable operatorArtMotion viaArtSport and free-to-air channelKlan Kosova under an agreement signed with the FFK in 2023. Matches are broadcast live or in delayed coverage across the two networks, while public broadcasterRTK has shown highlight programmes.[22]
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