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| Organising body | Syrian Football Association (SFA) |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1966; 59 years ago (1966) |
| Country | Syria |
| Confederation | AFC |
| Number of clubs | 12 |
| Level on pyramid | 1 |
| Relegation to | Syrian League 1st Division |
| Domestic cup(s) | Syrian Cup Syrian Super Cup Syrian FA Shield |
| International cup(s) | AFC Challenge League Arab Club Champions Cup |
| Current champions | Al Ittihad Ahli (7th title) (2024–25) |
| Most championships | Al-Jaish (17 titles) |
| Top scorer | Raja Rafe (194) |
| Broadcaster(s) | Syria TV Sama TV |
| Website | sfa |
| Current:2025–26 Syrian Premier League | |
TheSyrian Premier League (Arabic:الدوري السوري الممتاز) is a professionalassociation football league inSyria and the top division of the Syrian football league system. The league comprises 12 teams and operates on a system ofpromotion and relegation with theSyrian 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 wasAl-Ittihad Ahli in 1967, whilstAl-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 theSyrian Football Association developed the competition in a historic step that allowed the participation of foreign players to turn the competition into a professional league.
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 doubleround-robin system), once at their home stadium and once at that of their opponents; for 22 games.
Teams receivethree points for a win and one point for a draw. No points are awarded for a loss. Teams areranked by total points, thengoal 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.
A system ofpromotion and relegation exists between the Syrian Premier League and theSyrian 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.
| Teams | Seasons |
|---|---|
| 20 | 2015–16 |
| 18 | 2012–13 until2014–15 |
| 16 | 2011–12,2016–17 |
| 15 | 1978–79 until 1979–80, 2003–04 |
| 14 | 1994–95 until 2000–01, 2004–05 until2010–11,2017–18 until2021–22 |
| 13 | 1992–93, 2002–03 |
| 12 | 1975–76, 1981–82, 1984–85 until 1985–86, 1987–88 until 1991–92, 1993–94,2022–23–present |
| 11 | 1986–87 |
| 10 | 1969–70, 1972–73, 1976–77, 1983–84, 2001–02 |
| 9 | 1967–68 until 1968–69, 1974–75, 1982–83 |
| 8 | 1966–67 |
As of 7 December 2021[3]
| Ranking | Member Association | Club Points | Points | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 2020 | Mvmt | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | Total | ||
| 25 | 27 |  +2 |  Bahrain | 1.633 | 2.500 | 0.000 | 3.583 | 7.717 | 16.812 |
| 26 | 24 |  -2 |  Indonesia | 4.100 | 5.045 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 9.145 | 15.960 |
| 27 | 22 | -5 |  Syria | 2.000 | 3.133 | 0.000 | 1.778 | 6.911 | 12.061 |
| 28 | 28 |  — |  Myanmar | 4.062 | 1.600 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 5.662 | 9.881 |
| 29 | 26 | -3 |  Maldives | 4.300 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.200 | 4.500 | 7.853 |
At present, the winners of Syrian Premier League qualify for theAFC Champions League play-off, and the league runners-up qualify for theAFC Cup group stage alongside the winners ofSyrian 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 theAFC Champions League andAFC Cup may earn an additional qualification for the subsequent season'sAFC Champions League qualifying play-offs if they have not already qualified.
The number of places allocated to the Syrian clubs inAFC competitions is dependent upon the position the country holds in theAFC Club Competitions Ranking, which is calculated based upon the performance of teams in AFC competitions in the previous four years.
1:^ Al-Karamah and Al-Wathba also useBassel al-Assad Stadium (25,000 seats) as a home stadium.
Champions so far are:[5]
| Club | Winners | Runners-up | Third place | Winning years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Al-Jaish | 17 | 5 | 1 | 1972–73, 1975–76, 1978–79, 1984–85, 1985–86, 1997–98, 1998–99, 2000–01, 2001–02, 2002–03, 2009–10, 2012–13, 2014–15, 2015–16, 2016–17, 2017–18, 2018–19 |
| Al-Karamah | 8 | 13 | 4 | 1974–75, 1982–83, 1983–84, 1995–96, 2005–06, 2006–07, 2007–08, 2008–09 |
| Al-Ittihad Ahli | 7 | 8 | 12 | 1966–67, 1967–68, 1976–77, 1992–93, 1994–95, 2004–05,2024–25 |
| Tishreen | 5 | 2 | 4 | 1981–82, 1996–97, 2019–20, 2020–21, 2021–22 |
| Jableh | 4 | 6 | 3 | 1986–87, 1987–88, 1988–89, 1999–2000 |
| Al-Futowa | 4 | 5 | 3 | 1989–90, 1990–91, 2022–23, 2023–24 |
| Al-Shorta | 2 | 5 | 3 | 1979–80, 2011–12 |
| Al-Wahda | 2 | 3 | 8 | 2003–04, 2013–14 |
| Al-Hurriya | 2 | 1 | 4 | 1991–92, 1993–94 |
| Barada | 2 | — | 2 | 1968–69, 1969–70 |
| City | Winners | Club(s) |
|---|---|---|
| Damascus | 23 | Al-Jaish,Al-Shorta,Al-Wahda,Barada |
| Aleppo | 9 | Al-Ittihad Ahli,Al-Hurriya |
| Homs | 8 | Al-Karamah |
| Latakia | 5 | Tishreen |
| Jableh | 4 | Jableh |
| Deir ez-Zor | 4 | Al-Futowa |
Five teams have won thedouble of the Syrian Premier League and theSyrian 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 | 3 | 1990, 1991,2024 |
| Al-Shorta | 1 | 1980 |
| Al-Hurriya | 1 | 1992 |
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 |
 |
As of 2022, 35 clubs have participated. The tallies since its establishment in 1966 until the end of the2021–22 season.[5]
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)