Top 12 football leagues in Africa
Although the first set of football clubs in Africa was established in South Africa, Egypt, and Algeria in the late 19th century, organised league competitions in countries on the continent only began around 1915. However, continental football competitions started only about 50 years later with the CAF Champions League, the continent’s flagship tournament, in 1964.
Before 2004, the Confederation of African Football (CAF) – the African football governing body – organised three club tournaments, the CAF Champions League, the African Cup Winners’ Cup, and the CAF Cup, with each country allowed to enter a single side in each tournament. But starting from 2004, the football body adopted a ranking system to classify the various clubs and football leagues in Africa. The ranking classifies clubs and leagues into positions for the CAF Champions League and the CAF Confederation Cup (a merger of the Cup Winners’ Cup and the CAF Cup).
The rankings are based on obtained results in the past five completed club seasons, with the top 12 national leagues permitted to enter two teams in each CAF tournament (Champions League and Confederation Cup). Below is a list of the top 12 football leagues in Africa, as ranked by CAF for the 2022/2023 season.
Table of Content hide 112. Nigeria Professional Football League 211. Ligi Kuu Bara (Tanzania) 310. Ligue 1 Pro (Guinea) 49. Libyan Premier League 58. Sudan Premier League 67. Girabola (Angola) 76. Linafoot (DR Congo) 85. Premier Soccer League (South Africa) 94. Ligue Professionnelle 1 (Tunisia) 103. Ligue Professionelle 1 (Algeria) 112. Egyptian Premier League 121. Botola (Morocco)12. Nigeria Professional Football League
The Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) is the flagship club competition in Nigeria. The league began as the Nigerian Football League in 1972, two years after the civil war that engulfed the country. The current league set-up came into place in 1990, following the enactment of a law that elevated football to professional status and activity in the country.
A total of 20 clubs play the league in Nigeria for 38 match days each season, with the champion and the second-placed team of the league qualifying for the CAF Champions League. The third-placed team and the winner of the Aiteo FA Cup qualify for the CAF Confederation Cup (The situation changed in 2022, with the fourth-placed team nominated as the country’s second representative in the Confederation Cup due to organisational issues of the FA Cup).
The bottom four teams are relegated at the season’s end and replaced by the four highest-placed teams from the Nigeria National League (NNL) in that same season. The League Management Company (LMC) organises the league, and the state governments own about 80 per cent of the clubs in Nigeria.
Enyimba FC of Aba is the country’s most successful club, with eight league victories and two CAF Champions League titles.
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11. Ligi Kuu Bara (Tanzania)
The Tanzania Mainland Premier League, known in Swahili as Ligi Kuu Tanzania Bara, is the top-flight club football league in the country. It was formed in 1965 as the “National League.” Its name was later changed to the “First Division Soccer League” and to the “Premier League” in 1997.
A total of 20 clubs play in the league every season. However, that number has been reduced recently, with 18 clubs playing in 2020 and 16 in 2021 and 2022, respectively. At the end of the round-robin competition format (home and away games between all the teams), the bottom two placed teams are automatically relegated to the Tanzanian First Division League and are replaced by the winners, and runner’s up from the lower league. The third and fourth worst-ranked teams enter a play-off with the third and fourth-placed teams from the First Division for a spot in the Premier League the following season.
Young Africans S.C. of Dar es Salaam is the country’s most successful club, with 23 league titles. However, none of the country’s clubs has won either the Champions League or Confederation Cup.
10. Ligue 1 Pro (Guinea)
The Guinée Championnat National, known as Ligue 1 Pro, is the top-flight club football league in Guinea. It started in 1965.
A total of 14 clubs play the league for 26 match days each season, with the champion and the second-placed team of the league qualifying for the CAF Champions League while the third-placed team and the winner of the FA Cup qualify for the CAF Confederation Cup.
The bottom two teams are automatically relegated to the lower-tier league in the country. Horoya AC is the country’s most successful club with 20 league titles, while Hafia FC has won three African Cup of Champions Club trophies in the 1970s.
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9. Libyan Premier League
The Libyan Premier League is the men’s top professional football division in Libya. The league began in 1963, with 51 clubs having competed in the competition since its inception.
The Libyan Premier League is competed every season by 24 clubs, which are divided into two groups of 12 clubs each. The clubs in the two divisions play in a round-robin format, with the two lowest-placed teams in each group relegated to the Libyan First Division, while two teams from the second-tier league of that same season are promoted to the top-flight league.
Al-Ittihad Tripoli is the country’s most successful club, with 18 league titles. However, none of the country’s clubs has won either the Champions League or Confederation Cup.
8. Sudan Premier League
The Sudan Premier League is the top club competition in the East African country of Sudan. It was created in 1965 and has had several clubs participate over the years.
A total of 18 clubs play in the league each season. However, that number has been reduced in recent times, with 16 clubs playing 30 games for the 2021/2022 season. The top two teams qualify for the CAF Champions League, while the third best-placed team represents Libya in the CAF Confederation Cup. The bottom two teams are automatically relegated, while the third team from the bottom at the end of the season faces off against a team from the second-tier league in a relegation play-off encounter.
Al-Hilal of Omdurman is the country’s most successful club, with 29 league titles. None of the country’s clubs has, however, won either the Champions League or Confederation Cup.
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7. Girabola (Angola)
The Campeonato Nacional de Futebol em Séniores Masculinos, better known as Girabola, is the top-flight football league in the Southern African country of Angola. The league started as the Campeonato Provincial de Angola in 1941 until the country’s independence in 1975.
Since independence, the league was reformed and subsequently called Girabola. The Girabola was founded in 1979 and is organised by the Angolan Football Federation. The league comprises 16 teams, with the bottom three relegated to the Angolan Provincial Stage. The champion and the second-placed team qualify for the CAF Champions League, while the third-placed team goes to the CAF Confederation Cup.
Sporting de Luanda won the most titles in the defunct Campeonato Provincial de Angola, making them the most successful team in that era. In this current Girabola era, Petro de Luanda is the country’s most successful club, with 16 league titles. None of the country’s clubs has, however, won either the Champions League or Confederation Cup.
6. Linafoot (DR Congo)
The Linafoot, known for commercial purposes as the Vodacom Ligue 1, is the top football league in the Democratic Republic of Congo. It was founded in 1958.
A total of 20 teams compete in the league, with the champion and the second-placed team qualifying for the CAF Champions League while the third and fourth-placed teams get a place in the CAF Confederation Cup. The bottom two teams are automatically relegated to Linafoot Ligue 2.
TP Mazembe is the country’s most successful club, with 19 league titles. The Lubumbashi-based club is also the country’s most victorious on the continent, with seven African titles (African Cup of Champions Club, CAF Champions League, and CAF Confederation Cup).
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5. Premier Soccer League (South Africa)
The Premier Soccer League (PSL), known as the DStv Premiership for commercial purposes, is the highest in South Africa’s professional football structure. The PSL was created in 1996, following an agreement between the National Soccer League and the remnants of the National Professional Soccer League (NPSL).
A total of 18 teams competed in the league each season from its inception to the end of the 2001-2002 season. From the 2002-2003 season, it was reduced to 16 teams to avoid fixture congestion. Upon the completion of matchday 30, the final matchday of the season, the club that emerges as the champion and the second-placed team in the league’s round-robin format qualify for the CAF Champions League, while the 3rd-place team and the Nedbank Cup champions qualify for the CAF Confederation Cup.
The bottom team in the league is automatically relegated and replaced by the winner of the GladAfrica Championship, while the club that finishes immediately above the bottom team enters a mini-league play-off series with the 2nd and 3rd-placed league-finished teams of the GladAfrica Championship. The play-off winners earn the spot in the PSL for the following season.
The South African league is one of the few leagues across the continent that has invested heavily in infrastructure and broadcasting, with the majority of the games broadcast live for football fans in the country. Mamelodi Sundowns is the country’s most successful club, with 12 league titles. The Pretoria-based club and Orlando Pirates have both won the CAF Champions League once in 2016 and 1995, respectively.
4. Ligue Professionnelle 1 (Tunisia)
The Ligue Professionnelle 1 is the top-flight football league in Tunisia. The league was known at its inception in 1921 as the Tunisian Football Association League, which was the successor to the competition organised by the Union des Sociétés Françaises de Sports Athlétiques.
The Tunisian National Championship began in 1956 and was organised by the Tunisian Football Federation in 1994. The country’s league turned professional in 1994, following the establishment of Ligue Nationale du Football Professionnel, its governing body.
The league is contested by 16 clubs every season, with the first and second places on the standings automatically qualifying for the CAF Champions League, and the third place automatically qualifies for the CAF Confederation Cup, along with the Tunisian Cup winner. Also, the bottom two teams are automatically relegated to the Ligue Professionnelle 2, the second-tier league in Tunisia. Just like the South African league, the Tunisian League is one of the few leagues across the continent that has invested heavily in infrastructure and broadcasting.
Espérance de Tunis is the country’s most successful club, with 32 league titles. The Tunis-based club is also the country’s most victorious on the continent, with four African titles (African Cup of Champions Club and CAF Champions League).
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3. Ligue Professionelle 1 (Algeria)
The Ligue Professionnelle 1, also known as Championnat National de Première Division, is the top professional league for clubs in Algeria.
Until 1950, only regional leagues (Algiers, Constantine, Oran) were contested. However, the national league officially began in 1962 under the appellation: Division Honneur. After subsequent reorganisation, the league was known as Championnat National 1. The Algerian Football Federation changed the name of the league to its current name – Ligue Professionnelle 1 – to reflect the professionalization of the league.
The number of teams that compete in the league varies per season, with 16, 18, or 20 clubs having featured in recent seasons. For the recently concluded 2021/2022 season, 18 teams contested in the league. The first and second places on the table at the end of the season automatically qualify for the CAF Champions League, while the third place automatically qualifies for the CAF Confederation Cup, alongside the Algerian Cup winner. The bottom four clubs on the log were relegated to Ligue 2.
JS Kabylie is the country’s most successful club, with 14 league titles. Also, JS Kabylie and Entente de Sétif have both won the CAF Champions League twice, making them the highest winners of the competition in the country.
2. Egyptian Premier League
The Egyptian Premier League, known as WE Egyptian Premier League for commercial purposes, is the top club competition in the country. Although local leagues had existed in the country previously, they were unified with the forming of the present league format in 1948. A total of 70 clubs have competed in the league since its inception.
A total of 18 clubs play 34 league games each in a round-robin format every season, which lasts from August to May annually. At the end of the season, the three lowest placed teams are relegated to the Egyptian Second League, while the winners of the three separate groups in the second league are promoted to the Premier League. The top two teams qualify for the CAF Champions League, while the third team and the winner of the Egyptian Cup qualify for the CAF Confederation Cup.
Al Ahly of Cairo have won the Egyptian league title 42 times, more than any other club. Egyptian teams have won the CAF Champions League a record 16 times, with the Cairo-based club winning 10 of them. Al Ahly and their eternal rivals, Zamalek, have won one Confederations Cup title each.
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1. Botola (Morocco)
The Botola Pro, which means “The Tournament,” is the top-flight league in Morocco. The Botola Pro, also known as Botola Pro Inwi for sponsorship reasons, is ranked first in Africa according to CAF’s five-year ranking for the 2022–23 season. The rankings, as reiterated, are based on performances in African competitions over the past five seasons.
The history of the Moroccan league dates back to 1916 when it was organised under the name of the Moroccan football league and supervised by the French Football Federation. However, the first edition of the Moroccan Football League under the Royal Moroccan Football Federation took place in the 1956–57 season.
The current league format was created on 20 February 1992, following the decision of clubs in the Botola Pro to break away from the UNAF, which had been founded in 1911. The Botola Pro is a corporation in which the 16 member clubs act as shareholders. The season runs from August to May, with teams playing 30 matches each, totalling 240 matches in a season. The top two teams qualify for the CAF Champions League, while the third-placed team and winner of the Moroccan Cup qualify for the CAF Confederation Cup. The bottom two teams are relegated to the Botola 2, while two teams from the lower league are promoted to the Botola Pro.
Wydad Casablanca is the country’s most successful club, with 22 league titles. Wydad and Raja Casablanca have won three African titles each (African Cup of Champions Club and CAF Champions League). Several Moroccan clubs also have the CAF Confederations Cup.
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