# 2022–23 Montenegrin First League

The 2022–23 Montenegrin First League was the 17th season of the first tier association football in the country of Montenegro. The season began on 23 July 2022 and ended on 25 May 2023. The winners of the league qualified for a place in the 2023–24 UEFA Champions League.
Sutjeska were the defending champions having won the league in the previous season.

## Teams

FK Podgorica (relegated after three years in the top flight) and Zeta (never relegated from the top flight)(relegated after sixteen years in the top flight) were relegated after finishing tenth in the previous season. Jedinstvo (promoted after a five-year absence) and Arsenal (promoted for the first time in its history) will replace them in the league after earning promotion from the Montenegrin Second League as league champions in the previous season.

### Stadiums and locations

| Team | City | Stadium | Capacity |
| Arsenal | Tivat | Stadion u Parku | 2,000 |
| Budućnost | Podgorica | Stadion pod Goricom | 15,230 |
| Dečić | Tuzi | Stadion Tuško Polje | 2,000 |
| Iskra | Danilovgrad | Braća Velašević Stadium | 2,500 |
| Jedinstvo | Bijelo Polje | Gradski stadion | 5,000 |
| Jezero | Plav | Stadion Pod Racinom | 2,500 |
| Mornar | Bar | Stadion Topolica | 2,500 |
| Petrovac | Petrovac | Stadion Mitar Mićo Goliš | 1,630 |
| Rudar | Pljevlja | Stadion pod Golubinjom | 5,140 |
| Sutjeska | Nikšić | Stadion kraj Bistrice | 5,214 |

### Personnel and kits

Note: Flags indicate national team as has been defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
| Team | Coach | Captain | Kit manufacturer | Shirt sponsor |
| Arsenal | Radislav Dragićević | Ćetko Manojlović | Lmp | Porto Montenegro |
| Budućnost | Miodrag Džudović | Vasilije Terzić | Adidas | Savana |
| Dečić | Juraj Jarábek | Jonathan Dreshaj | Seven | Castellana |
| Iskra | Aleksandar Nedović | Ognjen Obradović | Joma | Lob |
| Jedinstvo | Vuko Bogavac | Momčilo Dulović | NAAI | Splendid Hotel |
| Jezero | Rade Petrović | Edis Redžepagić | Macron | Samont |
| Mornar | Andrija Delibašić | Aleksandar Vujačić | Seven | Municipality of Bar |
| Petrovac | Dušan Ivanović | Zoran Mikijelj | Macron | Municipality of Budva |
| Rudar | Dragan Aničić | Aleksa Golubović | Adidas | Elektroprivreda Crne Gore |
| Sutjeska | Nenad Brnović | Vladan Giljen | Joma | Intersport |

## League table

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
| 1 | Budućnost (C) | 36 | 20 | 10 | 6 | 61 | 37 | +24 | 70 | Qualification for the Champions League preliminary round |
| 2 | Sutjeska | 36 | 20 | 10 | 6 | 75 | 34 | +41 | 70 | Qualification for the Europa Conference League first qualifying round |
| 3 | Arsenal | 36 | 13 | 11 | 12 | 39 | 39 | 0 | 50 | Qualification for the Europa Conference League first qualifying round |
| 4 | Dečić | 36 | 12 | 14 | 10 | 44 | 37 | +7 | 50 | |
| 5 | Jedinstvo | 36 | 13 | 8 | 15 | 43 | 54 | −11 | 47 | |
| 6 | Petrovac | 36 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 50 | 57 | −7 | 45 | |
| 7 | Jezero | 36 | 10 | 13 | 13 | 35 | 38 | −3 | 43 | |
| 8 | Mornar (O) | 36 | 11 | 9 | 16 | 30 | 41 | −11 | 42 | Qualification for the relegation play-offs |
| 9 | Rudar (O) | 36 | 9 | 11 | 16 | 36 | 51 | −15 | 38 | Qualification for the relegation play-offs |
| 10 | Iskra (R) | 36 | 7 | 10 | 19 | 33 | 58 | −25 | 31 | Relegation to the Second League |
* 1 2 Budućnost finished ahead of Sutjeska on head to head points: Budućnost 8 points, Sutjeska 2 points.
* 1 2 Arsenal finished ahead of Dečić on head to head goal difference: Arsenal +1, Dečić –1.

## Results

Clubs were scheduled to play each other four times for a total of 36 matches each.
| Home \ Away | ARS | BUD | DEČ | ISK | JED | JEZ | MOR | PET | RUD | SUT | ARS | BUD | DEČ | ISK | JED | JEZ | MOR | PET | RUD | SUT |
| Arsenal | — | 0–4 | 1–2 | 3–0 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 2–1 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 2–2 | — | 1–1 | 0–0 | 2–3 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 0–0 | 1–1 | 0–1 | 0–1 |
| Budućnost | 2–0 | — | 0–2 | 0–1 | 3–0 | 2–1 | 2–0 | 3–3 | 2–1 | 2–0 | 1–0 | — | 1–0 | 3–0 | 4–0 | 1–3 | 2–0 | 4–4 | 2–1 | 1–1 |
| Dečić | 2–4 | 0–0 | — | 3–0 | 0–1 | 1–1 | 3–1 | 1–1 | 5–1 | 1–2 | 0–0 | 4–3 | — | 0–1 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 3–0 | 1–0 | 0–3 |
| Iskra | 2–3 | 1–1 | 0–0 | — | 1–3 | 2–1 | 2–1 | 1–2 | 0–0 | 1–2 | 0–1 | 3–0 | 1–3 | — | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 2–2 | 2–1 | 0–2 |
| Jedinstvo | 2–2 | 0–1 | 1–2 | 2–1 | — | 0–1 | 1–0 | 0–1 | 0–0 | 1–1 | 0–0 | 1–3 | 0–0 | 2–1 | — | 2–1 | 3–1 | 2–1 | 3–4 | 0–4 |
| Jezero | 2–1 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–2 | — | 3–1 | 2–2 | 3–1 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 1–2 | 2–1 | 2–0 | 2–1 | — | 0–0 | 1–1 | 0–0 | 0–0 |
| Mornar | 0–1 | 1–2 | 0–1 | 0–0 | 2–2 | 1–0 | — | 1–0 | 2–2 | 2–1 | 0–1 | 0–1 | 1–0 | 0–0 | 1–0 | 1–0 | — | 0–1 | 2–0 | 3–2 |
| Petrovac | 1–2 | 4–1 | 2–2 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 2–1 | 1–2 | — | 0–0 | 0–4 | 0–3 | 1–1 | 2–1 | 4–1 | 2–3 | 1–0 | 0–1 | — | 2–3 | 1–1 |
| Rudar | 0–0 | 0–1 | 1–1 | 3–1 | 0–3 | 2–1 | 1–0 | 0–1 | — | 0–0 | 1–2 | 1–1 | 0–0 | 3–1 | 1–2 | 0–0 | 0–1 | 4–2 | — | 1–4 |
| Sutjeska | 2–1 | 0–1 | 3–0 | 3–0 | 5–0 | 3–0 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 4–0 | — | 2–2 | 2–2 | 1–1 | 2–1 | 3–4 | 4–2 | 4–1 | 2–1 | 2–1 | — |

## Relegation play-offs

The 10th-placed team (against the 3rd-placed team of the Second League) and the 11th-placed team (against the runners-up of the Second League) will both compete in two-legged relegation play-offs after the end of the season.

### Summary

| Team 1 | Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
| Kom | 2–3 | Rudar | 1–1 | 1–2 |
| Mornar | 4–0 | Berane | 2–0 | 2–0 |

### Matches

Rudar won 3–2 on aggregate.
Mornar won 4–0 on aggregate.

## Statistics
### Top goalscorers

    As of 25 May 2023
| Rank | Scorer | Club | Goals |
| 1 | Tyrone Conraad | Sutjeska | 26 |
| 2 | Žarko Korać | Jedinstvo | 13 |
| 3 | Mendy Mamadou | Petrovac | 10 |
| 4 | Vuk Striković | Sutjeska | 9 |
| 5 | Rodrigo Faust | Petrovac | 8 |
| 5 | Julián Montenegro | Arsenal | 8 |
| 5 | Dragan Grivić | Sutjeska | 8 |
| 5 | Zoran Petrović | Budućnost | 8 |