# Libyan Premier League

The Libyan Premier League (Arabic: الدوري الليبي الممتاز) is the men's top professional football division of the Libyan football league system. Administered by the Competition Organizing Committee in the Libyan Football Federation (Arabic: لجنة تنظيم المسابقات بالإتحاد الليبي لكرة القدم), Libyan Premier League is contested by 22 teams divided into two groups of 11 (previously 20, split into groups of 10. changed as of the 23/24 season), with the two lowest-placed teams of each group relegated to the First Division.
51 teams have competed in Libyan Premier League since its inception. Ten teams have been crowned champions, with Al-Ittihad winning the title a record 18 times and Al-Ahly Tripoli 13 times. Al-Ahly Tripoli won the inaugural Premier League in 1963. Al-Ahly Tripoli and Al-Ahly Benghazi dominated the championship in the 1970s, winning four titles and two titles respectively throughout the decade. Al-Ittihad dominated the League through the 2000s, winning 8 titles.
The league has been ranked by the IFFHS as the 56th highest in the world for 2009, making it the sixth-highest ranked league in the Arab world, after the Saudi Professional League (32nd), the Egyptian Premier League (34th), the Algerian Ligue Professionnelle 1 (48th), the Tunisian Ligue Professionnelle 1 (54th) and the Sudan Premier League (55th), and the eighth highest in Africa, after the Nigerian Professional Football League (30th), Egyptian Premier League, the Girabola in Angola (42nd), Algerian Ligue Professionnelle 1, Zambia Super League (53rd), Tunisian Ligue Professionnelle 1 and Sudan Premier League.

## History

The Libyan Premier League was founded in 1963. Prior to that, there were three Provincial Championships, one each for the Eastern, Western and Southern provinces. The first league season at national level was the 1963-64 season, in which participated the Western Province champion Al Ahly (Tripoli), the Eastern Province champion Al Ahly (Benghazi) and the Southern Province champion Hilal Sabha. After the withdrawal of Hilal Sabha due to lack of resources, the league was limited to just two teams. Al Ahly (Tripoli) defeated Al Ahly (Benghazi) 2-0 over two matches (1-0 home and away) to become the first Libyan Premier League champions.

## Winners

Al Ittihad are the most successful Libyan club, having won 18 titles, including 6 straight titles (from 2004–05 to 2009–10. Their arch rivals Al Ahly (Tripoli) have won it 13 times.
The last team to win the title from outside the capital was al- Naser fc, who won the league in the 2018 season. The Big Two (Al Ahly (Tripoli) & Al Ittihad) have won 31 of the 48 titles that have been contested since 1964.

### Champions by season

Winners are:
| 1963–64 - Al Ahli (Tripoli) 1964–65 - Al Ittihad 1965–66 - Al Ittihad 1966–68 - Al Tahaddi 1968–69 - Al Ittihad 1969–70 - Al Ahly (Benghazi) 1970–71 - Al Ahli (Tripoli) 1971–72 - Al Ahly (Benghazi) 1972–73 - Al Ahli (Tripoli) 1973–74 - Al Ahli (Tripoli) 1974–75 - Al Ahly (Benghazi) 1975–76 - Al Madina 1976–77 - Al Tahaddi 1977–78 - Al Ahli (Tripoli) 1978–79 - Darnes SC (after a vote by the LFF) 1979–82 - No championship 1982–83 - Al Madina 1983–84 - Al Ahli (Tripoli) 1984–85 - Al Dhahra | 1985–86 - Al Ittihad 1987 - Al Nasr 1987–88 - Al Ittihad 1988–89 - Al Ittihad 1989–90 - Al Ittihad 1990–91 - Al Ittihad 1991–92 - Al Ahly (Benghazi) 1992–93 - Al Ahli (Tripoli) 1993–94 - Al Ahli (Tripoli) 1994–95 - Al Ahli (Tripoli) 1995–96 - Al Shat 1996–97 - Al Tahaddi 1997–98 - Al Mahala 1998–99 - Al Mahala 2000 - Al Ahli (Tripoli) 2000–01 - Al Madina 2001–02 - Al Ittihad 2002–03 - Al Ittihad 2003–04 - Al Olympique | 2004–05 - Al Ittihad 2005–06 - Al Ittihad 2006–07 - Al Ittihad 2007–08 - Al Ittihad 2008–09 - Al Ittihad 2009–10 - Al Ittihad 2010–11 - Abandoned due to Libyan Civil War 2011–13 - No championship 2013–14 - Al Ahli (Tripoli) 2014–15 - No championship 2015–16 - Al Ahli (Tripoli) 2016–17 - No championship 2017–18 - Al Nasr 2018–19 - Abandoned 2019–20 - No championship 2020–21 - Al-Ittihad 2021–22 - Al-Ittihad 2022–23 - Al Ahli (Tripoli) 2023–24 - Al Nasr |

## Performance by club

| Club | Winners | Runners-up | Winning Years |
| Al Ittihad (Tripoli) | 18 | 7 | 1964–65, 1965–66, 1968–69, 1985–86, 1987–88, 1988–89, 1989–90, 1990–91, 2001–02, 2002–03, 2004–05, 2005–06, 2006–07, 2007–08, 2008–09, 2009–10, 2020–21 , 2021–22 |
| Al Ahli (Tripoli) | 13 | 11 | 1963–64, 1970–71, 1972–73, 1973–74, 1977–78, 1983–84, 1992–93, 1993–94, 1994–95, 2000, 2013–14, 2015–16, 2022–23 |
| Al Ahly (Benghazi) | 4 | 15 | 1969–70, 1971–72, 1974–75, 1991–92 |
| Al Nasr (Benghazi) | 3 | 4 | 1986–87, 2017–18, 2023–24 |
| Al Madina (Tripoli) | 3 | 2 | 1975–76, 1982–83, 2000–01 |
| Al Tahaddi (Benghazi) | 3 | 1 | 1966–68, 1976–77, 1996–97 |
| Al Mahala (Tripoli) | 2 | 1 | 1997–98, 1998–99 |
| Darnes | 1 | 1 | 1978–79 |
| Al Dhahra | 1 | 0 | 1984–85 |
| Aschat | 1 | 0 | 1995–96 |
| Al Olympique | 1 | 0 | 2003–04 |

### Titles by city

| City | Titles | Winning clubs |
| Tripoli | 38 | Al Ittihad (18), Al Ahli (13), Al Madina (3), Al Mahala (2), Al Dhahra (1), Aschat (1) |
| Benghazi | 10 | Al Ahly (4), Al Tahaddi (3), Al Nasr (3) |
| Derna | 1 | Darnes (1) |
| Zawiya | 1 | Al Olympique (1) |

## 2023–24 Clubs

Group 1
| Team | Location | Sha'biyah | Stadium | Capacity |
| Al Ahly | Benghazi | Benghazi | Martyrs of February Stadium | 10,550 |
| Al Hilal | Benghazi | Benghazi | Martyrs of February Stadium | 10,550 |
| Al Sadaqa SC | Shahhat | Shahhat | Shahhat Stadium | 10,000 |
| Al Ta'awon | Ajdabya | Ajdabya | 10 June Stadium | |
| Al Akhdar | Bayda | Bayda | Sheikh Chadae Stadium | 10,000 |
| Al Nasr | Benghazi | Benghazi | Martyrs of February Stadium | 10,550 |
| Al-Suqoor | Tobruk | Tobruk | Tobruk Stadium | 8,000 |
| Al Tahaddy | Benghazi | Benghazi | March 28 Stadium | 55,000 |
| Al-Morouj SC | Marj | Marj | Al Marj Stadium | |
| Al-Anwar | Al-Abyar | Al-Abyar | Martyrs of Al-Abyar Stadium | |
Group 2
| Team | Location | Stadium | Capacity |
| Abu Salem SC | Tripoli | Abu Salem Stadium | |
| Al Ahli | Tripoli | GMR Stadium | 4000 |
| Al-Ittihad | Tripoli | Jumayl Stadium | |
| Al Khums | Al Khums | Al Khums Stadium | |
| Al-Madina | Tripoli | GMR Stadium | 4000 |
| Alittihad Misrata | Misrata | Al Shumooa Stadium | |
| Al Bashayr | Misrata | Al Shumooa Stadium | |
| Asaria SC | Zawiya | Olympic Stadium | 8,000 |
| Asswehly | Misrata | Al Shumooa Stadium | |
| Olympic Azzaweya | Zawiya | Olympic Stadium | 8,000 |
| Libyan Stadium SC | Tripoli | GMR Stadium | 4,000 |

## Top scorers by season

Top scorers are:
| Season | Player | Club | Goals |
| 1963–64 | Ahmed Ben Soueid | Al Ahly (Benghazi) | 19 |
| 1964–65 | Ahmed Ben Soueid | Al Ahly (Benghazi) | 18 |
| 1965–66 | Ahmed Al Ahwal | Al Ittihad | 14 |
| 1966–67 | Hassan Al-Sanoussi | Al Ahli (Tripoli) | 12 |
| 1968–69 | Mohamed Boughalia | Al Ahli (Tripoli) | 16 |
| 1970–71 | Yousef Sidqi | Al Nasr | 15 |
| 1971–72 | Yousef Sidqi | Al Nasr | 12 |
| 1972–73 | Nouri Alsirri | Al Madina | 17 |
| 1973–74 | Nouri Alsirri | Al Madina | 13 |
| 1974–75 | Nouri Alsirri | Al Madina | 17 |
| 1975–76 | Mustafa Belhaaj | Al Madina | 19 |
| 1976–77 | Abubakr Douzan | Al Madina | 15 |
| 1977–78 | Fahim Raqs | Al Ahli (Tripoli) | 8 |
| 1982–83 | Nouri Alsirri | Al Madina | 17 |
| 1983–84 | Abdulraouf Ferjany | Al Dhahra | 11 |
| 1984–85 | Ramadan Barnaoui | Al Ahly (Benghazi) | 9 |
| 1985–86 | Salim Bou Jarrad | Al Ittihad | 11 |
| 1986–87 | Faraj Bar'asi | Al Nasr | 12 |
| 1987–88 | Salim Bou Jarrad | Al Ittihad | 11 |
| 1988–89 | Faraj Meeloud | Al Tahaddi | 6 |
| 1989–90 | Ali Bashary Nasr Badr | Al Ahly (Benghazi) Afriqi | 11 |
| 1990–91 | Idris Mikraaz | Darnes | 11 |
| 1991–92 | Abdelhakeem Suwayyah | Al Tirsana | 12 |
| 1992–93 | Abdelhakeem Suwayyah | Al Tirsana | 14 |
| 1993–94 | Idrees Mikraaz | Al Ahli (Tripoli) | 19 |
| 1994–95 | Mohamed Milaad Hassan Othman | Ittihad Gheryan Al Morooj | 6 |
| 1995–96 | Muammar Masoud | Al Shat | 10 |
| 1996–97 | Khalifa Maqinny | Al Hilal | 12 |
| 1997–98 | Khalifa Maqinny | Al Hilal | 14 |
| 1998–99 | Mustafa Ramadan Abdelaaty Qubay | Al Ahly (Benghazi) Al Intilaaq | 13 |
| 2000 | Ahmed Saad | Benghazi Al Jadeeda | 8 |
| 2000–01 | Ashraf Muammar Ali Melyaan | Al Tahaddi Al Madina | 14 |
| 2001–02 | Al-Saadi Gaddafi | Al Ittihad | 19 |
| 2002–03 | Ahmed El Masli Khaled Shallabi | Al Nasr Al Madina | 13 |
| 2003–04 | Ahmed Saad | Al Nasr | 14 |
| 2004–05 | Cheikh Seydouly | Al Urouba | 12 |
| 2005–06 | Samir Al Wahaj | Al Wahda | 18 |
| 2006–07 | Walid Shebli | Al Madina | 13 |
| 2007–08 | Abdelhameed Zidane | Al Akhdar | 21 |
| 2008–09 | Samir Al Wahaj | Al Tirsana | 19 |
| 2009–10 | Rasheed al Deasy | Al Shat | 15 |
| 2015–16 | Salem Roma | Al Nasr | 8 |
| 2017–18 | Ahmed Krawa'a | Al Ahly | 11 |
| 2018–19 | Anas Al Musrati | Al Hilal | 8 |
| 2021–22 | Ary Papel | Al Akhdar SC | 12 |
| 2022–23 | Ahmed Krawa'a | Al Ahly | 15 |
| 2023–24 | Ary Papel | Al Akhdar SC | 17 |

### All-time top scorers

| Rank | Name | Years | Goals |
| 1 | Ahmed Ben Soueid | 1963–1978 | 128 |
| 2 | Nouri Alsirri | | |
| 3 | Ahmed Saad Osman | 1997–2014 | 103 |
| 4 | Ali Al-Biski | | |
| 5 | Ali Alasswad | | 83 |
| 6 | Saad AlFazzani | 1970-1985 | 79 |
| 7 | Ahmed Al Masli | | 77 |
| | Ahmed Krawa'a | | 75 |
| | Samir Al Wahaj | | 69 |
| | Woness Khair | | 67 |
| | Cheikh Seydouly | | 64 |
| | Abdul Hamid Al-Zaidani | | 62 |
| | Nader Kara | | 61 |
| | Abdel Jalil Heshani | | 61 |
| | Osama Fezzani | | 59 |
| | Ahmed Zuway | | 53 |
| | Omar Diop | | 53 |
| | Kamara Sanosar | | 51 |
| | Ary Papel | | 43 |
| | Pierre Koulibaly | | 29 |

## Regulations

The rules can be found on the official LFF website.