# 2024–25 Maltese Challenge League

The 2024–25 Maltese Challenge League (referred to as the BOV Challenge League for sponsorship reasons) is the second-level league football in Malta. It is the fifth season that the competition has been running in its present form.

## Teams

The league consisted of sixteen teams; ten teams remaining from the previous season, two teams promoted from the 2023-24 Maltese National Amateur League, and four teams relegated from the 2023-24 Maltese Premier League.

### Team changes

The following teams have changed divisions since the 2023–24 season:
| Team | Location | Manager |
| Fgura United | Fgura | Kevin Vella |
| Gudja United | Gudja | Orosco Anonam |
| Lija Athletic | Lija | Joseph Galea |
| Marsa | Marsa | Saviour Debono Grech |
| Mgarr United | Mgarr | Brian Spiteri |
| Mtarfa | Mtarfa | Ivan Casha |
| Pietà Hotspurs | Pietà | Manuel Caruana |
| Santa Lucia | Santa Luċija | Liam Mangion |
| Senglea Athletic | Senglea | Robert Cassar |
| Sirens | St. Paul's Bay | Stephen Damato |
| St. Andrews | St. Andrew's, Malta | Jose` Borg |
| Swieqi United | Swieqi | Pablo Doffo |
| Tarxien Rainbows | Tarxien | Jacques Scerri |
| Valletta | Valletta | Thane Micallef |
| Żebbuġ Rangers | Żebbuġ | Rodney Bugeja |
| Żurrieq | Żurrieq | Francis Cassar |

### Kits

| Team | Kit manufacturer | Shirt sponsor (front) | Shirt sponsor (back) | Shirt sponsor (sleeve) |
| Fgura United | Adidas | Fundazzjoni Sebħ, Trust Stamp, Euro Bridge, Iveco (Top Left) | EuroSport (Top), Rad Auto Dealer (Bottom) | Fundazzjoni Sebħ (Right), Hair Haven (Left) |
| Gudja United | Macron | Handy Man, SixSevenEight | Apex Group (Top) | Thomas Smith Insurance Broker (Left) |
| Lija Athletic | Macron | Falzon Group Of Companies | TeamSport (Top), La Crema (Bottom) | |
| Marsa | Legea | F Schembri | | |
| Mgarr | Zeus | Zarb Coaches, SCS Sammut Concrete Supplies, Ballut Blocks, Big Mat | Frame Group (Top), GPC Concrete Solutions, Smart Transport LTD (Bottom) | Blaugrana (Left), Halmann Vella (Right) |
| Mtarfa | Givova | Angelo Stores Mtarfa | | |
| Pietà Hotspurs | Jartazi | Famalco.net, A1 Supplies, Xuereb Installation | Farstone Construction (Top) | |
| Santa Lucia | Capelli Sport | Multivend, avanza | Elmo (Top), Konica Minolta (Bottom) | Yellow Army (Left), Levissima (Right) |
| Senglea Athletic | Givova | Palumbo, AUM, JCJuc Ltd | | |
| Sirens | Macron | Café del Mar Malta, Welbee's | Arringo (Top), Malta National Aquarium (Bottom) | |
| St. Andrews | Macron | Fiat, Frank Salt | | atg (Left), Marsali (Right) |
| Swieqi United | Erima | Platin P Casino, BEHR | Eight Four Capital (Top) | |
| Tarxien Rainbows | Erreà | Cassar, Dee Spas | Cargo Nigel (Bottom) | AEN (Right) |
| Valletta | Nike | Iniala | Inter Sport (Top) | Toyotomi, Da Mattia (Left), 5 Beans (Right) |
| Żebbuġ Rangers | Joma | The Convenience Shop, Coop Italia | | |
| Żurrieq | Erima | Trust Payment | Xace (Top), Corendion, D£, B.home (Bottom) | Tax ORB (Left), Firetech (Right) |

### Managerial changes

| Team | Outgoing manager | Manner of departure | Date of vacancy | Position in table | Incoming manager | Date of appointment |
| Senglea Athletic | Liam Mangion | End of Contract | 5 May 2024 | Pre-season | Robert Cassar | 15 May 2024 |
| Gudja United | Renzo Kerr Cumbo | End of Contract | 5 May 2024 | Pre-season | Orosco Anonam | 11 May 2024 |
| Żurrieq | Saviour Debono Grech | Resign | 5 May 2024 | Pre-season | Francis Cassar | 9 May 2024 |
| Marsa | Orosco Anonym | Resign | 8 May 2024 | Pre-season | Saviour Debono Grech | 8 May 2024 |
| Mtarfa | George Magri | Resign | 16 May 2024 | Pre-season | Ivan Casha | 1 July 2024 |
| Santa Lucia | Alessandro Zinnari | Sign For Ħamrun Spartans | 17 May 2024 | Pre-season | Liam Mangion | 6 June 2024 |
| St. Andrews | Vesko Petrovic | End of Contract | 25 May 2024 | Pre-season | Jose` Borg | 29 May 2024 |
| Valletta | Juan Cruz Gill | End of Caretaker | 5 July 2024 | Pre-season | Thane Micallef | 5 July 2024 |

## Venues

| Centenary StadiumVictor Tedesco Stadium | Ta' Qali | Hamrun |
| Centenary StadiumVictor Tedesco Stadium | Centenary Stadium | Victor Tedesco Stadium |
| Centenary StadiumVictor Tedesco Stadium | Capacity: 3,000 | Capacity: 1,962 |

## Regular season

During the regular season, each team plays each other once (either at home or at away). The top eight teams qualify for the Top eight, while the bottom eight teams qualify for the Play-Out.

### League table

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | Valletta | 15 | 12 | 2 | 1 | 28 | 4 | +24 | 38 | Qualification for the Top Eight |
| 2 | Tarxien Rainbows | 15 | 9 | 2 | 4 | 22 | 16 | +6 | 29 | Qualification for the Top Eight |
| 3 | Marsa | 15 | 8 | 4 | 3 | 25 | 13 | +12 | 28 | Qualification for the Top Eight |
| 4 | Swieqi United | 15 | 8 | 4 | 3 | 22 | 17 | +5 | 28 | Qualification for the Top Eight |
| 5 | Pietà Hotspurs | 15 | 8 | 2 | 5 | 21 | 19 | +2 | 26 | Qualification for the Top Eight |
| 6 | Santa Lucia | 15 | 8 | 1 | 6 | 24 | 25 | −1 | 25 | Qualification for the Top Eight |
| 7 | Mgarr United | 15 | 5 | 7 | 3 | 24 | 19 | +5 | 22 | Qualification for the Top Eight |
| 8 | Żurrieq | 15 | 6 | 4 | 5 | 18 | 17 | +1 | 22 | Qualification for the Top Eight |
| 9 | Fgura United | 15 | 6 | 3 | 6 | 17 | 14 | +3 | 21 | Qualification for the Play-Out |
| 10 | Gudja United | 15 | 6 | 3 | 6 | 21 | 22 | −1 | 21 | Qualification for the Play-Out |
| 11 | Żebbuġ Rangers | 15 | 3 | 8 | 4 | 22 | 20 | +2 | 17 | Qualification for the Play-Out |
| 12 | Sirens | 15 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 25 | 26 | −1 | 17 | Qualification for the Play-Out |
| 13 | Lija Athletic | 15 | 3 | 3 | 9 | 16 | 28 | −12 | 12 | Qualification for the Play-Out |
| 14 | St. Andrews | 15 | 2 | 4 | 9 | 10 | 22 | −12 | 10 | Qualification for the Play-Out |
| 15 | Senglea Athletic | 15 | 2 | 3 | 10 | 13 | 27 | −14 | 9 | Qualification for the Play-Out |
| 16 | Mtarfa | 15 | 2 | 1 | 12 | 10 | 29 | −19 | 7 | Qualification for the Play-Out |

### Results

| Home \ Away | FGU | GUD | LJA | MSA | MGR | MTF | PIE | STL | SEN | SIR | STA | SWQ | TAR | VAL | ZEB | ZUR |
| Fgura United | — | 1–2 | | 1–2 | — | — | 1–2 | | 14 Dec | | | — | 5 Jan | — | — | |
| Gudja United | — | — | — | | — | | | — | 1 Dec | 1–2 | 21 Dec | | 1–3 | — | — | 1–3 |
| Lija Athletic | | 0–1 | — | 1–3 | | — | 1–2 | 22 Dec | | 5 Jan | 1–0 | — | | — | — | — |
| Marsa | — | | — | — | — | | — | — | 1–0 | 1–1 | | 15 Dec | 1–2 | | | 1 Dec |
| Mgarr United | 21 Dec | 0–1 | | 2–2 | — | — | 4–0 | | 5 Jan | | 2–1 | — | — | — | — | |
| Mtarfa | 1–2 | | 2–1 | 4 Jan | 0–2 | — | 15 Dec | 30 Nov | — | — | | — | — | 0–1 | | — |
| Pietà Hotspurs | — | | — | 22 Dec | — | — | — | — | 2–1 | 30 Nov | | — | 3–1 | | | 1–2 |
| Santa Lucia | | 0–0 | — | 0–5 | 5–3 | — | 0–1 | — | | 15 Dec | 2–0 | — | | — | — | 4 Jan |
| Senglea Athletic | — | — | | — | — | 2–1 | — | | — | | — | 0–2 | 21 Dec | 1–2 | 1–1 | 1–3 |
| Sirens | | — | — | — | | 3–1 | — | — | | — | — | 3–0 | | 0–3 | 2–2 | 22 Dec |
| St. Andrews | — | — | — | | — | | | — | 0–0 | 1–1 | — | | 30 Nov | 14 Dec | — | 0–2 |
| Swieqi United | 0–1 | | 1 Dec | — | 0–0 | 21 Dec | 4 Jan | 3–2 | — | — | | — | — | | | — |
| Tarxien Rainbows | — | — | | — | 15 Dec | 2–0 | — | | — | | — | 1–1 | — | 1–0 | 2–0 | |
| Valletta | 3–0 | 4 Jan | 6–0 | | 30 Nov | | | 3–0 | — | — | — | | — | — | 22 Dec | — |
| Żebbuġ Rangers | 1 Dec | 14 Dec | 2–2 | | 1–1 | | | 1–2 | — | — | 5 Jan | | — | — | — | — |
| Żurrieq | | — | 14 Dec | — | | 1–0 | — | — | | — | — | 1–2 | | 0–1 | 1–0 | — |

## Second phase
### Top eight

The top eight teams from the regular season face each other twice more (once at home and once away), with the top two teams earning promotion to the 2025–26 Maltese Premier League. Results from the regular season were carried over into this round.

#### League table

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion |
| 1 | Valletta | 19 | 16 | 2 | 1 | 41 | 6 | +35 | 50 | Promotion to the 2025–26 Maltese Premier League |
| 2 | Swieqi United | 19 | 10 | 5 | 4 | 30 | 24 | +6 | 35 | Promotion to the 2025–26 Maltese Premier League |
| 3 | Tarxien Rainbows | 19 | 9 | 5 | 5 | 23 | 20 | +3 | 32 | |
| 4 | Pietà Hotspurs | 19 | 9 | 4 | 6 | 31 | 27 | +4 | 31 | |
| 5 | Marsa | 19 | 8 | 5 | 6 | 30 | 24 | +6 | 29 | |
| 6 | Żurrieq | 19 | 8 | 4 | 7 | 28 | 28 | 0 | 28 | |
| 7 | Santa Lucia | 19 | 8 | 4 | 7 | 31 | 35 | −4 | 28 | |
| 8 | Mgarr United | 19 | 6 | 9 | 4 | 30 | 25 | +5 | 27 | |

### Play-Out

The bottom eight teams from the regular season face each other for the second time (either at home or away), with the bottom four teams being relegated to the 2025–26 Maltese National Amateur League. Results from the regular season were carried over into this round.

#### League table

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Relegation |
| 1 | Fgura United | 19 | 9 | 3 | 7 | 27 | 18 | +9 | 30 | |
| 2 | Sirens | 19 | 6 | 6 | 7 | 32 | 31 | +1 | 24 | |
| 3 | Żebbuġ Rangers | 19 | 3 | 9 | 7 | 25 | 31 | −6 | 18 | |
| 4 | Gudja United | 19 | 6 | 5 | 8 | 25 | 28 | −3 | 23 | |
| 5 | St. Andrews | 19 | 6 | 4 | 9 | 17 | 24 | −7 | 22 | |
| 6 | Lija Athletic | 19 | 4 | 3 | 12 | 19 | 34 | −15 | 15 | |
| 7 | Mtarfa | 19 | 4 | 2 | 13 | 17 | 35 | −18 | 14 | Relegation to the 2025–26 Maltese National Amateur League |
| 8 | Senglea Athletic | 19 | 3 | 4 | 12 | 17 | 33 | −16 | 13 | Relegation to the 2025–26 Maltese National Amateur League |

## Season statistics
### Scoring
#### Top scorers

    As of 23 November 2024
| Rank | Player | Club | Goals |
| 1 | Andrei Ciolacu | Valletta | 7 |
| 2 | Sulahmana Mamadu Bah | Zurrieq | 5 |
| 3 | Lydon Micallef | Marsa | 4 |
| 3 | Emmanuel Bio | Pieta' Hotspurs | 4 |
| 3 | Duvan Mosquera Torres | Zebbug Rangers | 4 |
| 6 | Diego Silva Caetano | Gudja United | 3 |
| 6 | Erjon Beu | Lija Athletic | 3 |
| 6 | Jurgen Suda | Mgarr United | 3 |
| 6 | Samuel Boakye | Mgarr United | 3 |
| 6 | Gilberto Martins Leite Carrara | Sirens | 3 |
| 6 | Blessing Brafo | Swieqi United | 3 |
| 6 | James Scicluna | Valletta | 3 |
| 6 | Camilo Andres Diaz Arias | Zebbug Rangers | 3 |
| 6 | Sebastian Grech | Zurrieq | 3 |

#### Hat-tricks

| Player | For | Against | Result | Stadium | Date |
| Sulahmana Mamadu Bah | Zurrieq | Gudja United | 3–1 (A) | Victor Tedesco Stadium, Hamrun | 19 October 2024 |
| Andrei Ciolacu | Valletta | Santa Lucia | 3–0 (A) | Victor Tedesco Stadium, Hamrun | 20 October 2024 |

### Clean sheets

| Rank | Player | Club | Clean sheets |
| 1 | Johnathan Debono | Mgarr United | 5 |
| 1 | Timothy Aquilina | Valletta | 5 |
| 3 | Jurgen Borg | Żurrieq | 3 |
| 4 | Daniel Attard | Gudja United | 2 |
| 4 | Ryan Caruana | Marsa | 2 |
| 4 | Jean Claude Debattista | Swieqi United | 2 |
| 4 | Jake Pisani | St. Andrews | 2 |
| 4 | Andreas Vella | Tarxien Rainbows | 2 |
| 9 | Yenz Cini | Fgura United | 1 |
| 9 | James Pisani | Gudja United | 1 |
| 9 | Luke Bonnici | Lija Athletic | 1 |
| 9 | Jake Farrugia | Pieta' Hotspurs | 1 |
| 9 | Christopher Farrugia | Santa Lucia | 1 |
| 9 | Johnathan Grech | Senglea Athletic | 1 |
| 9 | Andrea Cassar | Sirens | 1 |
| 9 | Jamie Azzopardi | Zebbug Rangers | 1 |

### Discipline
#### Player

* Most yellow cards: 5
** Dylan Agius (Marsa)
* Most red cards: 1
** Julian Camilleri (Lija Athletic)
** Andy Gilson (Mtarfa)
** Ayrton Senna Azzopardi (Mtarfa)
** Zean Leornardi (Pieta' Hotspurs)
** Dylan Mangion (Santa Lucia)
** Jean Carlos Cloth Goncalves (Santa Lucia)
** Andrea Cassar (Sirens)
** Sammy Elfarsi (Sirens)
** Elizeu Espirito Santo Da Conceicao (St. Andrews)
** Andre Spiteri (Tarxien Rainbows)

#### Club

* Most yellow cards: 24
** Santa Lucia
* Most red cards: 3
** Mtarfa