# Slovak First Football League

The Slovak First Football League, shortly just 1st League (1. liga), also known as Niké liga for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Slovakia and the highest level of the Slovakian football league system. It was formed in 1993 following the dissolution of Czechoslovakia. The record for most titles is fourteen, held by Slovan Bratislava, who are the current title holders.

## History

The current independent top football division in Slovakia was formed in 1993 as a result of the dissolution of Czechoslovakia. The predecessors of the current top football division in Slovakia were Zväzové Majstrovstvá Slovenska (1925–1933) and Slovenská liga (1938–1944).
Slovakia was part of Czechoslovakia (1918–1939 and 1945–1993) and the best Slovak clubs played in the joint Czechoslovak league. Three Slovak clubs managed to win it.
Zväzové Majstrovstvá Slovenska (1925–1933)
| Season | Champions (number of titles) |
| 1925–26 | 1. ČsŠK Bratislava |
| 1926–27 | 1. ČsŠK Bratislava |
| 1927–28 | SK Žilina |
| 1928–29 | SK Žilina |
| 1929–30 | 1. ČsŠK Bratislava |
| 1930–31 | Ligeti SC |
| 1931–32 | 1. ČsŠK Bratislava |
| 1932–33 | SC Rusj Uzhorod |
Slovenská liga (1938–1944)
| Season | Champions (number of titles) | Runners-up | Third place |
| 1938–39 | AC Sparta Považská Bystrica | ŠK Bratislava | MŠK Žilina |
| 1939–40 | ŠK Bratislava | AC Sparta Považská Bystrica | MŠK Žilina |
| 1940–41 | ŠK Bratislava | FC Vrútky | AC Sparta Považská Bystrica |
| 1941–42 | ŠK Bratislava | FC Vrútky | MŠK Žilina |
| 1942–43 | OAP Bratislava | ŠK Bratislava | AC Sparta Považská Bystrica |
| 1943–44 | ŠK Bratislava | OAP Bratislava | TSS Trnava |
| 1944–45 | abandoned in September 1944 | abandoned in September 1944 | abandoned in September 1944 |
Slovak winners of the Czechoslovak 1. League (1945–1993)
| Club | Winners | Winning seasons |
| Slovan Bratislava | 8 | 1949, 1950, 1951, 1955, 1969–70, 1973–74, 1974–75, 1991–92 |
| Spartak Trnava | 5 | 1967–68, 1968–69, 1970–71, 1971–72, 1972–73 |
| Inter Bratislava | 1 | 1958–59 |

## Competition format

Over the years, the number of teams competing in the top division has varied. The current number of 12 teams has been in effect since the 2006–07 season. However, there were also changes in the playing format afterwards. In the current format, which has been in effect since the 2017–18 season, teams play home-and-away against every other team in the regular stage, for a total of 22 matches each. The table is then divided into two halves of 6 teams each – the top 6 play in the championship group and the bottom 6 play in the relegation group. Within these groups, teams play home-and-away each other again, for a total of 10 matches each.
| Period | Number of teams |
| 1993–1996 | 12 |
| 1996–2000 | 16 |
| 2000–2006 | 10 |
| 2006–present | 12 |

## Sponsorship

| Period | Sponsor | Name |
| 1993–1997 | No sponsor | 1. liga |
| 1997–2002 | Reemtsma | Mars superliga |
| 2002–2003 | No sponsor | 1. liga |
| 2003–2014 | Heineken | Corgoň liga |
| 2014–2023 | Fortuna | Fortuna liga |
| 2023–present | Niké | Niké liga |

## Clubs
### Champions

| Season | Champions | Runners-up | Third place | Top scorer | Goals | Team |
| 1993–94 | Slovan Bratislava (1) | Inter Bratislava | DAC Dunajská Streda | Pavol Diňa | 19 | DAC Dunajská Streda |
| 1994–95 | Slovan Bratislava (2) | 1. FC Košice | Inter Bratislava | Robert Semenik | 18 | Dukla Banská Bystrica |
| 1995–96 | Slovan Bratislava (3) | 1. FC Košice | Spartak Trnava | Robert Semenik | 29 | 1. FC Košice |
| 1996–97 | 1. FC Košice (1) | Spartak Trnava | Slovan Bratislava | Jozef Kožlej | 22 | 1. FC Košice |
| 1997–98 | 1. FC Košice (2) | Spartak Trnava | Inter Bratislava | Ľubomír Luhový | 17 | Spartak Trnava |
| 1998–99 | Slovan Bratislava (4) | Inter Bratislava | Spartak Trnava | Martin Fabuš | 19 | Trenčín |
| 1999–2000 | Inter Bratislava (1) | 1. FC Košice | Slovan Bratislava | Szilárd Németh | 16 | Inter Bratislava |
| 2000–01 | Inter Bratislava (2) | Slovan Bratislava | Ružomberok | Szilárd Németh | 23 | Inter Bratislava |
| 2001–02 | Žilina (1) | Púchov | Inter Bratislava | Marek Mintál | 21 | Žilina |
| 2002–03 | Žilina (2) | Petržalka | Slovan Bratislava | Martin Fabuš Marek Mintál | 20 | Trenčín, Žilina Žilina |
| 2003–04 | Žilina (3) | Dukla Banská Bystrica | Ružomberok | Roland Števko | 17 | Ružomberok |
| 2004–05 | Petržalka (1) | Žilina | Dukla Banská Bystrica | Filip Šebo | 22 | Petržalka |
| 2005–06 | Ružomberok (1) | Petržalka | Spartak Trnava | Róbert Rák Erik Jendrišek | 21 | Nitra Ružomberok |
| 2006–07 | Žilina (4) | Petržalka | Slovan Bratislava | Tomáš Oravec | 16 | Petržalka |
| 2007–08 | Petržalka (2) | Žilina | Nitra | Ján Novák | 17 | Košice |
| 2008–09 | Slovan Bratislava (5) | Žilina | Spartak Trnava | Pavol Masaryk | 15 | Slovan Bratislava |
| 2009–10 | Žilina (5) | Slovan Bratislava | Dukla Banská Bystrica | Róbert Rák | 18 | Nitra |
| 2010–11 | Slovan Bratislava (6) | Senica | Žilina | Filip Šebo | 22 | Slovan Bratislava |
| 2011–12 | Žilina (6) | Spartak Trnava | Slovan Bratislava | Pavol Masaryk | 18 | Ružomberok |
| 2012–13 | Slovan Bratislava (7) | Senica | Trenčín | David Depetris | 16 | Trenčín |
| 2013–14 | Slovan Bratislava (8) | Trenčín | Spartak Trnava | Tomáš Malec | 14 | Trenčín |
| 2014–15 | Trenčín (1) | Žilina | Slovan Bratislava | Matej Jelić Jan Kalabiška | 19 | Žilina Senica |
| 2015–16 | Trenčín (2) | Slovan Bratislava | Spartak Myjava | Gino van Kessel | 17 | Trenčín |
| 2016–17 | Žilina (7) | Slovan Bratislava | Ružomberok | Filip Hlohovský Seydouba Soumah | 20 | Žilina Slovan Bratislava |
| 2017–18 | Spartak Trnava (1) | Slovan Bratislava | DAC Dunajská Streda | Samuel Mráz | 21 | Žilina |
| 2018–19 | Slovan Bratislava (9) | DAC Dunajská Streda | Ružomberok | Andraž Šporar | 29 | Slovan Bratislava |
| 2019–20 | Slovan Bratislava (10) | Žilina | DAC Dunajská Streda | Andraž Šporar | 12 | Slovan Bratislava |
| 2020–21 | Slovan Bratislava (11) | DAC Dunajská Streda | Spartak Trnava | Dawid Kurminowski | 19 | Žilina |
| 2021–22 | Slovan Bratislava (12) | Ružomberok | Spartak Trnava | Jakub Kadák | 13 | Trenčín |
| 2022–23 | Slovan Bratislava (13) | DAC Dunajská Streda | Spartak Trnava | Nikola Krstović | 18 | DAC Dunajská Streda |
| 2023–24 | Slovan Bratislava (14) | DAC Dunajská Streda | Spartak Trnava | Róbert Polievka Tigran Barseghyan | 13 | Banská Bystrica Slovan Bratislava |
Source for list of championship winners:

#### Performance by club

Clubs in bold currently play in the top division.
| Club | Winners | Runners-up | Championship seasons | Runners-up seasons |
| Slovan Bratislava | 14 | 5 | 1993–94, 1994–95, 1995–96, 1998–99, 2008–09, 2010–11, 2012–13, 2013–14, 2018–19, 2019–20, 2020–21, 2021–22, 2022–23, 2023–24 | 2000–01, 2009–10, 2015–16, 2016–17, 2017–18 |
| Žilina | 7 | 5 | 2001–02, 2002–03, 2003–04, 2006–07, 2009–10, 2011–12, 2016–17 | 2004–05, 2007–08, 2008–09, 2014–15, 2019–20 |
| VSS Košice | 2 | 3 | 1996–97, 1997–98 | 1994–95, 1995–96, 1999–2000 |
| Artmedia Bratislava | 2 | 3 | 2004–05, 2007–08 | 2002–03, 2005–06, 2006–07 |
| Inter Bratislava | 2 | 2 | 1999–2000, 2000–01 | 1993–94, 1998–99 |
| Trenčín | 2 | 1 | 2014–15, 2015–16 | 2013–14 |
| Spartak Trnava | 1 | 3 | 2017–18 | 1996–97, 1997–98, 2011–12 |
| Ružomberok | 1 | 1 | 2005–06 | 2021–22 |
| DAC Dunajská Streda | – | 4 | – | 2018–19, 2020–21, 2022–23, 2023–24 |
| Senica | – | 2 | – | 2010–11, 2012–13 |
| Púchov | – | 1 | – | 2001–02 |
| Dukla Banská Bystrica | – | 1 | – | 2003–04 |

#### Titles by city

| City | Titles | Winning clubs |
| Bratislava | 18 | Slovan Bratislava (14), Inter Bratislava (2), Artmedia Bratislava (2) |
| Žilina | 7 | Žilina (7) |
| Košice | 2 | VSS Košice (2) |
| Trenčín | 2 | Trenčín (2) |
| Ružomberok | 1 | Ružomberok (1) |
| Trnava | 1 | Spartak Trnava (1) |

### 2024–25 season

Twelve clubs compete in the 2024–25 season.
| Team | Location | Stadium | Capacity |
| DAC Dunajská Streda | Dunajská Streda | MOL Aréna | 12,700 |
| Dukla Banská Bystrica | Banská Bystrica | Štadión SNP | 7,030 |
| Košice | Košice | Košická futbalová aréna | 12,555 |
| Podbrezová | Podbrezová | ZELPO Aréna | 4,000 |
| Ružomberok | Ružomberok | Štadión pod Čebraťom | 4,876 |
| Skalica | Skalica | Štadión MFK Skalica | 2,600 |
| Slovan Bratislava | Bratislava | Tehelné pole | 22,500 |
| Spartak Trnava | Trnava | Štadión Antona Malatinského | 18,200 |
| Trenčín | Trenčín | Štadión Sihoť | 10,000 |
| Zemplín Michalovce | Michalovce | Mestský futbalový štadión | 4,440 |
| Komárno | Komárno | ViOn Aréna | 4,008 |
| Žilina | Žilina | Štadión pod Dubňom | 10,897 |

## All-time league table

The all-time league table is an overall record of all match results, points, and goals of every team that has played in Slovak I. liga since its inception in 1993. The table as of the end of 2023–24 season. Teams in bold are part of the 2024–25 Niké liga. There is no club that played all seasons in top-flight. The best clubs in that respect, Žilina and Spartak Trnava, missed 1 season, Slovan Bratislava missed 2 seasons.
| Pos | Team | S | P | W | D | L | F | A | GD | Pts |
| 1 | Slovan Bratislava | 29 | 942 | 541 | 211 | 190 | 1711 | 915 | 796 | 1834 |
| 2 | MŠK Žilina | 30 | 1006 | 484 | 223 | 299 | 1713 | 1125 | 588 | 1675 |
| 3 | Spartak Trnava | 30 | 998 | 457 | 224 | 313 | 1394 | 1085 | 309 | 1595 |
| 4 | MFK Ružomberok | 27 | 912 | 351 | 259 | 302 | 1187 | 1104 | 83 | 1312 |
| 5 | AS Trenčín | 24 | 805 | 316 | 180 | 309 | 1176 | 1126 | 50 | 1128 |
| 6 | DAC Dunajská Streda | 21 | 666 | 242 | 167 | 257 | 823 | 921 | (-98) | 887 * |
| 7 | VSS Košice | 19 | 616 | 241 | 148 | 227 | 835 | 799 | 36 | 863 |
| 8 | Dukla Banská Bystrica | 21 | 680 | 224 | 183 | 273 | 825 | 883 | (-58) | 855 |
| 9 | FC Petržalka | 14 | 463 | 204 | 114 | 145 | 676 | 561 | 115 | 726 |
| 10 | Inter Bratislava | 14 | 454 | 203 | 102 | 149 | 667 | 519 | 148 | 693 |
| 11 | FC Nitra | 18 | 572 | 177 | 128 | 299 | 607 | 875 | (-268) | 644 |
| 12 | Tatran Prešov | 16 | 515 | 148 | 143 | 224 | 529 | 734 | (-205) | 577 |
| 13 | FK Senica | 14 | 448 | 147 | 113 | 186 | 510 | 619 | (-138) | 556 |
| 14 | ViOn Zlaté Moravce | 17 | 545 | 139 | 135 | 273 | 553 | 859 | (-306) | 552 |
| 15 | MFK Dubnica | 13 | 424 | 119 | 117 | 188 | 436 | 604 | (-168) | 473 |
| 16 | Zemplín Michalovce | 10 | 314 | 86 | 80 | 146 | 336 | 497 | (-161) | 338 |
| 17 | MŠK Púchov | 6 | 216 | 70 | 53 | 93 | 235 | 294 | (-59) | 263 |
| 18 | Železiarne Podbrezová | 7 | 224 | 71 | 49 | 94 | 259 | 326 | (-67) | 262 |
| 19 | Chemlon Humenné | 7 | 216 | 71 | 43 | 102 | 238 | 323 | (-85) | 246 |
| 20 | Baník Prievidza | 7 | 216 | 59 | 44 | 113 | 239 | 369 | (-130) | 212 |
| 21 | Spartak Myjava | 5 | 132 | 55 | 27 | 50 | 167 | 177 | (-10) | 192 |
| 22 | ŠKF Sereď | 5 | 155 | 49 | 39 | 67 | 176 | 237 | (-61) | 186 |
| 23 | Lokomotíva Košice | 5 | 156 | 48 | 37 | 71 | 180 | 241 | (-61) | 174 |
| 24 | Partizán Bardejov | 5 | 154 | 45 | 24 | 85 | 159 | 232 | (−73) | 159 |
| 25 | FC Rimavská Sobota | 4 | 126 | 35 | 29 | 62 | 129 | 193 | (−64) | 134 |
| 26 | FK Pohronie | 4 | 123 | 26 | 42 | 55 | 128 | 179 | (-51) | 120 |
| 27 | MFK Skalica | 3 | 97 | 27 | 23 | 47 | 103 | 138 | (-35) | 104 |
| 28 | FC Senec | 3 | 91 | 18 | 28 | 45 | 85 | 152 | (−67) | 82 |
| 29 | Tatran Liptovský Mikuláš | 2 | 64 | 14 | 16 | 34 | 66 | 116 | (-50) | 58 |
| 30 | FC Košice | 1 | 32 | 7 | 6 | 19 | 27 | 56 | (-29) | 27 |
| 31 | KFC Komárno | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
S = Number of seasons; P = Matches played; W = Matches won; D = Matches drawn; L = Matches lost; F = Goals for; A = Goals against; GD = Goal difference; Pts = Points
$^a$Spartak Myjava withdrew from the league on 21 December 2016, and their results from season 2016-17 were expunged.
* DAC had 6 points deducted in 2013/14 season.
League or status:
* 2024–25 Slovak First Football League
* 2024–25 2. Liga (Slovakia)
* 2024–25 3. Liga (Slovakia)
* 4. Liga (Slovakia)
* Below 4th tier
* Defunct

## European competitions
### UEFA coefficients

The following data indicates Slovak coefficient rankings between European football leagues.

## Players

The clubs sell their players to financially stronger clubs from western Europe. Examples of players that have succeeded in notable leagues are Marek Hamšík, who was captain of Italian club SSC Napoli, Peter Pekarík who captains Bundesliga side Hertha BSC or Martin Škrtel, a well-known former Liverpool centre-back who also played for Fenerbahçe. Moreover, over the last few years more and more youngsters have been given chances to perform regularly in the league and as the result, many transfers were to be seen. For example Leon Bailey, Milan Škriniar, Stanislav Lobotka or Samuel Kalu could have been seen playing football at Slovak stadiums recently.

### Top scorers

As of the end of the 2017–18 season.
| Goals | Name | Clubs/goals for the club |
| 125 | Juraj Halenár | Inter Bratislava 35, Petržalka 33, Slovan Bratislava 57 |
| 120 | Róbert Semeník | Dukla Banská Bystrica 72, 1. FC Košice 43, Nitra 5 |
| 86 | Marek Ujlaky | Spartak Trnava 79, Slovan Bratislava 2, Senec 3, Zlaté Moravce 2 |
| 86 | Pavol Masaryk | Spartak Trnava 10, Slovan Bratislava 45, Ružomberok 28, Senica 2, Skalica 1 |
| 85 | Szilárd Németh | Slovan Bratislava 25, 1. FC Košice 21, Inter Bratislava 39 |
| 83 | Vladimír Kožuch | Spartak Trnava 61, Tatran Prešov 22 |
| 81 | Martin Fabuš | ODu/AS Trenčín 59, Žilina 17, Dukla Banská Bystrica 5 |
| 78 | Tomáš Oravec | 1. FC Košice 4, Ružomberok 19, Petržalka 28, Žilina 24, Spartak Trnava 3 |
| 78 | Róbert Rák | Nitra 61, Ružomberok 17 |
| 76 | Marek Mintál | Žilina 76 |
| 73 | Tomáš Medveď | Petržalka 31, Inter Bratislava 13, Dukla Banská Bystrica 8, Humenné 8, Slovan Bratislava 8, Lokomotíva Košice 2, 1. FC Košice 1, Senec 2 |
| 71 | Róbert Vittek | Slovan Bratislava 71 |
| 63 | Stanislav Šesták | Tatran Prešov 8, Slovan Bratislava 6, Žilina 49 |

## Transfers
### Record departures

| Rank | Player | From | To | Fee | Year |
| 1. | Szilárd Németh | Inter Bratislava | Middlesbrough | €6.75 million | 2001 |
| 2. | Andraž Šporar | Slovan Bratislava | Sporting CP | €6 million | 2020 |
| 3. | László Bénes | Žilina | Mönchengladbach | €5.5 million | 2016 |
| 4. | Róbert Boženík | Žilina | Feyenoord | €4.6 million | 2020 |
| 5. | Dávid Hancko | Žilina | Fiorentina | €4.5 million | 2018 |
| 5. | Nikola Krstović | DAC Dunajská Streda | US Lecce | €4.5 million | 2023 |
| 6. | Peter Dubovský | Slovan Bratislava | Real Madrid | €4.3 million (110 mil. SKK) | 1993 |
| 7. | Wesley | Trenčín | Club Brugge | €4.2 million | 2016 |
| 8. | Tomáš Hubočan | Žilina | Zenit Saint Petersburg | €3.8 million | 2008 |
| 9. | Matúš Bero | Trenčín | Trabzonspor | €3.5 million | 2016 |
| 10. | Dominik Greif | Slovan Bratislava | RCD Mallorca | €2.5 million | 2021 |
| 10. | David Strelec | Slovan Bratislava | Spezia Calcio | €2.5 million | 2021 |
| 11. | Miroslav Karhan | Spartak Trnava | Real Betis | €2.3 million | 1999 |
| 12. | Vladimír Kinder | Slovan Bratislava | Middlesbrough | €2.2 million (64 mil. SKK) | 1996 |
| 12. | Vakoun Issouf Bayo | DAC Dunajská Streda | Celtic | €2.2 million | 2019 |
| 13. | Hilary Gong | Trenčín | Vitesse | €2.0 million | 2018 |
| 13. | Jakub Kiwior | Žilina | Spezia | €2.0 million | 2021 |
| 14. | Eric Ramírez | DAC Dunajská Streda | FC Dynamo Kyiv | €1.8 million | 2021 |
| 15. | Nemanja Matić | Košice | Chelsea | €1.75 million | 2009 |
* ↑ Fee may eventually rise above €7 million.
*-unofficial fee

### Record arrivals

| Rank | Player | From | To | Fee | Year |
| 1. | Rabiu Ibrahim | Gent | Slovan Bratislava | €1.0 million | 2017 |
| 1. | Marko Tolić | Dinamo Zagreb | Slovan Bratislava | €1.0 million | 2024 |
| 2. | Dávid Holman | Debrecen | Slovan Bratislava | €0.7 million | 2017 |
| 2. | Lester Peltier | Trenčín | Slovan Bratislava | €0.7 million | 2012 |
| 2. | Marek Špilár | Tatran Prešov | 1. FC Košice | €0.7 million (20mil SKK)* | 1997 |
| 2. | András Telek | Ferencváros | 1. FC Košice | €0.7 million (20mil SKK)* | 1997 |
| 2. | David Strelec | Spezia Calcio | Slovan Bratislava | €0.7 million | 2024 |
| 3. | Kenan Bajrić | Olimpija Ljubljana | Slovan Bratislava | €0.6 million | 2018 |
| 3. | Andraž Šporar | Basel | Slovan Bratislava | €0.6 million | 2018 |
| 3. | Samuel Štefánik | NEC Nijmegen | Slovan Bratislava | €0.6 million | 2014 |