# 2024–25 Maltese Premier League

The 2024–25 Maltese Premier League is the 110th season of top-flight league football in Malta. The season began on 16 August 2024 and will end in April or May 2025.

## Teams

The league consisted of twelve teams; the top ten teams from the previous season, and two teams promoted from the 2023–24 Maltese Challenge League. Ħamrun Spartans entered the season as defending champions for two consecutive seasons. Melita was promoted and returned to the Maltese Premier League after eleven years of absence. And Żabbar St. Patrick was promoted and returned to the Maltese Premier League after twenty years of absence. They replaced Gudja United, Santa Lucia and Sirens who were all relegated after five years in the top flight, and Valletta after seventy-nine years in the topflight.
| Team | In league since | City |
| Balzan | 2011 | Balzan |
| Birkirkara | 1990 | Birkirkara |
| Floriana | 1986 | Floriana |
| Gżira United | 2016 | Gżira |
| Ħamrun Spartans | 2016 | Ħamrun |
| Hibernians | 1945 | Paola |
| Marsaxlokk | 2022 | Marsaxlokk |
| Melita | 2024 | San Ġiljan |
| Mosta | 2011 | Mosta |
| Naxxar Lions | 2023 | Naxxar |
| Sliema Wanderers | 2023 | Sliema |
| Żabbar St. Patrick | 2024 | Zabbar |

## Venues

The matches will be played mainly at the Ta' Qali National Stadium and the Tony Bezzina Stadium. However, the Centenary Stadium and the Victor Tedesco Stadium will be used as well. One match-day from the Closing Round between 28 March and 31 March will be played at the Gozo Stadium thanks to the support of the Ministry for Gozo.
| Ta' QaliTony Bezzina StadiumVictor Tedesco StadiumGozo Stadium | Ta' Qali | Ta' Qali | Paola | Hamrun | Xewkija |
| Ta' QaliTony Bezzina StadiumVictor Tedesco StadiumGozo Stadium | Ta' Qali National Stadium | Centenary Stadium | Tony Bezzina Stadium | Victor Tedesco Stadium | Gozo Stadium |
| Ta' QaliTony Bezzina StadiumVictor Tedesco StadiumGozo Stadium | Capacity: 16,997 | Capacity: 3,000 | Capacity: 2,968 | Capacity: 1,962 | Capacity: 1,644 |

### Personnel and kits

| Team | Manager | Kit manufacturer | Shirt sponsor (front) | Shirt sponsor (back) | Shirt sponsor (sleeve) |
| Balzan | Dave Rogers | Joma | MBI Group | Visit Malta (Bottom) | |
| Birkirkara | Stefano De Angelis | Nike | McDonald's | Inter Sport (Bottom) | |
| Floriana | Darren Abdilla | Joma | Harmont & Blaine, Greens Supermarket | | Go & Fun (Right) |
| Gżira United | Giovanni Tedesco | Joma | | | Miracles Food (Left) |
| Ħamrun Spartans | Alessandro Zinnari | Puma | JP (Home Kit), Mercury (Away Kit) | Meridianbet, Besteam audio, Visit Malta (Bottom) | Ta' Fonzu (Right), Tescoma (Left) |
| Hibernians | Branko Nišević | Joma | Bezzina | | |
| Marsaxlokk | Enzo Potenza | Joma | 1padel | | Mr. Fitz Restaurant Marsaxlokk (Left) |
| Melita | Clive Mizzi | Hummel | Atlas Insurance | Burger King (Top).Browns, Eurosport (Bottom) | I nouv (Right), VIBE (Left) |
| Mosta | Joseph Grech | Macron | Simply Clean | Highbet (Top), Teamsport (Bottom) | |
| Naxxar Lions | George Vella | Joma | VC Service Station | Zarb Coaches, Haier Air Conditioner (Top), McQueen, Sammut Concrete Supplies (Bottom) | Fastdrop (Right),Hi Koki, Würth, Falcotra (Left) |
| Sliema Wanderers | Paul Zammit | Adidas | NMGroup, Inter Wetter | Visit Malta (Top), Thomas Smith, Zarb Coaches (Bottom) | Fonicom (Left), Domnic Sciberras Roof Repair (Right) |
| Żabbar St. Patrick | Aniello Parisi | Erreà | The Shoreline | DL Group (Top), Kristal (Bottom) | |
* Additionally, referee kits are made by Macron

### Managerial changes

| Team | Outgoing manager | Manner of departure | Date of vacancy | Position in table | Incoming manager | Date of appointment |
| Żabbar St. Patrick | Emilio Cornago San Pedro | Resigned | 17 April 2024 | Pre-season | João Janeiro | 16 May 2024 |
| Balzan | Oliver Spiteri | Resigned | 4 May 2024 | Pre-season | Dave Rogers | 3 June 2024 |
| Ħamrun Spartans | Luciano Zauri | Resigned | 13 May 2024 | Pre-season | Alessandro Zinnari | 17 May 2024 |
| Birkirkara | Jose Borg | End of Contract | 13 May 2024 | Pre-season | Stefano De Angelis | 7 June 2024 |
| Floriana | Mauro Camoranesi | Mutual Consent | 15 May 2024 | Pre-season | Darren Abdilla | 21 May 2024 |
| Marsaxlokk | Winston Muscat | Sacked | 24 September 2024 | 12th | Enzo Potenza | 24 September 2024 |
| Żabbar St. Patrick | João Janeiro | Mutual Consent | 4 October 2024 | 12th | Aniello Parisi | 10 October 2024 |
| Gżira United | Andrew Cohen | Resign | 9 November 2024 | 7th | Giovanni Tedesco | 14 November 2024 |

## Format

The new league format, which will come into being from the 2024–25 season, the Maltese Premier League will be made up of 12 teams and be split into an Opening Round and Closing Round in a way that is similar to domestic footballing systems used in South America. The Opening Round will see each of the 12 teams play each other once before the league is then split between a Top 6 and a Bottom 6, allowing for the teams in each of those splits to play each other another time. Once the ranking is set, each team will go back down to 0 points and start from scratch in the Closing Round, where the same process will be repeated

## Opening Round
### First phase
#### League table

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | Birkirkara | 11 | 9 | 1 | 1 | 19 | 8 | +11 | 28 | Qualification for the Top Six |
| 2 | Floriana | 11 | 6 | 5 | 0 | 21 | 8 | +13 | 23 | Qualification for the Top Six |
| 3 | Sliema Wanderers | 11 | 6 | 4 | 1 | 15 | 5 | +10 | 22 | Qualification for the Top Six |
| 4 | Hibernians | 11 | 6 | 3 | 2 | 13 | 7 | +6 | 21 | Qualification for the Top Six |
| 5 | Mosta | 11 | 5 | 1 | 5 | 15 | 16 | −1 | 16 | Qualification for the Top Six |
| 6 | Ħamrun Spartans | 11 | 4 | 2 | 5 | 19 | 15 | +4 | 14 | Qualification for the Top Six |
| 7 | Gżira United | 11 | 4 | 2 | 5 | 15 | 15 | 0 | 14 | Qualification for the Play-Out |
| 8 | Melita | 11 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 16 | 19 | −3 | 12 | Qualification for the Play-Out |
| 9 | Marsaxlokk | 11 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 13 | 16 | −3 | 12 | Qualification for the Play-Out |
| 10 | Balzan | 11 | 2 | 3 | 6 | 11 | 19 | −8 | 9 | Qualification for the Play-Out |
| 11 | Naxxar Lions | 11 | 1 | 4 | 6 | 7 | 21 | −14 | 7 | Qualification for the Play-Out |
| 12 | Żabbar St. Patrick | 11 | 1 | 1 | 9 | 12 | 27 | −15 | 4 | Qualification for the Play-Out |

#### Results

| Home \ Away | BAL | BIR | FLO | GŻI | ĦAM | HIB | MAR | MEL | MOS | NXR | SLI | ZAB |
| Balzan | — | 3–3 | — | 2–1 | 1–1 | 0–1 | — | — | — | 2–0 | — | 0–2 |
| Birkirkara | — | — | 1–3 | — | 3–2 | — | — | — | — | 1–0 | 1–0 | 1–0 |
| Floriana | 3–0 | — | — | 2–1 | — | 1–1 | — | 3–3 | — | — | 0–0 | — |
| Gżira United | — | 0–1 | — | — | 1–2 | — | — | — | 2–0 | — | 2–2 | 3–1 |
| Ħamrun Spartans | — | — | 1–1 | — | — | 0–2 | 2–3 | 2–1 | — | — | — | 3–1 |
| Hibernians | — | 0–2 | — | 2–0 | — | — | — | 2–0 | — | — | 0–0 | — |
| Marsaxlokk | 2–1 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 0–1 | — | 1–1 | — | 1–2 | 2–4 | — | 0–1 | — |
| Melita | 2–0 | 0–3 | — | 2–3 | — | — | — | — | 1–2 | — | — | — |
| Mosta | 2–2 | 0–1 | 0–2 | — | 1–0 | 1–0 | — | — | — | — | — | 4–2 |
| Naxxar Lions | — | — | 0–2 | 1–1 | 0–6 | 1–2 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 2–1 | — | 0–3 | — |
| Sliema Wanderers | 2–0 | — | — | — | 1–0 | — | — | 2–2 | 2–0 | — | — | 2–0 |
| Żabbar St. Patrick | — | — | 0–3 | — | — | 1–2 | 1–3 | 1–3 | — | 3–3 | — | — |

### Second phase
#### Top Six

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | FLO | BIR | SLI | HIB | ĦAM | MOS |
| 1 | Floriana (W) | 16 | 10 | 5 | 1 | 27 | 10 | +17 | 35 | Opening Round Winners | — | — | 1–0 | 2–0 | 1–2 | 1–0 |
| 2 | Birkirkara | 16 | 10 | 2 | 4 | 22 | 14 | +8 | 32 | | 0–1 | — | 1–1 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 2–0 |
| 3 | Sliema Wanderers | 16 | 8 | 6 | 2 | 23 | 10 | +13 | 30 | | — | — | — | 3–1 | 1–1 | 3–1 |
| 4 | Hibernians | 16 | 8 | 3 | 5 | 19 | 17 | +2 | 27 | | — | — | — | — | 0–3 | 3–2 |
| 5 | Ħamrun Spartans | 16 | 7 | 3 | 6 | 28 | 19 | +9 | 24 | | — | — | — | — | — | 1–2 |
| 6 | Mosta | 16 | 6 | 1 | 9 | 20 | 26 | −6 | 19 | | — | — | — | — | — | — |

#### Play-Out

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Relegation | GŻI | MAR | MEL | ZAB | BAL | NXR |
| 7 | Gżira United | 16 | 6 | 4 | 6 | 20 | 20 | 0 | 22 | | — | 0–0 | 0–2 | 2–1 | 2–1 | 1–1 |
| 8 | Marsaxlokk | 16 | 5 | 6 | 5 | 21 | 21 | 0 | 21 | | — | — | — | 2–2 | 2–1 | 1–1 |
| 9 | Melita | 16 | 5 | 3 | 8 | 20 | 26 | −6 | 18 | | — | 1–3 | — | 0–1 | 1–0 | 0–3 |
| 10 | Żabbar St. Patrick | 16 | 4 | 2 | 10 | 21 | 32 | −11 | 14 | | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 11 | Balzan | 16 | 3 | 3 | 10 | 16 | 27 | −11 | 12 | Opening Round Relegation | — | — | — | 1–2 | — | 2–1 |
| 12 | Naxxar Lions | 16 | 2 | 6 | 8 | 13 | 28 | −15 | 12 | Opening Round Relegation | — | — | — | 0–3 | — | — |

## Closing Round
### First phase
#### League table

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | Birkirkara (Q) | 10 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 19 | 8 | +11 | 19 | Qualification for the Top Six |
| 2 | Floriana (Q) | 10 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 14 | 8 | +6 | 18 | Qualification for the Top Six |
| 3 | Marsaxlokk | 10 | 5 | 1 | 4 | 13 | 13 | 0 | 16 | Qualification for the Top Six |
| 4 | Hibernians | 10 | 5 | 1 | 4 | 16 | 16 | 0 | 16 | Qualification for the Top Six |
| 5 | Mosta | 10 | 5 | 1 | 4 | 12 | 12 | 0 | 16 | Qualification for the Top Six |
| 6 | Sliema Wanderers | 10 | 5 | 0 | 5 | 16 | 12 | +4 | 15 | Qualification for the Top Six |
| 7 | Żabbar St. Patrick | 10 | 4 | 2 | 4 | 14 | 10 | +4 | 14 | Qualification for the Play-Out |
| 8 | Ħamrun Spartans | 10 | 4 | 2 | 4 | 11 | 8 | +3 | 14 | Qualification for the Play-Out |
| 9 | Gżira United (Q) | 10 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 8 | 16 | −8 | 11 | Qualification for the Play-Out |
| 10 | Melita (Q) | 10 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 15 | 19 | −4 | 10 | Qualification for the Play-Out |
| 11 | Naxxar Lions (Q) | 10 | 3 | 1 | 6 | 11 | 20 | −9 | 10 | Qualification for the Play-Out |
| 12 | Balzan (Q) | 10 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 11 | 18 | −7 | 9 | Qualification for the Play-Out |

#### Results

| Home \ Away | BAL | BIR | FLO | GŻI | ĦAM | HIB | MAR | MEL | MOS | NXR | SLI | ZAB |
| Balzan | — | — | 0–0 | | — | | 0–3 | 1–1 | 3–2 | — | 2–3 | — |
| Birkirkara | 5–2 | — | | 2–2 | — | 2–0 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 2–0 | — | | |
| Floriana | — | 0–2 | — | — | 0–0 | | 2–1 | — | 2–2 | 4–0 | — | 1–0 |
| Gżira United | | — | 0–3 | — | — | 1–4 | 0–1 | 2–2 | — | 1–0 | — | |
| Ħamrun Spartans | 1–0 | 0–0 | — | 0–1 | — | — | — | — | 1–2 | | 0–1 | — |
| Hibernians | 0–0 | — | | — | 1–2 | — | 0–1 | — | 2–0 | 3–2 | — | 0–4 |
| Marsaxlokk | — | — | — | — | 1–6 | — | — | | — | | — | 3–1 |
| Melita | — | — | 2–0 | — | 2–0 | 2–3 | | — | | 2–5 | 2–4 | 1–1 |
| Mosta | — | — | — | 1–0 | | — | 2–1 | 2–0 | — | 1–0 | 0–1 | |
| Naxxar Lions | 0–3 | 2–1 | — | — | | — | 1–0 | — | — | — | — | 1–1 |
| Sliema Wanderers | — | | 1–2 | 0–1 | | 2–3 | 0–1 | — | — | 4–0 | — | — |
| Żabbar St. Patrick | 3–0 | 0–3 | — | 3–0 | 0–1 | — | — | — | | — | 1–0 | — |

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

    As of 23 November 2024
| Rank | Player | Club | Goals |
| 1 | Maxuell Samurai Maia | Birkirkara | 9 |
| 2 | Franklin Sasere | Floriana | 7 |
| 3 | Andre Carlos Penha Da Costa | Melita | 6 |
| 4 | Udoyen Akpan | Balzan | 5 |
| 4 | Alex (Lecao) Da Paixao Alves | Gżira United | 5 |
| 4 | Gabriel Mentz Bohre | Gżira United | 5 |
| 4 | Luke Montebello | Ħamrun Spartans | 5 |
| 4 | Jurgen Degabriele | Hibernians | 5 |
| 4 | Alex De Aguiar Gomes | Marsaxlokk | 5 |

#### Hat-tricks

| Player | For | Against | Result | Stadium | Date |
| Maxuell Samurai Maia | Birkirkara | Balzan | 3–3 (A) | Ta' Qali National Stadium, Ta' Qali | 16 August 2024 |