Category Archives: Standings
Argentina - Primera Division
The Primera División is a professional football league in Argentina. It is the country’s premier football division and is at the top of the Argentine football league system. Contested by twenty clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the Primera B Nacional. The season runs from August to May of the following year. Each season is divided into two tournaments, the Inicial and Final. The winners of the tournaments will play a final match to decide the champion.In 1891 the Association Argentine Football League was established by Alex Lamont of St. Andrew’s Scots School,being the first football league outside of the British Isles. The first Primera División matches were played on 12 April 1891: Buenos Aires FC vs. St. Andrew’s and Old Caledonians vs. Belgrano FC.The Primera División turned professional in 1931 when 18 clubs broke away from the amateur leagues to form a professional league. Since then, the season has been contested annually in four different formats and calendars. The league has been under its current format since the 1991–92 season. On 2012 IFFHS ranks the Primera as the second strongest league in the world.
Australia - A - League
The A-League (known as the Hyundai A-League for sponsorship purposes) is the highest level association football league in Australia. Administered by Football Federation Australia, the competition was founded as a successor to the National Soccer League (1977-2004). In August 2005 the A-League’s inaugural season began. The league is currently contested by ten teams; nine in Australia and one from New Zealand. Related leagues include the National Youth League and women’s W-League.
Austria - Bundesliga
The Austrian Football Bundesliga is the highest-ranking national league club competition in Austrian football. It is the competition which decides the Austrian national football champions, as well the country’s entrants for the various European cups run by UEFA. Since Austria climbed from nineteenth to fifteenth place in the UEFA association coefficient rankings at the end of the 2011–12 season, the league gained its second spot for the UEFA Champions League.The Austrian Bundesliga, which began in the 1974–75 season, has been a separate registered association since 1 December 1991. It has been most won by the two Viennese giants FK Austria Wien, who were national champions 23 times, and SK Rapid Wien, who won the national title 32 times. At present it is composed of two divisions – the Bundesliga and First League, known as “tipp3-Bundesliga powered by T-Mobile” and “Heute für Morgen Erste Liga” for sponsorship reasons.
Belgium - Pro League
The Belgian Pro League (officially known as Jupiler Pro League) is the top league competition for association football clubs in Belgium. Contested by 16 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the Belgian Second Division. Seasons run from late July to early May, with teams playing 30 matches each in the regular season, and then entering play-offs 1, play-offs 2 or the relegation play-off according to their position in the regular season. Play-offs 1 are contested by the top 6 clubs in the regular season, with each club playing each other twice. Play-offs 2 are contested by teams ranked 7 to 14 in the regular season, divided in two groups of 4 teams playing each other twice. The relegation play-off consists of 5 matches between the 15th and the 16th-placed team in the regular season. The league is sponsored by AB InBev, the brewers of the Jupiler beer, and is therefore officially known as Jupiler Pro League.
Brazil - Serie A
The Campeonato Brasileiro Série A, popularly known as the Brasileirão, is a professional football league at the top of the Brazilian football league system held annually since 1959. Contested by twenty clubs, it operates a system of promotion and relegation with the Série B. The season runs from May to December of the same year, with teams playing 38 matches each, totalling 380 matches in the season. Due to sponsorship reasons, the league is known as the Brasileirão Petrobras.Due to historical peculiarities and the large geographical size of the country, Brazil has a relatively short history of nation-wide football competitions. The modern Campeonato Brasileiro only started in 1971, supported by the military regime of the time and made easier by the advancements in civil aviation and air transport. Before the establishment of a national league the most prestigious football competitions in Brazil were the state leagues, notably the Campeonato Paulista and Campeonato Carioca state championships (the tournaments of São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro states). Most state competitions have a much longer history than the national competition and, consequently, the various state leagues were considered more prestigious than the national league during the first years.
Bulgaria - A PFG
The Bulgarian A Football Group commonly known as A PFG or A Group is the top division of the Bulgarian football league system. The league is sponsored by Victoria FATA Insurance and therefore is officially known as Victoria A Football Group since 2011. A Group determines the champion of Bulgaria. Contested by sixteen clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the second tier of the Bulgarian football league pyramid - B Group. Seasons run from August to May, each team playing twice against all the other, once home and once away, totalling 240 matches. A Group is now broadcasted by TV7, News7, BNT 1 and BNT World. Most games are played on Saturdays and Sundays, with some played on Monday evenings. A Group was inaugurated in 1924 as BSFC and it is playing as a league format from 1948. It is administered by the Bulgarian Professional Football League and the Bulgarian Football Union.
Canada - Canadian Soccer League
The Canadian Soccer League (CSL) is a soccer league in Canada and was controlled by the Canadian Soccer Association. It was formerly known as the Canadian Professional Soccer League (CPSL), and was officially re-branded on May 17, 2006. CSL teams do not currently participate in the Canadian Championship, which determines the Canadian entry into the CONCACAF Champions League, as the league is considered the Third Tier of semi-professional/professional soccer in the Canadian soccer pyramid. Despite its name, the CSL is not a truly national league, as all but one of its teams (Montreal Impact Academy) are located in Southern Ontario. The Canadian Soccer League also operates a reserve league, the CSL Reserve Division, which is the top reserve league in Canada.
Chile - Primera Division
The Primera División del Fútbol Profesional Chileno (English: Chilean First Division of Professional Football) is the top level of Chilean football, and main component of the Chilean football league system. It is organized by the Asociación Nacional de Fútbol Profesional (English: National Association of Professional Football) and is currently ranked 9th in the IFFHS’ Best Leagues of the World ranking.In 2010, the league became known as the Campeonato Nacional Petrobras for sponsorship reasons.
China PR - CLS
The Chinese Football Association Super League, commonly known as Chinese Super League or CSL, currently known as the Wanda Plaza Chinese Football Association Super League for sponsorship reasons, is the highest tier of professional association football in China, operating under the auspices of the Chinese Football Association (CFA).The Super League was created by the rebranding of the former top division Chinese Football Association Jia-A League in 2004. (see Chinese Jia-A League, not to be confused with Chinese Football Association Jia League, which is the current second tier league.)
Colombia - Primera A
The Categoría Primera A is the professional football league of Colombia. It is the country’s premier football tournament and sits at the top of the Colombian football league system. Eighteen clubs play in the league. The División Mayor del Fútbol Profesional Colombiano, better known as Dimayor, operates a system of promotion and relegation with the Categoría Primera B. Because of sponsorship by soft drink company Postobón will sponsor the league for the next five years and the league will be called Liga Postobón.The league was started in 1947 by Alfonso Senior Quevedo, president of Adefútbol. Due to some political problems between 1947 and 1948, the league’s first season was in 1948, and has been held yearly since. Since the 1968 season the league has used the Apertura and Clausura system, although they have only crowned a champion for each tournament since the 2002 season. In 1989, the season was cancelled mid-way through because of the assassination of a referee.
Costa Rica - Primera Division
Primera División de Costa Rica is a professional league for association football clubs in Costa Rica. At the top of the Costa Rican league system, it is the country’s primary football competition. Contested by 12 clubs*, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with Segunda División. The seasons are separated by two single tournaments each year, the Apertura (opening), from July to December, and the Clausura, from January to May.The competition formed on June 13, 1921 following an invitation presented by Guatemala to Costa Rica to participate in its Centenary Games. A total of 12 clubs have won the title. The current champions are Alajuelense, who won the 2012 Campeonato De Invierno.
Côte d’Ivoire - Ligue 1
Ivory Coast or Côte d’Ivoire, officially the Republic of Côte d’Ivoire (French: République de Côte d’Ivoire), is a country in West Africa. It has an area of 322,462 square kilometres (124,503 sq mi), and borders the countries Liberia, Guinea, Mali, Burkina Faso, and Ghana; its southern boundary is along the Gulf of Guinea. The country’s population was 15,366,672 in 1998 and was estimated to be 20,617,068 in 2009. Ivory Coast’s first national census in 1975 counted 6.7 million inhabitants.
Croatia - 1. HNL
The Prva HNL (Croatian: Prva hrvatska nogometna liga), also known as 1. HNL or for sponsorship reasons the MAXtv Prva Liga, is the top Croatian football league competition, established in 1992. The winners qualify for the UEFA Champions League. Dinamo Zagreb are the current champions, having won their seventh consecutive title in the 2011–12 season, and are the most successful club with 14 titles overall, followed by Hajduk Split with 6 titles.
Cyprus - 1. Division
At present, 14 clubs compete in the league. Each club plays the others twice, once at their home stadium and once at that of their opponents, which makes a total of 26 games for each club. Since 2007–08 the league has a second round. In the second round the first 12 teams are separated into groups of 4 teams according to their position at the end of the first round. The last two teams are relegated to the second division. The points from the first round are carried to the second round and the teams play the other teams twice.
Czech Republic - Czech Liga
The Gambrinus liga is a Czech professional league for football clubs. At the top of the Czech football league system, it is the country’s primary football competition. It is contested by 16 clubs, operating a system of promotion and relegation with the Czech 2. Liga. Seasons run from August to May, with teams playing 30 games each. It is sponsored by Pilsner Urquell Brewery, and is therefore officially known as the Gambrinus liga, after Gambrinus, one of the best-selling beers in the Czech Republic. The league is currently ranked 18th in Europe in the UEFA league rankings.
The history of the Czech football Liga began at the end of the 20th century. It was reorganized for the 1993/1994 season, after the dissolution of former Czechoslovakia and therefore of the Czechoslovak League. Having won more than half of league titles, Sparta Prague are the most successful team in Gambrinus liga history. Other clubs who have won the title are Slavia Prague, Slovan Liberec, Baník Ostrava and Viktoria Plzeň.
Denmark - Superliga
The Danish Superliga (Superligaen in Danish) is the current Danish football championship tournament, and administered by the Danish Football Association. It is the highest association football league in Denmark and is currently contested by 12 teams each year, with 2 teams to be relegated, which proves to be one of the highest chances of relegation in Europe. Superliga has experienced a great development in the past 5 years, with new stadiums and greater attendances, and the league rank has shifted from twenty-third to twelfth in the country ranking system of UEFA. If the current position is kept throughout the rest of the season, the 2012/2013 season would permit the league champion to enter directly into the group stages of Champions League, and the runner-up to enter the qualifying rounds. FC København’s recent strong performances in Europe are the main reason for the sudden rise of the Danish Superliga, but teams like Odense Boldklub, AaB Aalborg and Brøndby IF contributed as well.
Ecuador - Primera A
While initially not a league, the Serie A has its roots in the national championship between the top teams of Ecuador’s two regional leagues. For the first nine editions, teams from Guayaquil and Quito qualified to the competition through their professional regional leagues. It abandoned the qualification format to form a proper league in 1967. Since the first edition in 1957, the tournament has been held annually (except 1958 and 1959); the 2005 season had two champions. It is ranked by IFFHS as 14th strongest football leagues in the world for 2011, and the 6th strongest in South America.
England - Premier League
The competition formed as the FA Premier League on 20 February 1992 following the decision of clubs in the Football League First Division to break away from The Football League, which was originally founded in 1888, and take advantage of a lucrative television rights deal.This deal will be worth £3 billion as of 2013–14, with BSkyB and BT Group securing the rights to broadcast 116 and 38 games respectively. The Premier League is the most-watched football league in the world, broadcast in 212 territories to 643 million homes. In the 2010–11 season the average Premier League match attendance was 35,363, the second highest of any professional football league other than the German Bundesliga, and stadium occupancy was 92.2% capacity. The Premier League ranked second in the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) coefficients of leagues based on performances in European competitions over the last five years.
England - Championship
The Football League Championship (often referred to as the Championship for short, or the npower Championship for sponsorship reasons) is the highest division of The Football League and second-highest division overall in the English football league system after the Premier League.The Football League Championship was introduced for the 2004–05 season, having been previously known as the Football League First Division. According to Deloitte, in the 2004–05 season it was the wealthiest non-top flight football division in the world, and the sixth richest division in Europe.The winners of the Football League Championship receive the Football League Championship trophy which is the same trophy as the old First Division champions were handed prior to the Premier League’s inception in the 1992–93 season.
Finland - Veikkausliiga
As with certain other cold-climate European countries (including Norway and Sweden), league matches in Finland are played in summer, with a schedule usually from April to October. The format and number of teams has changed frequently, and in the season 2012 there will be 12 teams and each team playing all other teams three times, altogether thus 33 rounds during the season. Uneven number of matches means that the best six teams from 2011 season will have 17 home matches and the other six teams will have 16 home matches. At the end of the season, the lowest-placed team is relegated to Ykkönen, whose winner will be promoted to Veikkausliiga.
Primera Division
Bundesliga
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A PFG
Canadian League
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CLS
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Ligue 1
1. HNL
1. Division
Czech Liga
Superliga
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Ligue 1
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Úrvalsdeild
Ligat ha’Al
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J1 League
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Ekstraklasa
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Super Liga
S. League
Super Liga
PSL
Primera Division
Allsvenskan
Super League
Super Lig
Premier League
Pro League
Primera Division
Primera Division
Premier League
