Slovak First Football League
 | |
| Organising body | Slovak Football Association |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1993 |
| Country | Slovakia |
| Confederation | UEFA |
| Number of teams | 12 |
| Level on pyramid | 1 |
| Relegation to | Slovak Second Football League |
| Domestic cup(s) | Slovak Cup |
| International cup(s) | UEFA Champions League UEFA Conference League |
| Most championships | Slovan Bratislava (16 titles) |
| Website | nikeliga.sk |
The Slovak First Football League (Slovak: 1. slovenská futbalová liga), officially known as Niké liga due to a sponsorship with Niké,[1] is a professional association football league in Slovakia and the highest level of the Slovak football league system.[2] The season runs from July to May and consists of a double round-robin regular stage (22 matches per team), followed by a split into a championship group and relegation group, with each team playing 10 additional matches within their group.[3] Top 3 finishes qualifiy for European competitions, including the UEFA Champions League for the champions and UEFA Europa Conference League for 2nd and 3rd place finishes.[4] It was formed in 1993 following the split of Czechoslovakia.[5]
History
[change | change source]Before independence
[change | change source]Before Slovakia became independent, football in the country was mainly played in local areas within Czechoslovakia. Football started in Slovakia in the early 1900s, but official leagues only appeared after Czechoslovakia was formed in 1918. Until the mid-1930s, Slovak teams played mostly in amateur local competitions and did not join the main professional league. This time also included political changes, like the brief existence of the Slovak Republic during World War II.[6]
The Zväzové Majstrovstvá Slovenska was a regional amateur football competition held from 1925 to 1933. It was organized by the Czechoslovak Football Association and involved Slovak teams, as well as some Hungarian-minority clubs from the south. The winners of this competition qualified for the national amateur finals. During this period, some clubs became prominent, such as 1. ČsŠK Bratislava, which won six titles, making it the most successful team. Other teams included ŠK Žilina, with two titles, and ŠK Rusj Užhorod, with one. The league ended in 1933 when the Czechoslovak professional league expanded and started including more regional teams.[6][7]
After Slovakia declared its independence in 1938, the Slovak Football Association (SFZ) was created on November 4, 1938. It managed football in Slovakia on its own. From 1939 to 1945, the SFZ was a member of FIFA, so Slovakia had its own football organization during World War II.[8] In 1939, the Slovenská liga, the top football league, was started. The season was affected by the war, with teams quitting, merging, and facing other problems. The first season in 1939 was played as a cup, won by AC Sparta Považská Bystrica.[9] From 1939/40 to 1943/44, the league mainly had teams from Bratislava. ŠK Bratislava won four titles, and OAP Bratislava won one. The 1944/45 season was stopped in September 1944 because of the Slovak National Uprising and the advancing Soviet army.[10][11][8]
After World War II, Slovak football clubs rejoined the Czechoslovak First League, starting from the 1935/36 season onwards. From 1945 until Czechoslovakia split in 1993, Slovak teams achieved notable success in this top competition, winning a total of 14 league titles. Slovan Bratislava, previously known as 1. ČsŠK and ŠK Bratislava, was the most successful, claiming eight titles in 1949, 1950, 1951, 1955, 1969/70, 1973/74, 1974/75, and 1991/92. Spartak Trnava secured five titles during a dominant streak from 1967/68 to 1972/73, while Inter Bratislava won one in 1958/59.[6][8][12]
Formation and early years (1993–2006)
[change | change source]The Slovak National Football League was founded in 1993 following the split of Czechoslovakia into the Czech Republic and Slovakia on 1 January 1993. As a result of this separation, the former Czechoslovak First League was divided into two separate top-tier leagues: the Czech First League and the Slovak Superliga. The Slovak Football Association (SFZ) organized and managed the new Slovak league.[6][8][13]
The first season of the Slovak Superliga, 1993–94, featured 12 founding teams competing in a format that combined a regular season of home-and-away matches with subsequent playoffs for the championship and relegation groups. ŠK Slovan Bratislava emerged as the first champions, finishing at the top of the championship playoff with 50 points after 32 matches.[14]
Starting in the 1996–97 season, the league expanded to include 16 teams. During these years, Slovan Bratislava won three consecutive championships from 1993–94 to 1995–96. However, 1. FC Košice broke their winning streak by winning in 1996–97 and 1997–98. Slovan Bratislava won again in 1998–99, and AŠK Inter Bratislava became champions in 1999–2000.[6][13]
2006–present
[change | change source]Starting with the 2006–07 season, the league was expanded back to 12 teams. The structure remained until the 2017–18 season, when a split system was introduced. After a 22-match regular season, where each team played home and away matches against all others, the league split into a top-six championship group and a bottom-six relegation group. Teams played an extra 10 matches within their group, carrying over points from the regular season.[13]
Video assistant referee (VAR) technology was first used in the 2020–21 season for some matches. It was fully used across all matches starting in the 2022–23 season, following the opening of a training center in Senec.[15] The 2019–20 season was affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. All games were stopped in March 2020 because the government limited the use of sports facilities. The matches were delayed and later started again with strict health rules later that year.[16]
Champions
[change | change source]Zväzové Majstrovstvá Slovenska (1925–1933)
[change | change source]| Season | Champions (number of titles) | Runners-up | Third place |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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)
[change | change source]| 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 | ||
Slovak winners of the Czechoslovak 1. League (1945–1993)
[change | change source]| 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 |
Slovak league (1993–present)
[change | change source]
Source for list of championship winners:[17]
Performance by club
[change | change source]Clubs in bold currently play in the top division.
| Club | Winners | Runners-up | Championship seasons | Runners-up seasons |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Slovan Bratislava | 16 |
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, 2024–25, 2025–26 | 2000–01, 2009–10, 2015–16, 2016–17, 2017–18 |
| Žilina | 7 |
6 |
2001–02, 2002–03, 2003–04, 2006–07, 2009–10, 2011–12, 2016–17 | 2004–05, 2007–08, 2008–09, 2014–15, 2019–20, 2024–25 |
| 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 | – |
5 |
– | 2018–19, 2020–21, 2022–23, 2023–24, 2025–26 |
| Senica | – |
2 |
– | 2010–11, 2012–13 |
| Púchov | – |
1 |
– | 2001–02 |
| MFK Dukla Banská Bystrica | – |
1 |
– | 2003–04 |
Titles by city
[change | change source]| City | Titles | Winning clubs |
|---|---|---|
 Bratislava |
20 |
Slovan Bratislava (16), 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) |
Names
[change | change source]| 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[18] |
| 2014–2023 | Fortuna | Fortuna liga[19] |
| 2023–present | Niké | Niké liga[20] |
Source:[21]
All-time league table
[change | change source]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.[22] The table as of the end of 2025–26 season. Teams in bold are part of the 2026–27 Niké liga.
| Pos | Team | S | P | W | D | L | F | A | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Slovan Bratislava | 31 | 1006 | 584 | 222 | 200 | 1847 | 991 | 856 | 1974 |
| 2 | MŠK Žilina | 32 | 1070 | 514 | 239 | 317 | 1827 | 1206 | 621 | 1781 |
| 3 | Spartak Trnava | 32 | 1062 | 488 | 239 | 331 | 1491 | 1156 | 335 | 1651 |
| 4 | MFK Ružomberok | 29 | 976 | 369 | 276 | 331 | 1256 | 1204 | 52 | 1383 |
| 5 | AS Trenčín | 26 | 869 | 329 | 190 | 340 | 1247 | 1225 | 22 | 1205 |
| 6 | DAC Dunajská Streda | 23 | 730 | 272 | 186 | 272 | 926 | 989 | (-63) | 938 * |
| 7 | Dukla Banská Bystrica | 22 | 712 | 229 | 190 | 293 | 860 | 943 | (-83) | 877 |
| 8 | VSS Košice | 19 | 616 | 241 | 148 | 227 | 835 | 799 | 36 | 863 |
| 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 | 17 | 547 | 154 | 155 | 238 | 558 | 777 | (-219) | 607 |
| 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 | 12 | 378 | 109 | 95 | 172 | 428 | 605 | (-177) | 422 |
| 17 | Železiarne Podbrezová | 9 | 288 | 92 | 65 | 121 | 354 | 420 | (-66) | 304 |
| 18 | MŠK Púchov | 6 | 216 | 70 | 53 | 93 | 235 | 294 | (-59) | 263 |
| 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 | MFK Skalica | 5 | 161 | 46 | 39 | 76 | 173 | 228 | (-55) | 177 |
| 24 | Lokomotíva Košice | 5 | 156 | 48 | 37 | 71 | 180 | 241 | (-61) | 174 |
| 25 | Partizán Bardejov | 5 | 154 | 45 | 24 | 85 | 159 | 232 | (−73) | 159 |
| 26 | FC Rimavská Sobota | 4 | 126 | 35 | 29 | 62 | 129 | 193 | (−64) | 134 |
| 27 | FK Pohronie | 4 | 123 | 26 | 42 | 55 | 128 | 179 | (-51) | 120 |
| 28 | FC Košice | 3 | 96 | 31 | 21 | 44 | 123 | 149 | (-26) | 114 |
| 29 | FC Senec | 3 | 91 | 18 | 28 | 45 | 85 | 152 | (−67) | 82 |
| 30 | KFC Komárno | 2 | 64 | 19 | 14 | 31 | 70 | 94 | (-24) | 71 |
| 31 | Tatran Liptovský Mikuláš | 2 | 64 | 14 | 16 | 34 | 66 | 116 | (-50) | 58 |
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
aSpartak Myjava withdrew from the league on 21 December 2016, and their results from season 2016-17 were annulled.
- DAC had 6 points deducted in 2013/14 season.
League or status:
| 2026–27 Slovak First Football League | |
| 2026–27 2. Liga (Slovakia) | |
| 2026–27 3. Liga (Slovakia) | |
| 4. Liga (Slovakia) | |
| Below 4th tier | |
| Defunct |
Related pages
[change | change source]References
[change | change source]- ↑ "Niké hlavným partnerom Niké ligy ďalšie tri roky: Spoločne pomáhame rásť slovenskému futbalu" [Nike is the main partner of the Nike League for another three years: Together we help Slovak football grow]. sportnet.sme.sk (in Slovak). Retrieved 2026-06-16.
- ↑ FIFA.com. "FIFA.com - Slovakia: - League table". www.fifa.com. Retrieved 2026-06-16.
- ↑ "Herny Model". Niké liga. Retrieved 2026-06-16.
- ↑ "Slovakia league format". www.european-football-statistics.co.uk. Retrieved 2026-06-16.
- ↑ UEFA.com. "The official website for European football". UEFA.com. Retrieved 2026-06-16.
- 1 2 3 4 5 "Slovakia - List of Champions". www.rsssf.org. RSSSF. Retrieved 2026-06-16.
- ↑ "Trochu z histórie ..." [A bit of history]. futbalportal.net. 5 April 2006. Retrieved 17 June 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 "Prierez históriou slovenskej futbalovej ligy" [A cross-section through the history of the Slovak football league]. futbalportal.net. Retrieved 17 June 2026.
- ↑ "Futbalová liga sa začala v Československu hrať pred sto rokmi, slovenské tímy v nej živorili i dominovali". hnonline.sk (in Slovak). 2025-12-13. Retrieved 2026-06-17.
- ↑ "History of Slovan Bratislava football club". en.skslovan.com. Retrieved 2026-06-16.
- ↑ "Slovakia War Championships 1939-1944". www.rsssf.org. Retrieved 2026-06-16.
- ↑ "Czechoslovakia - List of Champions". www.rsssf.org. Retrieved 2026-06-16.
- 1 2 3 "Slovakian Super Liga". Sportmonks. Retrieved 2026-06-16.
- ↑ "Slovakia 1993/94". www.rsssf.org. Retrieved 2026-06-16.
- ↑ "Narážačka: VAR na Slovensku!". futbalnet.tv. Retrieved 2026-06-17.
- ↑ Teraz.sk (2020-06-12). "FORTUNA LIGA ožije po 96 dňoch koronapauzy v oklieštenej podobe". TERAZ.sk (in Slovak). Retrieved 2026-06-17.
- ↑ Karel Stokkermans (10 June 2011). "Slovak Republic: I liga SR". Slovakia - List of Champions. RSSSF. Archived from the original on 6 September 2015. Retrieved 17 November 2011.
- ↑ "Dnes prvýkrát na futbalovú Corgoň ligu". sme.sk. Archived from the original on 8 July 2017. Retrieved 1 May 2018.
- ↑ "Najvyššia futbalová súťaž mení názov, novým partnerom bude Fortuna". teraz.sk. 20 May 2014. Archived from the original on 30 June 2017. Retrieved 1 May 2018.
- ↑ "Najvyššia slovenská futbalová súťaž ponesie názov Niké liga".
- ↑ "Fortuna Liga". Futbal (in Slovak). Retrieved 2026-06-17.
- ↑ "Super Liga 2025/2026 Championship » History: All-Time Table". worldfootball.net. Retrieved 2026-06-17.