Algerian Women's Championship


The Algerian Women's Championship known as Elite National Championship is the top flight of women's association football in Algeria. It is the women's equivalent of the Ligue 1, but is not professional. The competition is run by the Ligue Nationale du Football Féminin under the auspices of the Algerian Football Federation.

History

Colonial era (1921-1962)

The first women's football match in Algeria took place on 8 May 1921, during the Algiers exhibition. This match pitted the women's sections of the two oldest clubs, AS Alger of the capital Algiers and Gallia Club of Oran of the second city Oran, against each other.

Emergence of women's football after independance (1962-1990)

The first women's football clubs appeared in Algeria after the country's independence in the 1970s, particularly in Tiaret. In 1975, the National Union of Algerian Youth was created, which organized several activities in all the wilayas of Algeria, including scouting, music, etc.
In the city of Tiaret, Mohamed Bensaïd, a member of the UNJA, along with other members, managed to gather a group of girls within the organization to form an inter-neighborhood league for women's football teams during the 1977-1978 season. The players, who were initially active in the UNJA, were primarily young women from the two high schools, Aflah and Ibn Rostom, in Tiaret. Within this mini-league, a team was created that played several friendly matches in Frenda, Algiers, and then Oran, including a match played on 8 March 1978, at the 5 July Stadium in Algiers, to mark International Women's Day, against a local team.

Appearance of clubs and the women's championship (1990-present)

The first Algerian women's championship was contested in 1998–1999 season under the regional leagues format. In the 2008–09 season, a national league of two divisions was created under the auspices of the Ligue Nationale du Football. In 2013, was created the Ligue du Football Féminin which became the Ligue Nationale du Football Féminin and which is the body of the national women's championships.
The competition changed its name to Elite National Championship from the 2021–22 season.

Format

The teams play a double round-robin. The season usually starts in October and lasts until June.

Champions

The list of champions and runners-up:
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