Malaysia Super League
The Malaysia Super League, known simply as the Super League, is the men's top professional football division of the Malaysian football league system. Administered by the Football Malaysia Limited Liability Partnership, now known as the Malaysian Football League, the Malaysia Super League is contested by 13 clubs. Until 2022, it operated on a system of promotion and relegation with the Malaysia Premier League, with the two lowest-placed teams relegated and replaced by the promoted top two teams in that division. It has replaced the former top-tier league, Liga Perdana 1, which ran from 1998 to 2003.
37 clubs have competed since the inception of the Malaysia Super League in 2004, with eight winning the title. The current champions are Johor Darul Ta'zim, which won their eleventh title in the 2024–25 edition.
History
Origins
The Malaysia Super League was formed in 2004 following a decision by the Football Association of Malaysia to privatise the league. The inaugural season started on 14 February 2004. As a result, the Malaysia Super League Sdn Bhd was created to oversee the marketing aspects of the league, but it was not fully privatised.The league has seen numerous changes to its format from eight clubs, at one point 14 clubs and now 12 clubs and then back to 14 clubs to accommodate changes to the league rules and withdrawal of certain clubs from the league in order to create a competitive environment and professional management among the clubs.
Foundation
The Malaysian League was revamped to be a fully professional league in 2004 which coined the creation of a new top-tier division, the Malaysia Super League. Between 2004 and 2006, the professional football league in Malaysia was divided into two levels and two groups:- Top tier: Malaysia Super League
- Second tier: Malaysia Premier League Group A
- Second tier: Malaysia Premier League Group B
- Third tier: Malaysia FAM Cup
For the 2007 season, the Malaysia Premier League was combined into one division rather than two groups and in 2008 the Malaysia FAM League was revamped to a league format instead of a knockout competition format, with the latter itself replaced by a new third tier called the Malaysia M3 League in 2019:
- Top tier: Malaysia Super League
- Second tier: Malaysia M3 League
Development
The FMLLP owned, operated and ran the Malaysia Super League. Besides that, other competitions in Malaysian football were also under its jurisdiction, which include the Malaysia Premier League, the Malaysia FA Cup, the Malaysia Cup, and the Piala Sumbangsih. It aimed to transform and move Malaysian football forward to another level.
More than a decade after the league's inception, a total of eight clubs have been crowned champions of the Malaysia Super League with Pahang being the first champions. Johor Darul Ta'zim have won the league 7 times while Kedah, Selangor, and Kelantan have won the league twice each; Pahang, Perlis, Negeri Sembilan and LionsXII have won it once. On 9 September 2016, Johor Darul Ta'zim became the first team to win the Malaysia Super League three times consecutively.
Format and regulations
The competition format follows the usual double round-robin format. During the course of a season, which lasts from August to May, each club plays every other club twice, once at home and once away, for 26 matchdays, totaling 182 matches in the season. Most games are played on Saturdays, with a few games played during weekdays. Teams receive three points for a win, one point for a draw, and no points for a loss. Teams are ranked by total points, with the highest-ranked club at the end of the season crowned champions.Promotion and relegation
A system of promotion and relegation existed between the Malaysia Super League and the Malaysia Premier League. The two lowest placed teams in the Malaysia Super League were relegated to the Malaysia Premier League, and the top two teams from the Malaysia Premier League were promoted to the Malaysia Super League. Below is a complete record of how many teams played in each season throughout the league's history:Number of clubs throughout the years
Qualification for AFC competitions
The champions of the Malaysia Super League qualify for following season's AFC Champions League group stages. The winners of the Malaysia FA Cup also qualify for the following season's AFC Champions League play-off slots. If a club lost during the play-off slots and were unable to reach group stages, the club will play in the AFC Cup play-off slots.The number of places allocated to Malaysian clubs in AFC competitions is dependent upon the AFC Club Competitions Rankings, which are calculated based upon the performance of teams competing in the AFC Champions League and the AFC Cup, as well as their national team's FIFA World Rankings in the previous 4 years. Currently, Malaysia are ranked 20th in the AFC Club Competitions Ranking.
Club licensing regulations
Every team in the Malaysia Super League must have a licence to play in the league, or else they are expelled completely from the Malaysian Football League. To obtain a licence, teams must be financially healthy and meet certain standards of conduct such as organizational management. As part of the privatisation efforts of the league, all clubs competing in the Malaysia Super League will be required to obtain FAM Club Licensing.As a preliminary preparation towards the total privatisation of the league, FAM Club Licensing was created with the hope of it being enforced throughout the Malaysia Super League fully by the end of 2018 and in the Malaysia Premier League by end of 2019. There are significant benefits of being in the top-division and readiness of the club licensing:
- A greater share of television broadcast licence revenues going to clubs.
- Greater exposure through television and higher attendance levels to help clubs attract more lucrative sponsorships.
- Clubs developing substantial financial muscle through the combination of television and gate revenues, sponsorship and marketing of their team brands. This allows clubs to attract and retain the best players from domestic and international sources and to construct first-class stadium facilities.
Champions
36 clubs have played in the Malaysia Super League since its inception in 2004, up to and including the 2023 season.Season-by-season records
| Year | Champions | Runners-up | Third place | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2004 | Pahang | Public Bank | Perlis | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2005 | Perlis | Pahang | Perak | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2005–06 | Negeri Sembilan | TM | Perak | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2006–07 | Kedah | Perak |  Titles by clubClubs2025–26 season''''Former clubsThe following clubs that had competed in the Malaysia Super League or the top flight M-League before 2004 but are not competing in the Malaysia Super League during the 2025–26 season.
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