List of Macedonian football champions


The Macedonian football champions are the annual winners of the Macedonian First Football League, North Macedonia's premier annual football league competition. The title has been contested since 1929 in varying forms of competition.

History

In 1923, it was organised the first edition of leagues in the Kingdom of Yugoslavia where, beside the top-level national Yugoslav Football Championship, regional championships were also played. The clubs from the Vardarska Banovina, territorially similar to present-day Macedonia, played within the Belgrade Football Subassociation League until 1927, when a separate Skoplje Football Subassociation League was formed. The champions of the Subassociation Leagues were granted a place in the qualifiers for the Yugoslav Championship, a top national level. Gragjanski Skopje became the only club to manage to participate in the national league, first in 1935–36 when the championship was played in a cup system, and in 1938–39, when it was played in a normal league system with Gragjanski finishing 10th out of 12 teams. In 1939, the Yugoslav league system was changed, with the creation of separate Serbian and Croato-Slovenian Leagues which would serve as qualifying leagues for the final phase of the Yugoslav Championship. The clubs from the Skopje Subassociation played their qualifications to the Serbian League, however only Gragjanski managed to participate, doing so on both occasions, in 1939–40 and 1940–41. That was the last season before the beginning of the Second World War, during which the region Vardarska Banovina was invaded by Axis allies Albania and Bulgaria.
During the war period, 1941 to 1945, the region became part of Bulgaria, and most of the clubs were incorporated into the Bulgarian league system. Four seasons were played, in which FK Makedonija, a club from Skopje formed by the Bulgarian authorities by merging the previously existing clubs Gragjanski, SSK Skopje and ŽSK into one, became the most prominent.
After the liberation of Yugoslavia and the creation of the Socialist Republic of Macedonia within the socialist Yugoslavia, Macedonian clubs participated in the Yugoslav League system that consisted of two or three, depending on time period, national leagues. Below the national leagues, the Republic Leagues were created in each one of the 6 Yugoslav Socialist Republics. The Republic League of SR Macedonia was played between 1945 and 1992, and the top placed teams had access to the Yugoslav national leagues. The most successful clubs from this period were FK Vardar, FK Rabotnički and [FK FK Pobeda (1941–2010)|Pobeda (1941–2010)|FK Pobeda], which only don´t count more regional titles because they usually competed in higher national leagues. In 1992 Macedonia declared independence and formed its own league system.

Royal League

The clubs from the territory of Vardarska Banovina had a league organised by the Skoplje Football Subassociation. The winner had direct access to the Yugoslav Championship.
Before Subdivision League was established from 1921 till 1927,they played Sub districts and district leagues. This is the list of seasons indicating the league champions.
Royal District League
Royal Subdivision League
  • 1928 - Pobeda Skopje
  • 1929 - Pobeda Skopje
  • 1930 - Jug, SSK and Sparta, all clubs from Skopje, finished the season with eaqual number of points.
  • 1931 - Not Finished. JUG Skopje
  • 1932 - SSK Skopje
  • 1933 - SSK Skopje
  • 1934 - SSK Skopje
  • 1935 - Not Finished. Slavija Skopje
  • 1936 - Gragjanski Skopje
  • 1937 - Not Finished. Gragjanski Skopje
  • 1938 - Gragjanski Skopje
  • 1939 - Gragjanski Skopje
  • 1940 - SSK Skopje
  • 1941 - SSK Skopje

WWII Regional League

During WWII the region was occupied by Bulgarian Axis forces. The clubs from the region were incorporated into the Bulgarian league system.

Republic League

In the period between 1945 and 1992 the clubs from SR Macedonia competed in the Macedonian Republic League that was part of the Yugoslav league system and corresponded to a 3rd or 4th national tier.
Mostly without the presence of the major clubs that competed at national level.

National competition

Macedonian First League

In 1992 the Macedonian Republic League, joined by the Macedonian clubs that played in the Yugoslav First and Second League, formed the Macedonian First Football League, the first time Macedonia had its own top-level national championship.
SeasonWinnerRunner upThird placeTop scorer
1992–93VardarSileksBalkan

Most titles

The titles won by clubs since independence are shown in the following table:
ClubTitlesRunners-upWinning years
Vardar Skopje1121992–93, 1993–94, 1994–95, 2001–02, 2002–03, 2011–12, 2012–13, 2014–15, 2015–16, 2016–17, 2019–20
Shkendija532010–11, 2017–18, 2018–19, 2020–21, 2024–25
Rabotnički Skopje432004–05, 2005–06, 2007–08, 2013–14
Sileks Kratovo361995–96, 1996–97, 1997–98
FK Sloga Jugomagnat341998–99, 1999–2000, 2000–01
Pobeda Prilep222003–04, 2006–07
Struga202022–23, 2023–24
Makedonija Gjorce Petrov112008–09
Renova Djepchishte102009–10
KF Shkupi102021–22
Metalurg Skopje-3
Milano Kumanovo-2
Belasica Strumica-2

Cities

The following table lists the Macedonian football champions by city
CityTitlesWinning Clubs
Skopje20Vardar, Sloga Jugomagnat / Shkupi, Rabotnichki, Makedonija G.P.
Tetovo5Shkëndija
Kratovo3Sileks
Prilep2Pobeda
Struga2Struga
Džepčište1Renova