Premier League of Bosnia and Herzegovina


The Premier League of Bosnia and Herzegovina, officially known as the Wwin League of Bosnia and Herzegovina for sponsorship purposes, is the top tier football league in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and is operated by the Football Association of Bosnia and Herzegovina. As the country's most prestigious level of football competition, the league changed format in the 2025–26 season and is contested by 10 clubs with the last two teams relegated at the end of every season.
As of the 2025–26 season, the league is represented by four clubs in European competition. The winner of the Premier League starts from the UEFA Champions League first qualifying round. The winner of the Bosnian Cup starts from the second qualifying round of the UEFA Conference League, while the runner-up and third placed team on the table start from the UEFA Conference League first qualifying round.
The bottom two teams are relegated at the end of the season, while the winners of the First League of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the First League of the Republika Srpska are promoted to the Premier League.

History

War period (1992–1996)

After the breakup of Yugoslavia, and following proclamation of independence in late winter 1992, many clubs from Bosnia and Herzegovina left the Yugoslav First League. In April 1992, the N/FSBiH applied for membership with FIFA and UEFA. Meanwhile, due to the outbreak of the Bosnian War in April 1992, no games were played in the 1992–93 season. In late 1993 some parts of the country re-launched football competitions with reduced scope. But just as the country was divided along ethnic lines, so was football.
In 1993, Croats launched the Football Federation of Herzeg-Bosnia and its First League of Herzeg-Bosnia, in which only Croat clubs competed on parochial scale within the limits of West Herzegovina and a few other enclaves. In the same year Serbs also organized their own First League of the Republika Srpska, on a territory held by Republika Srpska at the time. Only football on a territory under the control of the then Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina institutions and auspices of N/FSBiH, at the time consequently with Bosniak majority, apart from a brief competition for the 1994–95 season, came to a standstill. Competition under auspices of the N/FSBiH did not resume until the 1995–96 season when the First League of Bosnia and Herzegovina was launched.

Post-war period (1996–2000)

These three separate football leagues were operating in Bosnia and Herzegovina until 1998, and 2000. Since FIFA and UEFA showed support only for the association operating under patronage of the official and internationally recognized state institutions, during the war and prior to the Dayton Agreement, as well as after its signage, they endorsed unification of all three organizations as the N/FSBiH. This also came as a consequence of FIFA's decision to recognize the N/FSBiH already in July 1996, while in the same year UEFA admitted the N/FSBiH as an adjacent member until 1998 when they recognized its full membership. This meant that only N/FSBiH clubs and its national team could compete at the international and official level.
Final unification was preceded by several stages. At first, a play-off was created where clubs were playing for the title under N/FSBiH auspices. The idea was that a play-off under unified N/FSBiH auspices should bring together clubs competing under three separate organizations for the first time but was rejected by the Serb association, leaving clubs from the Croat football association and the N/FSBiH participating the play-off for the seasons 1997–98 and 1999–00, while the 1998–99 play-off was canceled due to the Croat's association hesitation on the decision on which stadiums games should be played. Next season the play-off was resumed for the last time prior to the full and final agreement on a unified N/FSBiH and its competition, the Bosnian Premier League , in the fall of 2000.

Premier League creation (2000)

The first 2000–01 season saw clubs from the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina entity only, while clubs from the Republika Srpska entity continued to compete in their own separate league as their entity association still refused to join the agreed unified N/FSBiH and its new competition. However, UEFA and FIFA never intended to recognize this separate organization nor its competition, which meant clubs could not compete outside the territory of the entity and would not compete internationally. This situation forced clubs to insist that their organization also join the N/FSBiH, and two years later they became part of the competition for the 2002–03 season. Ever since the year 2000 the Premier League is the top tier of Bosnia and Herzegovina football, with two entity-based leagues, the First League of Republika Srpska and the First League of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, being pushed to the second tier of the Bosnian football pyramid and serve as feeder leagues to the Premier League.

Liga 12 (2016–2025)

During the seasons 2016–17 and the 2017–18, the league had entirely changed its format, reducing the number of clubs from 16 to 12, thus sometimes referred to as "Liga 12", with the calendar also modified accordingly, reintroducing the play-offs and introducing the play out.
The number of matches was played by each club during the regular season after which, according to their position, they entered to the play-offs or the play out. The play-offs were contested by the top six clubs in the regular season, with each club playing each other twice for the title, which guaranteed Champions League qualifications, while second and third place guaranteed Europa League qualifications berths. The play out was contested by the bottom six clubs to avoid relegation, with the last two teams being relegated.
Since the 2018–19 season, after all the 12 clubs have played against each other two times, once home and once away, they play against each other one more time, playing either home or away depending on how the schedule is made. With that, the league season has 33 full rounds, instead of the 22 rounds and an additional 10 rounds in the relegation and championship games in the 2016–17 and 2017–18 seasons.

Liga 10 (2025–present)

In May 2024, the N/FSBiH decided that the number of teams competing in the Premier League would be reduced to ten, starting from the 2025–26 season.

Sponsorship

On 31 July 2012, the Football Association of Bosnia and Herzegovina signed a two-year deal with BH Telecom regarding the sponsorship of the league, effectively renaming the league BH Telecom Premier League. The deal was extended once more before the start of 2014–15 season. On 24 July 2020, it was announced that Mtel had become the new league sponsor for the next three years with an estimate 23 Million BAM worth, renaming the league m:tel Premier League.
On 9 February 2024, a five-year deal with gambling company Wwin was signed by the Bosnian FA, officially changing the league's name to the Wwin League of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Clubs

Forty clubs have played in the Premier League of Bosnia and Herzegovina from its inception in 2000, up to and including the 2024–25 season. Željezničar, Sarajevo, Zrinjski Mostar and Široki Brijeg are the only clubs in the Premier League to have never been relegated.

Champions

ClubWinnersWinning seasons
922004–05 Premier League of Bosnia and Herzegovina|, 2008–09 Premier League of Bosnia and Herzegovina|, 2013–14 Premier League of Bosnia and Herzegovina|, 2015–16 Premier League of Bosnia and Herzegovina|, 2016–17 Premier League of Bosnia and Herzegovina|, 2017–18 Premier League of Bosnia and Herzegovina|, 2021–22 Premier League of Bosnia and Herzegovina|, 2022–23 Premier League of Bosnia and Herzegovina|, 2024–25 Premier League of Bosnia and Herzegovina|
Željezničar572000–01 Premier League of Bosnia and Herzegovina|, 2001–02 Premier League of Bosnia and Herzegovina|, 2009–10 Premier League of Bosnia and Herzegovina|, 2011–12 Premier League of Bosnia and Herzegovina|, 2012–13 Premier League of Bosnia and Herzegovina|
Sarajevo442006–07 Premier League of Bosnia and Herzegovina|, 2014–15 Premier League of Bosnia and Herzegovina|, 2018–19 Premier League of Bosnia and Herzegovina|, 2019–20 Premier League of Bosnia and Herzegovina|
Borac322010–11 Premier League of Bosnia and Herzegovina|, 2020–21 Premier League of Bosnia and Herzegovina|, 2023–24 Premier League of Bosnia and Herzegovina|
Široki Brijeg252003–04 Premier League of Bosnia and Herzegovina|, 2005–06 Premier League of Bosnia and Herzegovina|
Modriča102007–08 Premier League of Bosnia and Herzegovina|
Leotar102002–03 Premier League of Bosnia and Herzegovina|

2025–26 season

Ten clubs are competing in the 2025–26 season – top nine from the previous season and one promoted from one of the second-level leagues.
TeamLocationStadiumCapacity
Banja LukaBanja Luka City Stadium10,030
PosušjePosušjeMokri Dolac Stadium8,000
RadnikBijeljinaBijeljina City Stadium6,000
RudarPrijedorGradski stadion3,540
SarajevoAsim Ferhatović Hase30,121
Sloga DobojDobojLuke Stadium3,000
Pecara7,000
VeležMostarRođeni Stadium7,000
ZrinjskiMostarBijeli Brijeg9,000
SarajevoGrbavica13,146