The Macedonian football champions (Macedonian: Македонски Фудбалски Шампион, Championship: Шампионат, single: "Шампион", plural: Шампиони) are the annual winners of 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 of the Vardarska Banovina, territorially similar to present day Macedonia, played within the Belgrade Football Subassociation League until 1927,[1] when a separate Skoplje Football Subassociation League was formed.[2] The champions of Subassociation Leagues were granted a place in the qualifiers to the Yugoslav Championship, a top national level. Gragjanski Skopje became the only club to menage to participate in the national league, first in 1935–36 when the championship was played in a cup system,[3] and in 1938–39, when it was played in normal league system with Gragjanski finishing 10th out of 12 teams.[4] In 1939 the Yugoslav league system was changed, with the creation of separate Serbian and Croato-Slovenian Leagues which will serve as qualifying leagues for the final phase of the Yugoslav Championship.[5] The clubs from the Skopje Subassociation played their qualifications to the Serbian League, however only Gragjanski managed to participate, and it did it in both occasions, in 1939–40 (5th place)[6] and 1940–41 (8th place).[7] That became the last season before the beginning of the Second World War in 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 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 (belonging to the Kingdom of Yugoslavia) had a league organised by the Skoplje Football Subassociation. The winner had direct access to the Yugoslav Championship.[8]

  • 1929 - Pobeda Skopje
  • 1930 - Jug, SSK and Sparta, all clubs from Skopje, finished the season with eaqual number of points.
  • 1931 - Not finished.
  • 1932 - SSK Skopje
  • 1933 - SSK Skopje
  • 1934 - SSK Skopje
  • 1935 - Not Finished
  • 1936 - Gragjanski Skopje
  • 1937 - Not Finished
  • 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.

  • 1942 Makedonija Skopje
  • 1943 ZhSK Skopje
  • 1944 ZhSK Skopje

Republic League

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

  • 1944/45 Makedonija
  • 1945/46 Pobeda Skopje ( Vardar )
  • 1946/47 Makedonija Skopje ( Vardar )
  • 1947/48 Dinamo Skopje
  • 1948/49 11 Oktomvri Kumanovo
  • 1949/50 Rabotnik Bitola
  • 1950/51 Rabotnik Bitola
  • 1951/52 Rabotnicki Skopje
  • 1952/53 Pobeda Prilep
  • 1953/54 Pobeda Prilep
  • 1954/55 Metalec Skopje
  • 1955/56 Belasica Strumica
  • 1956/57 Pelister Bitola
  • 1957/58 Belasica Strumica
  • 1958/59 Pobeda Prilep
  • 1959/60 Pelister Bitola
  • 1960/61 Pelister Bitola
  • 1961/62 Pobeda Prilep
  • 1962/63 Pobeda Prilep
  • 1963/64 Bregalnica Štip
  • 1964/65 Teteks Tetovo
  • 1965/66 Rabotnički Skopje
  • 1966/67 Bregalnica Štip
  • 1967/68 Rabotnički Skopje
  • 1968/69 Teteks Tetovo
  • 1969/70 MIK Skopje
  • 1970/71 Kumanovo
  • 1971/72 Tikveš Kavadarci
  • 1972/73 Rabotnički Skopje
  • 1973/74 Teteks Tetovo
  • 1974/75 Pelister Bitola
  • 1975/76 Bregalnica Štip
  • 1976/77 Rabotnički Skopje
  • 1977/78 Tikveš Kavadarci
  • 1978/79 Pobeda Prilep
  • 1979/80 Rabotnički Skopje
  • 1980/81 Pobeda Prilep
  • 1981/82 Pelister Bitola
  • 1982/83 Belasica Strumica
  • 1983/84 Bregalnica Štip
  • 1984/85 Teteks Tetovo
  • 1985/86 Pobeda Prilep
  • 1986/87 Metalurg Skopje
  • 1987/88 Belasica Strumica
  • 1988/89 Borec Veles
  • 1989/90 Balkan Skopje
  • 1990/91 Makedonija Skopje
  • 1991/92 Sasa Makedonska Kamenica

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.

  • Semi Professional league since 1992
Season Winner Runner Up Third Place Top scorer (club) (goals)
1992–93 Vardar Sileks Balkan North Macedonia Saša Ćirić (Vardar) (36)
1993–94 Vardar Sileks Balkan North Macedonia Zoran Boshkovski (Sileks) (21)
1994–95 Vardar Sileks Sloga Jugomagnat North Macedonia Saša Ćirić (Vardar) (35)
1995–96 Sileks Sloga Jugomagnat Vardar North Macedonia Zoran Boshkovski (Sileks) (20)
1996–97 Sileks Pobeda Sloga Jugomagnat North Macedonia Vancho Micevski (Sileks) (16)
North Macedonia Miroslav Gjokić (Sileks) (16)
1997–98 Sileks Sloga Jugomagnat Makedonija G.P. North Macedonia Vancho Atanasov (Belasica) (12)
1998–99 Sloga Jugomagnat Sileks Pobeda Brazil Rogério Oliveira (Pobeda) (22)
1999–2000 Sloga Jugomagnat Pobeda Rabotnichki Kometal North Macedonia Argjend Beqiri (Sloga Jugomagnet) (19)
2000–01 Sloga Jugomagnat Vardar Pobeda North Macedonia Argjend Beqiri (Sloga Jugomagnet) (27)
2001–02 Vardar Belasica Cementarnica 55 North Macedonia Miroslav Gjokić (Pobeda) (22)
2002–03 Vardar Belasica Pobeda North Macedonia Ljubiša Savić (Bregalnica Delčevo / Sloga Jugomagnat) (25)
2003–04 Pobeda Sileks Vardar North Macedonia Dragan Dimitrovski (Pobeda) (25)
2004–05 Rabotnichki Kometal Vardar Pobeda North Macedonia Aleksandar Stojanovski (Belasica) (26)
North Macedonia Stevica Ristić (Sileks) (26)
2005–06 Rabotnichki Kometal Makedonija G.P. Vardar North Macedonia Stevica Ristić (Sileks) (27)
2006–07 Pobeda Rabotnichki Kometal Makedonija G.P. North Macedonia Boban Janchevski (Bashkimi / Renova) (26)
2007–08 Rabotnichki Kometal Milano Pelister North Macedonia Ivica Gligorovski (Milano) (15)
2008–09 Makedonija G.P. Milano Renova North Macedonia Ivica Gligorovski (Milano) (14)
2009–10 Renova Rabotnichki Metalurg North Macedonia Bobi Bozhinovski (Rabotnički) (15)
2010–11 Shkëndija Metalurg Renova North Macedonia Hristijan Kirovski (Skopje) (20)
2011–12 Vardar Metalurg Shkëndija North Macedonia Filip Ivanovski (Vardar) (24)
2012–13 Vardar Metalurg Horizont Turnovo North Macedonia Jovan Kostovski (Vardar) (22)
2013–14 Rabotnichki Horizont Turnovo Metalurg North Macedonia Dejan Blazhevski (Horizont Turnovo) (19)
2014–15 Vardar Rabotnichki Shkëndija North Macedonia Izair Emini (Renova) (20)
2015–16 Vardar Shkëndija Sileks North Macedonia Besart Ibraimi (Shkëndija) (26)
2016–17 Vardar Shkëndija Rabotnichki North Macedonia Besart Ibraimi (Shkëndija) (20)
2017–18 Shkëndija Vardar Rabotnichki North Macedonia Ferhan Hasani (Shkëndija) (22)
North Macedonia Besart Ibraimi (Shkëndija) (22)
2018–19 Shkëndija Vardar Akademija Pandev North Macedonia Vlatko Stojanovski (Renova) (18)
2019–20 Vardar Sileks Shkëndija North Macedonia Daniel Avramovski (Vardar) (10)
2020–21 Shkëndija Shkupi Struga North Macedonia Besart Ibraimi (Shkëndija) (24)
2021–22 Shkupi Akademija Pandev Shkëndija Nigeria Sunday Adetunji (Shkupi) (20)
2022–23 Struga Shkupi Shkëndija North Macedonia Besart Ibraimi (Struga) (19)
Macedonian First League Trophy

Performances

Clubs

The following table lists the performance of each club describing winners of the Championship

Club Titles Runners-up Winning years
Vardar Skopje 11 2 1992–93, 1993–94, 1994–95, 2001–02, 2002–03, 2011–12, 2012–13, 2014–15, 2015–16, 2016–17, 2019–20
Shkupi (FK Sloga Jugomagnat 1927–2009) 4 4 1998–99, 1999–2000, 2000–01, 2021–22
Rabotnički Skopje 4 3 2004–05, 2005–06, 2007–08, 2013–14
Shkendija 4 2 2010–11, 2017–18, 2018–19, 2020–21
Sileks Kratovo 3 5 1995–96, 1996–97, 1997–98
Pobeda Prilep 2 2 2003–04, 2006–07
Makedonija Gjorce Petrov 1 1 2008–09
Renova Djepchishte 1 – 2009–10
Struga 1 – 2022–23
Metalurg Skopje – 3 –
Milano Kumanovo – 2 –
Belasica Strumica – 2 –
Horizont Turnovo – 1 –

Cities

The following table lists the Macedonian football champions by city

City Titles Winning Clubs
Skopje 20 Vardar (11), Sloga Jugomagnat / Shkupi (4), Rabotnichki (3), Makedonija G.P. (1)
Tetovo 4 Shkëndija (4)
Kratovo 3 Sileks (3)
Prilep 2 Pobeda (2)
Džepčište 1 Renova (1)
Struga 1 Struga (1)

References

  1. ↑ Sijić, pag. 135
  2. ↑ Milorad Sijić: "Football in the Kingdom of Yugoslavia", pag. 142 (in Serbian)
  3. ↑ Sijić, pag. 99-100
  4. ↑ Sijić, pag. 111-116
  5. ↑ Sijić, pag. 117
  6. ↑ Sijić, pag. 120-121
  7. ↑ Sijić, pag. 129
  8. ↑ Milorad Sijić: "Football in the Kingdom of Yugoslavia", pag. 142 (in Serbian)
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