The 2020–21 Croatian First Football League (officially Hrvatski Telekom Prva liga for sponsorship reasons) was the 30th season of the
Croatian First Football League, the top national championship for men's
association football
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...
teams in
Croatia
, image_flag = Flag of Croatia.svg
, image_coat = Coat of arms of Croatia.svg
, anthem = "Lijepa naša domovino"("Our Beautiful Homeland")
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, capit ...
, since its establishment in 1992. The season started on 14 August 2020 and finished on 22 May 2021.
The season began with games being played
behind closed doors due to the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...
.
The league was contested by ten teams.
Teams
On 20 May 2020, Croatian Football Federation announced that the first stage of licensing procedure for 2020–21 season was complete. For the 2020–21 Prva HNL, ten clubs were issued a top level license:
Dinamo Zagreb
Građanski nogometni klub Dinamo Zagreb ( en, Dinamo Zagreb Citizens' Football Club, link=yes, italics=yes), commonly referred to as GNK Dinamo Zagreb or simply Dinamo Zagreb (), is a Croatian professional football club based in Zagreb. Dinamo ...
,
Gorica,
Hajduk Split,
Istra 1961,
Lokomotiva,
Osijek,
Rijeka,
Slaven Belupo,
Šibenik
Šibenik () is a historic city in Croatia, located in central Dalmatia, where the river Krka flows into the Adriatic Sea. Šibenik is a political, educational, transport, industrial and tourist center of Šibenik-Knin County, and is also the ...
and
Varaždin
)
, image_photo =
, image_skyline =
, image_flag = Flag of Varaždin.svg
, flag_size =
, image_seal =
, seal_size =
, image_shield = Grb_Grad ...
. All of these clubs except Šibenik and Varaždin were also issued a license for participating in
UEFA competitions
UEFA competitions (french: competitions de l'UEFA), referred improperly by the mass media as European football, are the set of tournaments organised by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA), generally in professional and amateur asso ...
. In the second stage of licensing, clubs that were not licensed in the first stage could appeal on the decision. On 17 June 2020, Croatian Football Federation announced that the licensing procedure for 2020–21 season was complete.
Inter Zaprešić and
Orijent 1919 were also issued a top level license after appeal process.
The following teams have mathematically secured their place in the 2020–21 Prva HNL.
Stadia and locations
*
1 Lokomotiva host their home matches at Stadion Kranjčevićeva. The stadium is originally the home ground of third-level side NK Zagreb.
Personnel and kits
Managerial changes
League table
Results
Each team plays home-and-away against every other team in the league twice, for a total of 36 matches each played.
First round
Second round
Statistics
Top goalscorers
PrvaHNL.hr
/ref>
Awards
Annual awards
References
External links
Official website
at UEFA.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Croatian First Football League, 2020-21
2020-21
2020–21 in Croatian football
2020–21 in European association football leagues