Montenegrin First League
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The First League of Montenegro ( Montenegrin: ''Prva crnogorska fudbalska liga'' — ''Prva CFL'' — ''1. CFL''; ) is the top
football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...
league in Montenegro. Founded in 2006, competition is headed by the
Football Association of Montenegro The Football Association of Montenegro ( Montenegrin: ''Fudbalski savez Crne Gore'', ''FSCG'' / Фудбалски савез Црне Горе, ФСЦГ) is the governing body of football in Montenegro. It is based in the capital, Podgorica. Th ...
. 10 teams participate in this league. The winner of the Montenegrin First League starts the qualifications for the
UEFA Champions League The UEFA Champions League (abbreviated as UCL, or sometimes, UEFA CL) is an annual club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) and contested by top-division European clubs, deciding the competit ...
from the second round. The second and third placed team and
Montenegrin Cup The Montenegrin Cup (Montenegrin language, Montenegrin and Serbian language, Serbian: ''Kup Crne Gore'') is the national football cup played in Montenegro, established in 2006. The winner of the cup is awarded a spot in the second qualifying rou ...
winner play in the qualifying rounds of the
UEFA Conference League The UEFA Europa Conference League (abbreviated as UECL) is an annual football club competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) for eligible European football clubs. Clubs qualify for the competition based on thei ...
. The last placed team is directly
relegated In sports leagues, promotion and relegation is a process where teams are transferred between multiple divisions based on their performance for the completed season. Leagues that use promotion and relegation systems are often called open leagues. ...
to the
Montenegrin Second League The Montenegrin Second League ( Montenegrin: ''Druga crnogorska fudbalska liga'' – ''Druga CFL'' – ''2. CFL'') is the second-top football league in Montenegro. It is headed by the Football Association of Montenegro. Second Montenegrin Leagu ...
, and the two others are playing in
Montenegrin First League playoffs Montenegrin First League playoffs is a two legs tournament between the teams from Montenegrin First League which above direct relegation, and the teams from Montenegrin Second League which below the direct promotion. Format At the end of each seaso ...
.


History


Before independence

As a part of the
Kingdom of Yugoslavia The Kingdom of Yugoslavia ( sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Kraljevina Jugoslavija, Краљевина Југославија; sl, Kraljevina Jugoslavija) was a state in Southeast Europe, Southeast and Central Europe that existed from 1918 unt ...
, Montenegrin clubs played in Montenegrin Football Championship which was formed in 1922. Despite the presence of the nationwide
Yugoslav Football Championship The Yugoslav First Federal Football League ( Serbian: Прва савезна лига у фудбалу / ''Prva savezna liga u fudbalu'', hr, Prva savezna liga u nogometu, sl, Prva zvezna nogometna liga, mk, Прва сојузна лига, ...
, Montenegrin teams did not partake in it. Montenegrin Football Championship played until the beginning of World War II.
Most successful teams at that period were ''SK Crnogorac Cetinje'' (10 titles), ''GSK Balšić Podgorica'' (7),
FK Lovćen Cetinje FK or fk may refer to: In arts and entertainment: * Flyer Killer, fictional automated robots in the ''Terminator'' film franchise. * Fox Kids, a former American children's television programming block. * Funky Kong, a video game character. Place ...
(5),
FK Budućnost Podgorica Fudbalski Klub Budućnost Podgorica (Cyrillic: Будућност Подгорица, , lit. "Future") is a Montenegrin football club from Podgorica, Montenegro. It is competing in the Montenegrin First League. Its colours are blue and white. ...
(4) and
FK Arsenal Tivat FK Arsenal is a Montenegrin professional football club based in the coastal town of Tivat, founded in 1914. Currently, the club is competing in the Montenegrin First League. History Period 1914-1940 Founded in 1914, Arsenal is the second oldest ...
(1). While SK Crnogorac and GSK Balšić played all the seasons, work of FK Budućnost and FK Lovćen was forbidden in 1935, as they were recognized as workers' clubs by
Kingdom of Yugoslavia The Kingdom of Yugoslavia ( sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Kraljevina Jugoslavija, Краљевина Југославија; sl, Kraljevina Jugoslavija) was a state in Southeast Europe, Southeast and Central Europe that existed from 1918 unt ...
government and forbidden.
After
World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
and the formation of the
Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia The Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, commonly referred to as SFR Yugoslavia or simply as Yugoslavia, was a country in Central and Southeast Europe. It emerged in 1945, following World War II, and lasted until 1992, with the breakup of Yug ...
, the top league became the
Yugoslav First League The Yugoslav First Federal Football League ( Serbian: Прва савезна лига у фудбалу / ''Prva savezna liga u fudbalu'', hr, Prva savezna liga u nogometu, sl, Prva zvezna nogometna liga, mk, Прва сојузна лига, ...
. Montenegrin teams were allowed to partake in the nationwide league structure, with a
Montenegrin Republic League Montenegrin Republic League (Montenegrin: ''Crnogorska republička liga'' / ''Црногорска републичка лига'') was the third tier football league of SFR Yugoslavia. The top clubs were promoted to Yugoslav Second League. Ove ...
acting as a lower-tier division with promotion and relegation between the Yugoslav league system. The most prominent clubs from Montenegro in this period were FK Budućnost and
FK Sutjeska FK or fk may refer to: In arts and entertainment: * Flyer Killer, fictional automated robots in the Terminator (franchise), ''Terminator'' film franchise. * Fox Kids, a former American children's television programming block. * Funky Kong, a video ...
.
FK Budućnost was among the founders of
Yugoslav First League The Yugoslav First Federal Football League ( Serbian: Прва савезна лига у фудбалу / ''Prva savezna liga u fudbalu'', hr, Prva savezna liga u nogometu, sl, Prva zvezna nogometna liga, mk, Прва сојузна лига, ...
and a member of its inaugural season. During the most of SFRY era, FK Budućnost played in First League, while another team from Montenegro in top-tier was FK Sutjeska. Other teams played in
Yugoslav Second League Yugoslav or Yugoslavian may refer to: * Yugoslavia, or any of the three historic states carrying that name: ** Kingdom of Yugoslavia, a European monarchy which existed 1918–1945 (officially called "Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes" 1918–1 ...
or lower ranks. Among them, most successful was FK Lovćen, who played twice in First League qualifiers, but without success at the end of campaigns.
Below is the list of performances of Montenegrin teams in
Yugoslav First League The Yugoslav First Federal Football League ( Serbian: Прва савезна лига у фудбалу / ''Prva savezna liga u fudbalu'', hr, Prva savezna liga u nogometu, sl, Prva zvezna nogometna liga, mk, Прва сојузна лига, ...
from 1946 to 1992, with final placements on every single season. When SFR Yugoslavia dissolved, the
Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Serbia and Montenegro ( sr, Cрбија и Црна Гора, translit=Srbija i Crna Gora) was a country in Southeast Europe located in the Balkans that existed from 1992 to 2006, following the breakup of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yu ...
was formed in 1992 and the Serbian and Montenegrin teams played in this league, although it was still named ''Yugoslav First League''. In 2003, FR Yugoslavia became
Serbia and Montenegro Serbia and Montenegro ( sr, Cрбија и Црна Гора, translit=Srbija i Crna Gora) was a country in Southeast Europe located in the Balkans that existed from 1992 to 2006, following the breakup of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yu ...
and the football league followed suit. Montenegrin clubs played in the First League with Serbian clubs from 1992 to 2006. In that period, representatives of Montenegro in the Yugoslav/Serbia and Montenegro First League were FK Budućnost, FK Sutjeska, FK Rudar,
FK Mogren FK Mogren was a football club based in Budva, Montenegro. Founded in 1920, it was two times champion of Montenegrin First League and once winner of Montenegrin Cup. In 2015, following the bankruptcy and debts, FK Mogren was relegated to the lowes ...
,
FK Zeta FK Zeta is a football club from Golubovci, a suburb of Podgorica, the capital of Montenegro. It plays in the Montenegrin Second League. The club was the inaugural champion of the Montenegrin First League in 2006–07 season. History Period 19 ...
,
FK Kom FK Kom is a Montenegrin football club based in Zlatica, a suburb of Podgorica. Founded in 1958, they currently compete in the Montenegrin Second League. The team is known as a first youth club of famous Montenegrin player Predrag Mijatović. ...
and FK Jedinstvo.
Below is the list of performances of Montenegrin teams in FR Yugoslavia First League from 1992 to 2006, with final placements on every single season. For 2004–05, restructuring of the Serbo-Montenegrin football league system saw the dissolution of the national second league, instead being replaced by two regional divisions for both republics of the union with promotion to the still-united First League. Montenegrin teams which played in European competitions during Yugoslav era were FK Budućnost, FK Sutjeska and FK Zeta.


After independence

In 2006, after the
Independence referendum An independence referendum is a type of referendum in which the residents of a territory decide whether the territory should become an Independence, independent sovereign state. An independence referendum that results in a vote for independence ...
, Montenegro split from Serbia. Following that, Montenegrin First League is founded as top-tier national competition. On inaugural season, members of League became three teams from former First League of Serbia and Montenegro, seven from Second League, and two from
Montenegrin Republic League Montenegrin Republic League (Montenegrin: ''Crnogorska republička liga'' / ''Црногорска републичка лига'') was the third tier football league of SFR Yugoslavia. The top clubs were promoted to Yugoslav Second League. Ove ...
.
In period 2006–2017, league consisted on 12 clubs, which played 33 matches during the season. From 2017-18 season number of participants in the Montenegrin First League is reduced to 10, with 36 week-long competition.
By now, 19 clubs had participated in the Montenegrin First League. The most successful were FK Sutjeska with four titles and FK Budućnost three national titles. FK Rudar and FK Mogren won two titles. Other winners were FK Zeta and OFK Titograd with one title.


2006–16

The first game in Prva CFL was played on 11 August 2006 in
Pljevlja Pljevlja ( srp, Пљевља, ) is a town and the center of Pljevlja Municipality located in the northern part of Montenegro. The town lies at an altitude of . In the Middle Ages, Pljevlja had been a crossroad of the important commercial roads and ...
. In front of 5,000 spectators, a game between the home side FK Rudar and FK Budućnost, finished with a victory of the away team (0-2). In the fifth minute of that match,
Ivan Čarapić Ivan () is a Slavic male given name, connected with the variant of the Greek name (English: John) from Hebrew meaning 'God is gracious'. It is associated worldwide with Slavic countries. The earliest person known to bear the name was Bulgari ...
(Budućnost) scored the first goal in the history of Prva CFL.
The first champion of the top-tier CFL was
Zeta Zeta (, ; uppercase Ζ, lowercase ζ; grc, ζῆτα, el, ζήτα, label= Demotic Greek, classical or ''zē̂ta''; ''zíta'') is the sixth letter of the Greek alphabet. In the system of Greek numerals, it has a value of 7. It was derived f ...
, who won the trophy on the championship's final weekend, after a hard struggle with neighbouring Budućnost. Game between
FK Berane Fudbalski klub Berane ( Cyrillic: Фудбалски клуб Беране) is a Montenegrin football club based in Berane. Established at 1920, the club plays in the Second League of Montenegro. History FK Berane was founded in 1920, as one o ...
and FK Budućnost was not even finished, after the crowd disturbances during the second half. A third derby between Budućnost and Zeta in
Podgorica Podgorica (Cyrillic script, Cyrillic: Подгорица, ; Literal translation, lit. 'under the hill') is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Montenegro, largest city of Montenegro. The city was formerly known as Titograd ...
was attended by 10,000 spectators, which is a record-high attendance in the history of CFL. During the season, many games were disrupted by crowd disturbances and a match between Zeta and Budućnost in
Golubovci Golubovci ( cnr, Голубовци, ) is a small town in the Podgorica Municipality of Montenegro. It has 3,110 residents according to 2011 census, while the ''Golubovci City Municipality'' accounts for some 16,093 residents. Transport Sometim ...
was not played, after the decision was made by the home team not to open their stadium following discussion with
Football Association of Montenegro The Football Association of Montenegro ( Montenegrin: ''Fudbalski savez Crne Gore'', ''FSCG'' / Фудбалски савез Црне Горе, ФСЦГ) is the governing body of football in Montenegro. It is based in the capital, Podgorica. Th ...
.
Next season started with incidents during the
Montenegrin Derby The Montenegrin Derby (Montenegrin language, Montenegrin: ''Crnogorski derbi'') is the main association football, football match in Montenegro, between the teams from the two biggest Montenegrin cities. Rivals are FK Budućnost Podgorica, FK Budu ...
in Nikšić. Budućnost won the title, with the same number of points as Zeta and Mogren. But, Budućnost had the best score against two opponents from the top of the table. This marked the first trophy for the team from Podgorica. Their manager at that time
Branko Babić Branko "Sosa" Babić (; born 11 September 1950) is a Serbian football manager and former player. Playing career During his playing career, Babić represented Osijek (Yugoslavia) and Beringen (Belgium) in the 1970s. He made five league appearanc ...
became the first foreign coach to win the Prva CFL title. With an average attendance of ''4,250'' for their home games, Budućnost made a Montenegrin First League all-time record.
The title winners for season 2008–09 became Mogren, the first-ever club from the coastal Montenegro to win the title. The race for the champions' trophy lasted until the final week, when Mogren won an away game against Jedinstvo (2-1). At the end of season, they had four points more than second-placed Budućnost and 11 more than the third-place team - Sutjeska. A year later Rudar won the first title in their club's history. They won the trophy after dramatic struggle with Budućnost, and only two points decided the championship race. During that year,
Ivan Bošković Ivan Bošković (Cyrillic: Иван Бошковић, born 1 January 1982) is a Montenegrin football coach and former football player. Club career Born in Podgorica, then part of SR Montenegro, SFR Yugoslavia, he begin his career in his homet ...
from
Grbalj Grbalj ( sr-Cyrl, Грбаљ), denotes a historic, rural region, as well as a tribe of the Montenegrin littoral, and a parish located between town of Budva and the Luštica peninsula, Bay of Kotor in coastal Montenegro. Most of the region now li ...
scored 28 goals, which is the all-time record for one single season. During the last week of season, his team made another record, with the highest victory ever in Montenegrin First League, against
Kom Kom or KOM may refer to: Ethnic groups * Kom people (Afghanistan), a Nuristani tribe in Afghanistan and Pakistan * Kom people (Cameroon), an ethnic group of northwest Cameroon * Kom people (India) a subgroup of the Kuki in north-eastern India * ...
''(11-0)''. During that game, Bošković scored four goals - which is another Prva CFL record, shared with
FK Zeta FK Zeta is a football club from Golubovci, a suburb of Podgorica, the capital of Montenegro. It plays in the Montenegrin Second League. The club was the inaugural champion of the Montenegrin First League in 2006–07 season. History Period 19 ...
's player Miljan Vlaisavljević and
OFK Titograd OFK Titograd (Montenegrin Cyrillic: ОФК Титоград) is a professional football club based in Podgorica, Montenegro. Founded in 1951, they play in the Third League of Montenegro. The team has one league trophy and two Montenegrin Cup tro ...
's player Zoran Petrović.
Mogren became first club to win a second champion trophy in Prva CFL. The team from
Budva Budva ( cnr, Будва, or ) is a Montenegrin town on the Adriatic Sea. It has 19,218 inhabitants, and it is the centre of Budva Municipality. The coastal area around Budva, called the Budva riviera, is the center of Montenegrin tourism, kno ...
won the title on season 2010–11, but with equal number of points as second-placed Budućnost: ''(73)''. In the end, head-to-head scores compared, Mogren were victorious over Budućnost ''(2-1; 2-0; 1-2)''.
Budućnost won their second trophy in season 2011–12, whilst also setting records for highest number of points in CFL by single season ''(80)'' and highest number of scored goals by season ''(83)''. But, the team from Podgorica didn't win the trophy easily - they were followed by Rudar, who trailed by three points at the end of season. Additionally, Budućnost failed to beat Rudar during the season ''(0-2; 2-2; 1-1)'' Sutjeska became the first club to win two consecutive titles of CFL champion - both times with Dragan Radojičić as head coach. The team from
Nikšić Nikšić ( cnr, Никшић, italic=no, sr-cyrl, Никшић, italic=no; ), is the second largest city in Montenegro, with a total population of 56,970 located in the west of the country, in the centre of the spacious Nikšić field at the foot ...
won the title for seasons 2012–13 and 2013–14. Sutjeska headed to their first title with five points more than Budućnost, but secured the trophy on last week of the season. During that season, Sutjeska for the first time in the First League played city derbies against Čelik ''(1-0; 0-3; 0-1)'', who placed third at the end of competition. Second trophy, Sutjeska won after the dramatic spring half-season and struggle with
Lovćen Lovćen ( cyrl, Ловћен, ) is a mountain and national park in southwestern Montenegro. It is the inspiration behind the names ''Montenegro'' and ''Crna Gora'', both of which mean "Black Mountain" and refer to the appearance of Mount Lov ...
. The title winner was decided a week before the end of season, after a draw between Sutjeska and Lovćen (1-1). That was the first season on which Budućnost didn't finish in first or second position.
At the end of season 2014–15, Rudar won the second title in the club's history. The team from Pljevlja won the race against title holders Sutjeska, who finished second. The team at the bottom of the table -
Berane Berane ( cyrl, Беране) is one of the largest towns of northeastern Montenegro and a former administrative centre of the Ivangrad District. The town is located on the Lim river. From 1949 to 1992, it was named Ivangrad ( cyrl, Иванг ...
at the end of season had only 13 points with 78 goals conceded, which were negative records of Prva CFL at that time. After the
relegation playoffs In sports leagues, promotion and relegation is a process where teams are transferred between multiple divisions based on their performance for the completed season. Leagues that use promotion and relegation systems are often called open leagues. ...
, Mogren were relegated to the Second League. This was the first time in history of Prva CFL that former champions were relegated.
The tenth edition of Prva CFL finished with a shock, as
OFK Titograd OFK Titograd (Montenegrin Cyrillic: ОФК Титоград) is a professional football club based in Podgorica, Montenegro. Founded in 1951, they play in the Third League of Montenegro. The team has one league trophy and two Montenegrin Cup tro ...
from
Podgorica Podgorica (Cyrillic script, Cyrillic: Подгорица, ; Literal translation, lit. 'under the hill') is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Montenegro, largest city of Montenegro. The city was formerly known as Titograd ...
won their first-ever national title. During this era, OFK Titograd played under the name ''Mladost Podgorica''. They won the champions' race against city rivals from Budućnost and during the season, OFK Titograd won all three games against them ''(3-1; 1-0; 2-0)''. After the last week, OFK Titograd had four points more than the second-placed team.
In the period from 2006 to 2016, FK Budućnost, FK Sutjeska, FK Rudar and FK Mogren won two champion titles, and FK Zeta and OFK Titograd one. During that time, 19 clubs participated in Prva CFL.


2016–present

FK Budućnost won their third champions' title on season 2016-17, but with equal number of points as Zeta and OFK Titograd. During the season, six points were deducted from FK Zeta because of irregularities, so they weren't able to win the trophy. Week before the end of season, on Budućnost - OFK Titograd match, ultras of home team burned a part of north stand at
Podgorica City Stadium Podgorica City Stadium ( cnr, Stadion pod Goricom) is an all-seater multi-purpose stadium in Podgorica, Montenegro. Although its seating capacity changed over the years due to several renovations, as of 2019 it has 11,050 seats. The stadium is the ...
, and the game was interrupted and registered with result 0–3. But, that epilog did not have influence on final placement, as Budućnost finished on the top of the table, with better head-to-head score against OFK Titograd and Zeta.
Next season, FK Sutjeska won their third title. Team from Nikšić dominated from the very beginning of championship and secured the trophy after 30 weeks. Except that, Sutjeska made a new league record with 11 games without conceded goal. They finished season with 22 points more than second-placed Budućnost.
Season 2018–19 started with the poorest performances of Montenegrin clubs in European competitions since independence. Four teams played 10 games in Champions league and Europa League qualifiers, but without any single win. During the season, FK Sutjeska and FK Budućnost have battle for champions' title and 100th
Montenegrin Derby The Montenegrin Derby (Montenegrin language, Montenegrin: ''Crnogorski derbi'') is the main association football, football match in Montenegro, between the teams from the two biggest Montenegrin cities. Rivals are FK Budućnost Podgorica, FK Budu ...
in
Nikšić Nikšić ( cnr, Никшић, italic=no, sr-cyrl, Никшић, italic=no; ), is the second largest city in Montenegro, with a total population of 56,970 located in the west of the country, in the centre of the spacious Nikšić field at the foot ...
was followed by huge incidents after the game, with numerous wounded ultras and policemen. Week before the end, FK Sutjeska won the title - fourth in team's history. At the same time,
Nikola Rakojević Nikola "Peco" Rakojević (; born 15 January 1958) is a Montenegrin football manager and former player. Playing career A one-club man, Rakojević played for Sutjeska Nikšić over the course of 14 seasons between 1975 and 1989, making over 250 ...
became the first manager to win three titles. That was the second time in Prva CFL that one club retained the title - both times it did Sutjeska. During the same season, Mornar finished with 12 points and only one victory from 36 games, which is the all-time negative record in Prva CFL.
Season 2019–20 started with the title race between FK Budućnost and FK Sutjeska, but the championship was interrupted in March 2020, after 23 weeks, due to the
coronavirus 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 identified ...
. At that time, FK Budućnost was a leader, with 11 points more than FK Sutjeska. Two months after that, Football Association of Montenegro decided that Prva CFL will be continued on 30 May and that the season will last until 28 July. But, at the beginning of July, due to COVID-19 case among FK Budućnost players, Football Association of Montenegro decided to stop every official competition. Because of that, placement after 31 week was the final one. Therefore, FK Budućnost became a new champion. The team from Podgorica secured the title before the final interruption, as they have 18 points more than second-placed squad. Except that,
FK Sutjeska FK or fk may refer to: In arts and entertainment: * Flyer Killer, fictional automated robots in the Terminator (franchise), ''Terminator'' film franchise. * Fox Kids, a former American children's television programming block. * Funky Kong, a video ...
, FK Iskra and
FK Zeta FK Zeta is a football club from Golubovci, a suburb of Podgorica, the capital of Montenegro. It plays in the Montenegrin Second League. The club was the inaugural champion of the Montenegrin First League in 2006–07 season. History Period 19 ...
qualified for European competitions, too. Last-placed
OFK Grbalj Omladinski fudbalski klub Grbalj (, ) is a Montenegrin football club based in the small town of Radanovići, municipality of Kotor. They currently compete in the Montenegrin Second League. History The first football club in Radanovići, which ...
was directly relegated to Druga CFL and
FK Kom FK Kom is a Montenegrin football club based in Zlatica, a suburb of Podgorica. Founded in 1958, they currently compete in the Montenegrin Second League. The team is known as a first youth club of famous Montenegrin player Predrag Mijatović. ...
after the playoff games against
FK Jezero FK Jezero is a Montenegrin football club based in the town of Plav. Established at 1934, the club plays in the First League of Montenegro. History After World War II, a very first football club in the town of Plav is founded. Officially, foun ...
.
FK Budućnost defended the trophy on season 2020-21 with 28 points more than second-placed FK Sutjeska. For the first time in teams' history, FK Dečić and FK Podgorica participated in European competition. From the other side, OFK Titograd was directly relegated, while FK Iskra and OFK Petrovac survived via playoffs.
After three years, FK Sutjeska won the new title on season 2021-22. FK Budućnost, which won previous two editions, finished as runner-up. Except them, FK Dečić and FK Iskra qualified for European competitions. Big battle for avoiding the relegation lasted until the final week and at the end, first champion of Montenegro, FK Zeta, directly went to Druga CFL, while FK Podgorica was relegated after the playoffs.


Changes in league structure

*Number of teams: ** 2006–07 to 2006–17: 12 ** Since 2017–18: 10 *Number of teams relegated: ** 2006–07 to 2016–17: 1 automatic plus the 10th and 11th placed team in the First League played a two-leg relegation matches against the second and third placed team of the Second League. ** Since 2017–18: 1 automatic plus the 8th and 9th placed team in the First League plays a relegation matches against the second and third placed team of the Second League.


Rivalries

Main rivalry in the Montenegrin First League is between Budućnost and Sutjeska, often called as
Montenegrin Derby The Montenegrin Derby (Montenegrin language, Montenegrin: ''Crnogorski derbi'') is the main association football, football match in Montenegro, between the teams from the two biggest Montenegrin cities. Rivals are FK Budućnost Podgorica, FK Budu ...
. First edition of derby in official competitions was played at 1932, and until today two clubs played derbies in the highest-tier competitions of SFR Yugoslavia, FR Yugoslavia and, at the new era, in Montenegrin First League. Other traditional rivalry is between FK Budućnost and
FK Lovćen Cetinje FK or fk may refer to: In arts and entertainment: * Flyer Killer, fictional automated robots in the ''Terminator'' film franchise. * Fox Kids, a former American children's television programming block. * Funky Kong, a video game character. Place ...
, because two clubs are playing important games since the 1920s. That rivalry is further fuelled by the fact that Budućnost is the major club from the capital Podgorica, while Lovćen is the main club from the former royal capital, Cetinje. During the first two seasons of Montenegrin First League, there was a strong rivalry between Budućnost and
Zeta Zeta (, ; uppercase Ζ, lowercase ζ; grc, ζῆτα, el, ζήτα, label= Demotic Greek, classical or ''zē̂ta''; ''zíta'') is the sixth letter of the Greek alphabet. In the system of Greek numerals, it has a value of 7. It was derived f ...
. Two clubs from the territory of the Capital Podgorica were main candidates for title at 2006-07 and 2007–08, and their match from the spring 2007 attended more than 10,000 spectators at Podgorica City Stadium. That is the highest attendance in the history of Montenegrin First League. At seasons 2012-13 and 2013–14, there was a big local derby in
Nikšić Nikšić ( cnr, Никшић, italic=no, sr-cyrl, Никшић, italic=no; ), is the second largest city in Montenegro, with a total population of 56,970 located in the west of the country, in the centre of the spacious Nikšić field at the foot ...
, between Sutjeska and Čelik. At that time, their matches were often attended by more than 7,000 supporters. In the new period, there was a strong title races between Rudar and Budućnost or Sutjeska and Rudar.


Champions by season


Champions

Since its inception in the 2006–07 season, six clubs have won the title. As of the culmination of the 2020–21 season, Budućnost have won 5 titles, followed by Sutjeska with 4, while Rudar and Mogren each won 2. Only Budućnost and Sutjeska managed to retain their title in the following season; furthermore, Sutjeska managed to do so twice. ;Key


Performance by club

Budućnost has won most titles, five in total; it is the only club which finished as a champion or runner-up more than 10 times.
FK Lovćen Fudbalski klub Lovćen is a football club based in Cetinje, Montenegro. It was founded on 20 June 1913. It was named after Mount Lovćen near Cetinje. Lovćen is the oldest football club in Montenegro and one of the oldest in Southeastern Europ ...
is the only team which finished as a runner-up but never won any title.


Top scorers

Every season, best scorer of Prva CFL is awarded with Radio Montenegro Trophy.
The biggest number of goals during one single season scored
Ivan Bošković Ivan Bošković (Cyrillic: Иван Бошковић, born 1 January 1982) is a Montenegrin football coach and former football player. Club career Born in Podgorica, then part of SR Montenegro, SFR Yugoslavia, he begin his career in his homet ...
(28) during the season 2009–10. In two seasons, two players were top-scorers.
Žarko Korać Professor Žarko Korać ( sr-Cyrl, Жарко Кораћ), Ph.D. (born 9 March 1947 in Belgrade, Serbia, Yugoslavia) is a Serbian psychologist and politician. He teaches psychology at the University of Belgrade Faculty of Philosophy and i ...
and
Admir Adrović Admir Adrović (; born 8 May 1988) is a Montenegrin football forward who plays for FK Podgorica. Club career He started his career at FK Berane, breaking into the first-team in 2005. In 2007, he joined Sutjeska Nikšić. After a loan spell at ...
are the only players who were top-scorers in two seasons. The majority of top scorers during the single seasons were from Budućnost (4), followed by 3 which played for Sutjeska,
OFK Titograd OFK Titograd (Montenegrin Cyrillic: ОФК Титоград) is a professional football club based in Podgorica, Montenegro. Founded in 1951, they play in the Third League of Montenegro. The team has one league trophy and two Montenegrin Cup tro ...
and
Zeta Zeta (, ; uppercase Ζ, lowercase ζ; grc, ζῆτα, el, ζήτα, label= Demotic Greek, classical or ''zē̂ta''; ''zíta'') is the sixth letter of the Greek alphabet. In the system of Greek numerals, it has a value of 7. It was derived f ...
.


Players and managers


Players


Appearances

Ivan Novović, with 431 appearances, is the most capped player in the history of the league. ''As of the end of 2021–22 season''.
''First = First season in Prva CFL; Last = Last season in Prva CFL''
Sources:


Goalscorers

Since the foundation of Prva CFL, most goals in competition scored
Admir Adrović Admir Adrović (; born 8 May 1988) is a Montenegrin football forward who plays for FK Podgorica. Club career He started his career at FK Berane, breaking into the first-team in 2005. In 2007, he joined Sutjeska Nikšić. After a loan spell at ...
. Playing for six teams, he scored overall 110 goals. Below is a list of the 5 best all-time goalscorers. ''As of the end of 2021–22 season''.
''Clubs = Only Prva CFL teams for which every player scored at least one goal; First = Season of player's first goal in Prva CFL; Last = Season of player's last goal in Prva CFL''
Sources:


Goalkeepers

From the first edition of Prva CFL, many goalkeepers made runs without conceded goals during the three or more games. Below is the list of three biggest runs from 2006 to 2007 edition until now, classified by minutes without conceded goal.


Managers

During the history, nine managers have won the title of Montenegrin First League champions. Among them,
Nikola Rakojević Nikola "Peco" Rakojević (; born 15 January 1958) is a Montenegrin football manager and former player. Playing career A one-club man, Rakojević played for Sutjeska Nikšić over the course of 14 seasons between 1975 and 1989, making over 250 ...
won three titles. Dragan Radojičić and Dejan Vukićević did it twice. Rakojević and Radojičić are the managers which won more than one title with the same team (both with FK Sutjeska).


Awards

Every year,
Football Association of Montenegro The Football Association of Montenegro ( Montenegrin: ''Fudbalski savez Crne Gore'', ''FSCG'' / Фудбалски савез Црне Горе, ФСЦГ) is the governing body of football in Montenegro. It is based in the capital, Podgorica. Th ...
is organising awards ceremony for best player and best manager in Montenegrin First League. Best player and manager are chosen by coaches and captains of First League members. Player of the Year * 2008 Nikola Vujović ( Mogren) * 2009
Ivan Vuković Ivan Vuković (Montenegrin Cyrillic: Иван Вуковић, born 9 February 1987) is a retired Montenegrin football forward who was last played for FK Iskra Danilovgrad. He is best known for his abilities as a striker but can also play as a su ...
( Budućnost) * 2010
Ivan Vuković Ivan Vuković (Montenegrin Cyrillic: Иван Вуковић, born 9 February 1987) is a retired Montenegrin football forward who was last played for FK Iskra Danilovgrad. He is best known for his abilities as a striker but can also play as a su ...
( Budućnost) * 2011
Dragan Bošković Dragan Bošković is a Montenegrin professional footballer who plays as a striker. Club career On 10 January 2020 Dragan signed for Chonburi F.C. International career In 2012, Bošković debuted for Montenegro ) , image_map ...
( Budućnost) * 2012
Blažo Igumanović Blažo Igumanović (born 16 January 1986) is a Montenegrin former professional footballer who played as a left-back. He is currently the assistant manager of Khor Fakkan. Club career In July 2013, Igumanović moved to Kazakhstan Premier League s ...
( Rudar) * 2013 Darko Zorić ( Čelik) * 2014
Vladimir Jovović Vladimir Jovović ( sr-cyr, Владимир Јововић, ; born 26 October 1994) is a Montenegrin professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder for Czech team Jablonec. Club career Sutjeska Jovović made his professional deb ...
( Sutjeska) * 2015 Marko Šćepanović (
Titograd Podgorica (Cyrillic script, Cyrillic: Подгорица, ; Literal translation, lit. 'under the hill') is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Montenegro, largest city of Montenegro. The city was formerly known as Titograd ...
) * 2016
Radomir Đalović Radomir Đalović ( sr-Cyrl, Радомир Ђаловић; born 29 October 1982) is a Montenegrin professional football coach and a former player. He is an assistant coach with Croatian club Rijeka. In international competition, he represented ...
( Budućnost) * 2017 Igor Ivanović ( Sutjeska) * 2018 Stefan Lončar ( Sutjeska) * 2019
Marko Ćetković Marko Ćetković ( Cyrillic; Марко Ћeткoвић; born 10 July 1986) is a Montenegrin professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Montenegrin club FK Mornar. He also played for the Montenegrin national team. Club career Youth ...
( Sutjeska) Manager of the Year * 2008 Dejan Vukićević ( Mogren) * 2009 Dejan Vukićević ( Mogren) * 2010 Nebojša Vignjević ( Rudar) * 2011 Dragan Radojičić ( Rudar) * 2012 Slavoljub Bubanja ( Čelik) * 2013 Dragan Radojičić ( Sutjeska) * 2014 Dragan Radojičić ( Budućnost) * 2015 Mirko Marić ( Rudar) * 2016
Nikola Rakojević Nikola "Peco" Rakojević (; born 15 January 1958) is a Montenegrin football manager and former player. Playing career A one-club man, Rakojević played for Sutjeska Nikšić over the course of 14 seasons between 1975 and 1989, making over 250 ...
(
Titograd Podgorica (Cyrillic script, Cyrillic: Подгорица, ; Literal translation, lit. 'under the hill') is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Montenegro, largest city of Montenegro. The city was formerly known as Titograd ...
) * 2017 Miodrag Vukotić ( Budućnost) * 2018
Nikola Rakojević Nikola "Peco" Rakojević (; born 15 January 1958) is a Montenegrin football manager and former player. Playing career A one-club man, Rakojević played for Sutjeska Nikšić over the course of 14 seasons between 1975 and 1989, making over 250 ...
( Sutjeska) * 2019
Nikola Rakojević Nikola "Peco" Rakojević (; born 15 January 1958) is a Montenegrin football manager and former player. Playing career A one-club man, Rakojević played for Sutjeska Nikšić over the course of 14 seasons between 1975 and 1989, making over 250 ...
( Sutjeska)


All time tables


Montenegrin clubs in Yugoslav First League (1946–2006)

In period from 1946 to 2006, Montenegrin clubs played in the First league of
SFR Yugoslavia The Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, commonly referred to as SFR Yugoslavia or simply as Yugoslavia, was a country in Central and Southeast Europe. It emerged in 1945, following World War II, and lasted until 1992, with the breakup of Yug ...
(1946–1992),
FR Yugoslavia Serbia and Montenegro ( sr, Cрбија и Црна Гора, translit=Srbija i Crna Gora) was a country in Southeast Europe located in the Balkans that existed from 1992 to 2006, following the breakup A relationship breakup, breakup, or ...
(1992–2001) and
Serbia and Montenegro Serbia and Montenegro ( sr, Cрбија и Црна Гора, translit=Srbija i Crna Gora) was a country in Southeast Europe located in the Balkans that existed from 1992 to 2006, following the breakup of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yu ...
(2001–2006). Below is the list of all matches and seasons by every single club in the First league from 1946 until 2006.


Prva CFL (2006–present)

Since its inauguration in 2006–07 season, 20 clubs have played in Montenegrin First League. Clubs which played all the seasons are Budućnost, Sutjeska, Rudar, Zeta and Petrovac. Ssn = Number of seasons; First = First season; Last = Last season; Pld = Matches played; W = Matches won; D = Matches drawn; L = Matches lost; GF = Goals for; GA = Goals against; GD = Goal difference; Pts = Points


Participants by season


Relegation and promotion

At the end of every season, the last placed team are relegated to the
Montenegrin Second League The Montenegrin Second League ( Montenegrin: ''Druga crnogorska fudbalska liga'' – ''Druga CFL'' – ''2. CFL'') is the second-top football league in Montenegro. It is headed by the Football Association of Montenegro. Second Montenegrin Leagu ...
, while the winner of Second League is promoted to highest-rank. Additionally, another two teams from First and Second League every season are participating in the playoffs.


Directly promoted and relegated teams

Below is the list of directly promoted and relegated teams by every single season. Relegated were last-placed teams in First League, while directly promoted teams were the champions of
Montenegrin Second League The Montenegrin Second League ( Montenegrin: ''Druga crnogorska fudbalska liga'' – ''Druga CFL'' – ''2. CFL'') is the second-top football league in Montenegro. It is headed by the Football Association of Montenegro. Second Montenegrin Leagu ...
.


Playoffs

Montenegrin First League playoffs is a two legs tournament between the teams from Montenegrin First League which above direct relegation, and the teams from
Montenegrin Second League The Montenegrin Second League ( Montenegrin: ''Druga crnogorska fudbalska liga'' – ''Druga CFL'' – ''2. CFL'') is the second-top football league in Montenegro. It is headed by the Football Association of Montenegro. Second Montenegrin Leagu ...
which below the direct promotion. Below is the list of playoffs participants by every single season.


Records and statistics


Champions

*Highest number of points when becoming a champions: ''85'' by Budućnost, season
2020–21 The dash is a punctuation mark consisting of a long horizontal line. It is similar in appearance to the hyphen but is longer and sometimes higher from the baseline. The most common versions are the endash , generally longer than the hyphen b ...
*Lowest number of points when becoming a champions: ''57'' by Budućnost, season 2016–17 *Highest number of games left when becoming a champions: ''7'' by Budućnost, season
2020–21 The dash is a punctuation mark consisting of a long horizontal line. It is similar in appearance to the hyphen but is longer and sometimes higher from the baseline. The most common versions are the endash , generally longer than the hyphen b ...
(Secured title: ''11 April 2021''). *Lowest number of seasons before becoming champions after being promoted: ''5'' by
OFK Titograd OFK Titograd (Montenegrin Cyrillic: ОФК Титоград) is a professional football club based in Podgorica, Montenegro. Founded in 1951, they play in the Third League of Montenegro. The team has one league trophy and two Montenegrin Cup tro ...
(Promotion: 2010–11; Champions: 2015–16) *Lowest number of seasons before getting relegated for the champions:: ''5'' by Mogren (Champions: 2010–11; Relegation: 2014–15);
OFK Titograd OFK Titograd (Montenegrin Cyrillic: ОФК Титоград) is a professional football club based in Podgorica, Montenegro. Founded in 1951, they play in the Third League of Montenegro. The team has one league trophy and two Montenegrin Cup tro ...
(Champions: 2015–16; Relegation:
2020–21 The dash is a punctuation mark consisting of a long horizontal line. It is similar in appearance to the hyphen but is longer and sometimes higher from the baseline. The most common versions are the endash , generally longer than the hyphen b ...
)


Records by seasons

*Most points: ''85'', Budućnost, season
2020–21 The dash is a punctuation mark consisting of a long horizontal line. It is similar in appearance to the hyphen but is longer and sometimes higher from the baseline. The most common versions are the endash , generally longer than the hyphen b ...
*Least points: ''12'', Mornar, season 2018–19 *Highest number of wins: ''27'', Budućnost, season
2020–21 The dash is a punctuation mark consisting of a long horizontal line. It is similar in appearance to the hyphen but is longer and sometimes higher from the baseline. The most common versions are the endash , generally longer than the hyphen b ...
*Lowest number of wins: ''1'', Mornar, season 2018–19 *Highest number of draws: ''17'', Rudar, season 2018–19 *Lowest number of draws: ''3'',
Kom Kom or KOM may refer to: Ethnic groups * Kom people (Afghanistan), a Nuristani tribe in Afghanistan and Pakistan * Kom people (Cameroon), an ethnic group of northwest Cameroon * Kom people (India) a subgroup of the Kuki in north-eastern India * ...
, season 2009–10 *Highest number of losses: ''26'',
Berane Berane ( cyrl, Беране) is one of the largest towns of northeastern Montenegro and a former administrative centre of the Ivangrad District. The town is located on the Lim river. From 1949 to 1992, it was named Ivangrad ( cyrl, Иванг ...
, season 2014–15 *Lowest number of losses: ''1'', Budućnost, season 2006–07 *Highest number of scored goals: ''82'', Budućnost, season 2011–12 *Lowest number of scored goals: ''16'',
Kom Kom or KOM may refer to: Ethnic groups * Kom people (Afghanistan), a Nuristani tribe in Afghanistan and Pakistan * Kom people (Cameroon), an ethnic group of northwest Cameroon * Kom people (India) a subgroup of the Kuki in north-eastern India * ...
, season 2009–10;
OFK Titograd OFK Titograd (Montenegrin Cyrillic: ОФК Титоград) is a professional football club based in Podgorica, Montenegro. Founded in 1951, they play in the Third League of Montenegro. The team has one league trophy and two Montenegrin Cup tro ...
, season 2007–08 *Highest number of conceded goals: ''78'',
Berane Berane ( cyrl, Беране) is one of the largest towns of northeastern Montenegro and a former administrative centre of the Ivangrad District. The town is located on the Lim river. From 1949 to 1992, it was named Ivangrad ( cyrl, Иванг ...
, season 2014–15 *Lowest number of conceded goals: ''12'', Budućnost, season 2006–07 *Player with highest number of scored goals by single season: ''28'',
Ivan Bošković Ivan Bošković (Cyrillic: Иван Бошковић, born 1 January 1982) is a Montenegrin football coach and former football player. Club career Born in Podgorica, then part of SR Montenegro, SFR Yugoslavia, he begin his career in his homet ...
,
Grbalj Grbalj ( sr-Cyrl, Грбаљ), denotes a historic, rural region, as well as a tribe of the Montenegrin littoral, and a parish located between town of Budva and the Luštica peninsula, Bay of Kotor in coastal Montenegro. Most of the region now li ...
, season 2009–10


Runs

*Longest unbeaten run: ''23 matches'', Budućnost, 22 September 2020 - 20 March 2021, season
2020–21 The dash is a punctuation mark consisting of a long horizontal line. It is similar in appearance to the hyphen but is longer and sometimes higher from the baseline. The most common versions are the endash , generally longer than the hyphen b ...
*Longest run without win: ''30 matches'',
OFK Titograd OFK Titograd (Montenegrin Cyrillic: ОФК Титоград) is a professional football club based in Podgorica, Montenegro. Founded in 1951, they play in the Third League of Montenegro. The team has one league trophy and two Montenegrin Cup tro ...
, 19 May 2007 - 3 May 2008, seasons 2006–07, 2007–08 *Longest winning streak: ''10 matches'', Budućnost, 17 March 2012 - 9 May 2012, season 2011–12; Budućnost, 31 October 2020 - 17 December 2020, season
2020–21 The dash is a punctuation mark consisting of a long horizontal line. It is similar in appearance to the hyphen but is longer and sometimes higher from the baseline. The most common versions are the endash , generally longer than the hyphen b ...
*Longest losing streak: ''12 matches'', Mornar, 17 March 2019 - 25 May 2019, season 2018–19 *Longest run without conceded goal: ''11 matches'', Sutjeska, 16 September 2017 - 6 December 2017, season 2017–18 *Longest run without scored goal: ''11 matches'',
Kom Kom or KOM may refer to: Ethnic groups * Kom people (Afghanistan), a Nuristani tribe in Afghanistan and Pakistan * Kom people (Cameroon), an ethnic group of northwest Cameroon * Kom people (India) a subgroup of the Kuki in north-eastern India * ...
, 30 September 2009 - 7 March 2010, season 2009–10 *Longest run of goalless matches (0-0): ''3 matches'',
Grbalj Grbalj ( sr-Cyrl, Грбаљ), denotes a historic, rural region, as well as a tribe of the Montenegrin littoral, and a parish located between town of Budva and the Luštica peninsula, Bay of Kotor in coastal Montenegro. Most of the region now li ...
, 15 September 2012 - 6 October 2012, season 2012–13;
Grbalj Grbalj ( sr-Cyrl, Грбаљ), denotes a historic, rural region, as well as a tribe of the Montenegrin littoral, and a parish located between town of Budva and the Luštica peninsula, Bay of Kotor in coastal Montenegro. Most of the region now li ...
, 13 October 2012 - 10 November 2012, season 2012–13


Single game

*Biggest league victory/defeat: ''11–0'',
Grbalj Grbalj ( sr-Cyrl, Грбаљ), denotes a historic, rural region, as well as a tribe of the Montenegrin littoral, and a parish located between town of Budva and the Luštica peninsula, Bay of Kotor in coastal Montenegro. Most of the region now li ...
vs.
Kom Kom or KOM may refer to: Ethnic groups * Kom people (Afghanistan), a Nuristani tribe in Afghanistan and Pakistan * Kom people (Cameroon), an ethnic group of northwest Cameroon * Kom people (India) a subgroup of the Kuki in north-eastern India * ...
, ''29 May 2010'' (season 2009–10) *Biggest league victory away: ''0–7'', Mornar vs.
Grbalj Grbalj ( sr-Cyrl, Грбаљ), denotes a historic, rural region, as well as a tribe of the Montenegrin littoral, and a parish located between town of Budva and the Luštica peninsula, Bay of Kotor in coastal Montenegro. Most of the region now li ...
, ''23 May 2015'' (season 2014–15) *Most goals on a single game: ''11'',
Grbalj Grbalj ( sr-Cyrl, Грбаљ), denotes a historic, rural region, as well as a tribe of the Montenegrin littoral, and a parish located between town of Budva and the Luštica peninsula, Bay of Kotor in coastal Montenegro. Most of the region now li ...
vs.
Kom Kom or KOM may refer to: Ethnic groups * Kom people (Afghanistan), a Nuristani tribe in Afghanistan and Pakistan * Kom people (Cameroon), an ethnic group of northwest Cameroon * Kom people (India) a subgroup of the Kuki in north-eastern India * ...
11–0, ''29 May 2010'' (season 2009–10);
Zeta Zeta (, ; uppercase Ζ, lowercase ζ; grc, ζῆτα, el, ζήτα, label= Demotic Greek, classical or ''zē̂ta''; ''zíta'') is the sixth letter of the Greek alphabet. In the system of Greek numerals, it has a value of 7. It was derived f ...
vs. Bokelj 8–3, ''17 May 2008'' (season 2007–08) *Player with most goals on a single game: ''4'',
Ivan Bošković Ivan Bošković (Cyrillic: Иван Бошковић, born 1 January 1982) is a Montenegrin football coach and former football player. Club career Born in Podgorica, then part of SR Montenegro, SFR Yugoslavia, he begin his career in his homet ...
(
Grbalj Grbalj ( sr-Cyrl, Грбаљ), denotes a historic, rural region, as well as a tribe of the Montenegrin littoral, and a parish located between town of Budva and the Luštica peninsula, Bay of Kotor in coastal Montenegro. Most of the region now li ...
), Grbalj vs.
Kom Kom or KOM may refer to: Ethnic groups * Kom people (Afghanistan), a Nuristani tribe in Afghanistan and Pakistan * Kom people (Cameroon), an ethnic group of northwest Cameroon * Kom people (India) a subgroup of the Kuki in north-eastern India * ...
11–0, ''29 May 2010'' (season 2009–10); Miljan Vlaisavljević (
Zeta Zeta (, ; uppercase Ζ, lowercase ζ; grc, ζῆτα, el, ζήτα, label= Demotic Greek, classical or ''zē̂ta''; ''zíta'') is the sixth letter of the Greek alphabet. In the system of Greek numerals, it has a value of 7. It was derived f ...
), Zeta vs. Mogren 5–0, ''4 April 2015'' (season 2014–15); Zoran Petrović (
OFK Titograd OFK Titograd (Montenegrin Cyrillic: ОФК Титоград) is a professional football club based in Podgorica, Montenegro. Founded in 1951, they play in the Third League of Montenegro. The team has one league trophy and two Montenegrin Cup tro ...
),
OFK Titograd OFK Titograd (Montenegrin Cyrillic: ОФК Титоград) is a professional football club based in Podgorica, Montenegro. Founded in 1951, they play in the Third League of Montenegro. The team has one league trophy and two Montenegrin Cup tro ...
vs.
Lovćen Lovćen ( cyrl, Ловћен, ) is a mountain and national park in southwestern Montenegro. It is the inspiration behind the names ''Montenegro'' and ''Crna Gora'', both of which mean "Black Mountain" and refer to the appearance of Mount Lov ...
7–2, ''27 May 2017'' (season 2016–17); Tyrone Conrad ( Sutjeska), Sutjeska vs. Jedinstvo 5–0, ''1 October 2022'' (season
2022–23 The dash is a punctuation mark consisting of a long horizontal line. It is similar in appearance to the hyphen but is longer and sometimes higher from the baseline. The most common versions are the endash , generally longer than the hyphen b ...
) *Fastest goal: Aleksa Marušić ( Sutjeska), ''00:16'';
Titograd Podgorica (Cyrillic script, Cyrillic: Подгорица, ; Literal translation, lit. 'under the hill') is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Montenegro, largest city of Montenegro. The city was formerly known as Titograd ...
vs. Sutjeska 0–4, ''03.04.2021'' (season
2020–21 The dash is a punctuation mark consisting of a long horizontal line. It is similar in appearance to the hyphen but is longer and sometimes higher from the baseline. The most common versions are the endash , generally longer than the hyphen b ...
) *Oldest top scorer: Ivan Jablan (
Lovćen Lovćen ( cyrl, Ловћен, ) is a mountain and national park in southwestern Montenegro. It is the inspiration behind the names ''Montenegro'' and ''Crna Gora'', both of which mean "Black Mountain" and refer to the appearance of Mount Lov ...
), ''39 yrs 143 days'';
Grbalj Grbalj ( sr-Cyrl, Грбаљ), denotes a historic, rural region, as well as a tribe of the Montenegrin littoral, and a parish located between town of Budva and the Luštica peninsula, Bay of Kotor in coastal Montenegro. Most of the region now li ...
vs. Lovćen 3–2, ''08.12.2018'' (season 2018–19)


Attendance

*Highest average attendance by season: 1,178 ''(overall: 229,800 / 195 matches)'', season 2006–07 *Highest single game attendance: 10,000, Budućnost vs.
Zeta Zeta (, ; uppercase Ζ, lowercase ζ; grc, ζῆτα, el, ζήτα, label= Demotic Greek, classical or ''zē̂ta''; ''zíta'') is the sixth letter of the Greek alphabet. In the system of Greek numerals, it has a value of 7. It was derived f ...
1:0, ''08.04.2007'',
Podgorica Podgorica (Cyrillic script, Cyrillic: Подгорица, ; Literal translation, lit. 'under the hill') is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Montenegro, largest city of Montenegro. The city was formerly known as Titograd ...
(season 2006–07) *Lowest single game attendance: 50,
OFK Titograd OFK Titograd (Montenegrin Cyrillic: ОФК Титоград) is a professional football club based in Podgorica, Montenegro. Founded in 1951, they play in the Third League of Montenegro. The team has one league trophy and two Montenegrin Cup tro ...
vs.
Grbalj Grbalj ( sr-Cyrl, Грбаљ), denotes a historic, rural region, as well as a tribe of the Montenegrin littoral, and a parish located between town of Budva and the Luštica peninsula, Bay of Kotor in coastal Montenegro. Most of the region now li ...
1:2, ''08.12.2007'',
Podgorica Podgorica (Cyrillic script, Cyrillic: Подгорица, ; Literal translation, lit. 'under the hill') is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Montenegro, largest city of Montenegro. The city was formerly known as Titograd ...
(season 2007–08) *Highest average home attendance: 4,250 (16 home games), Budućnost during 2007–08 season *Lowest average home attendance: 206 (18 home games), Mornar during 2018–19 season


Attendance by season

''M = Number of matches (only matches with spectators counted); H = Highest attendance on one match; CH = Club with highest average attendance; CL = Club with lowest average attendance''


Current season (2022–23)

The 2022–23 Montenegrin First League is the 17th season of top-tier football in Montenegro.
FK Sutjeska FK or fk may refer to: In arts and entertainment: * Flyer Killer, fictional automated robots in the Terminator (franchise), ''Terminator'' film franchise. * Fox Kids, a former American children's television programming block. * Funky Kong, a video ...
are the defending champions. The season will begin at 23 July 2022 and will end in May 2023. At the end of season, last-placed team will directly be relegated, and 9th and 8th club from the table will participate in playoffs.
The following 10 clubs compete in First League 2022–23. ''Seasons in top division - including the season 2022-23.''


Montenegrin clubs in European football competitions


History

Montenegrin football clubs have played in three
UEFA Union of European Football Associations (UEFA ; french: Union des associations européennes de football; german: Union der europäischen Fußballverbände) is one of six continental bodies of governance in association football. It governs f ...
competitions - the
UEFA Champions League The UEFA Champions League (abbreviated as UCL, or sometimes, UEFA CL) is an annual club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) and contested by top-division European clubs, deciding the competit ...
,
UEFA Europe League The UEFA Europa League (abbreviated as UEL, or sometimes, UEFA EL), formerly the UEFA Cup, is an annual football club competition organised since 1971 by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) for eligible European football clubs. It ...
(''formerly UEFA Cup'') and
Intertoto Cup The UEFA Intertoto Cup (from la, Inter, 'between' + german: toto, 'betting pool'),Most precisely, from (football pool); cf. often abbreviated and more known in the German-speaking world as UI Cup and originally called the International Foot ...
.
Champions of Montenegro have never played in the group-phase of UEFA Champions League, and the most successful in the qualifiers was FK Zeta Golubovci in the 2007–08 season and
FK Sutjeska Nikšić Fudbalski klub Sutjeska (Serbian Cyrillic: Фудбалски клуб Сутјеска) is football club from Nikšić, Montenegro, currently competing in the Montenegrin First League. The club was established in 1920, and has been known by its ...
in 2019–20.
FK Zeta had the best performances in the UEFA Europe League: reaching the playoffs, and
OFK Titograd OFK Titograd (Montenegrin Cyrillic: ОФК Титоград) is a professional football club based in Podgorica, Montenegro. Founded in 1951, they play in the Third League of Montenegro. The team has one league trophy and two Montenegrin Cup tro ...
, FK Budućnost and FK Sutjeska which played in Round 3. The most successful in the Intertoto Cup was Budućnost, which was among the winners during the 1981 season.
Below is a table with Montenegrin clubs' scores in UEFA competitions. ''As of the end of UEFA competitions 2020–21 season.'' Except the official UEFA competitions, teams from Montenegro represented SFR Yugoslavia in the
Balkans Cup The Balkans Cup was an international football competition for clubs from Albania, Bulgaria, Greece, Romania, Turkey, and Yugoslavia. It was introduced in 1961 and was very popular in the 1960s (the 1967 final attracted 42,000 spectators), being t ...
, former regional football competition (1960-1994). Teams from Montenegro which played in Balkans Cup were
FK Budućnost Podgorica Fudbalski Klub Budućnost Podgorica (Cyrillic: Будућност Подгорица, , lit. "Future") is a Montenegrin football club from Podgorica, Montenegro. It is competing in the Montenegrin First League. Its colours are blue and white. ...
and
FK Sutjeska Nikšić Fudbalski klub Sutjeska (Serbian Cyrillic: Фудбалски клуб Сутјеска) is football club from Nikšić, Montenegro, currently competing in the Montenegrin First League. The club was established in 1920, and has been known by its ...
. Biggest success made FK Budućnost, who played in the final 1991, after eliminated
Galatasaray SK Galatasaray Spor Kulübü (, ''Galatasaray Sports Club'') is a Turkish sports club based on the European side of the city of Istanbul in Turkey. Most notable for its association football department, the club also consists of various other de ...
.


UEFA rankings

UEFA Country Ranking for league participation in 2019–20 European football season (Previous year rank in italics) * 47 (''45'')
Erovnuli Liga The Erovnuli Liga ( ka, ეროვნული ლიგა - lit. National League) is the top division of professional football in Georgia. Since 1990, it has been organized by the Professional Football League of Georgia and Georgian Football F ...
* 48 (''50'')
Welsh Premier League The Cymru Premier, known as the JD Cymru Premier for sponsorship reasons, is the national football league of Wales. It has both professional and semi-professional status clubs and is at the top of the Welsh football league system. Prior to 20 ...
* 49 (''44'') Montenegrin First League * 50 (''51'')
Faroe Islands Premier League The Faroe Islands Premier League (also known as ''Betri deildin menn'' for sponsorship reasons) is the top level of football in the Faroe Islands. It was founded in 1942 as Meistaradeildin, and it is played in current format since 2005, when Prem ...
* 51 (''52'')
Gibraltar Premier Division The Gibraltar Premier Division was a football league established by the Gibraltar Football Association (GFA) in 1905, and the top tier of football in Gibraltar. It originally contained eight member clubs, but it has grown over the years. In 19 ...


Stadiums

Prva CFL has been played in 20 stadiums since its first edition. The biggest stadium, used by FK Budućnost, is
Podgorica City Stadium Podgorica City Stadium ( cnr, Stadion pod Goricom) is an all-seater multi-purpose stadium in Podgorica, Montenegro. Although its seating capacity changed over the years due to several renovations, as of 2019 it has 11,050 seats. The stadium is the ...
. It is the only stadium whose capacity is more than 10,000 seats. There are four other stadiums with a capacity of more than 5,000 seats, while five stadiums meet UEFA criteria - Podgorica City Stadium, Stadium in Nikšić, Sveti Petar Cetinjski,
DG Arena DG Arena (previously: ''Stari Ribnjak Stadium'') is a football stadium in Donja Gorica suburb, Podgorica, Montenegro. It is situated on the Morača riverbank. It is used for football matches and is the home ground of FK Podgorica and OFK Mlad ...
and Stadium in Petrovac. Below is the list of stadiums on which members of Prva CFL have played from season 2006-07 until now.


Logo and sponsorships


Official logo and equipment

Since establishment, the Montenegrin First League has had two official logos.
The first logo was presented in 2006. Rebranding of the league came in 2018, together with the new logos of the
Montenegrin Cup The Montenegrin Cup (Montenegrin language, Montenegrin and Serbian language, Serbian: ''Kup Crne Gore'') is the national football cup played in Montenegro, established in 2006. The winner of the cup is awarded a spot in the second qualifying rou ...
,
Montenegrin Second League The Montenegrin Second League ( Montenegrin: ''Druga crnogorska fudbalska liga'' – ''Druga CFL'' – ''2. CFL'') is the second-top football league in Montenegro. It is headed by the Football Association of Montenegro. Second Montenegrin Leagu ...
and youth leagues.
The official ball of the competition is produced under the ''Derbystar'' brand, while the official equipment of referees is a product of
Legea Legea (stylised as LEGEA) is an Italian sportswear company, founded in 1993 by brothers Giovanni, Emilia and Luigi Acanfora. It is one of the most popular brands among Italian amateur football teams, then expanding to professional clubs. Legea is ...
.


Sponsorships


Name of the competition

Since foundation, the main sponsor of Montenegrin First League has been Montenegrin 'Telekom' which operates under the T-Com / T-Mobile brand. Since July 2022, the main sponsor of the First Montenegrin Football League is Meridianbet company. * 2006–2011: T-Com 1. CFL * 2011–2022: Telekom 1. CFL * 2022–present: '
Meridianbet
1. CFL


Broadcasting rights

Since foundation of the competition, official broadcaster of First Montenegrin League matches is national television of Montenegro -
RTCG Radio and Television of Montenegro ( cnr, Радио и Телевизија Црне Горе, Radio i Televizija Crne Gore; abbr. /RTCG) is the public service broadcaster of Montenegro. A state-owned company with its headquarters in Podgorica, i ...
. Matches of 1. CFL are directly broadcasting at RTCG channel 2, with most important matches on satellite programming.
From season 2017–18, broadcaster of matches is regional group
Arena Sport Arena Sport is a regional pay television sports network. It consists of ten television channels and is coverage area includes Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia and Slovenia. Localised feeds Serbia Are ...
. Every weekend, one game is broadcast live on Arena Sport channel.
Since season 2018–19, some games of Prva CFL are broadcast by cable-network channel ''MNE Sport TV''.


See also

*
Montenegrin First League playoffs Montenegrin First League playoffs is a two legs tournament between the teams from Montenegrin First League which above direct relegation, and the teams from Montenegrin Second League which below the direct promotion. Format At the end of each seaso ...
*
Montenegrin Cup The Montenegrin Cup (Montenegrin language, Montenegrin and Serbian language, Serbian: ''Kup Crne Gore'') is the national football cup played in Montenegro, established in 2006. The winner of the cup is awarded a spot in the second qualifying rou ...
*
Montenegrin clubs in European football competitions After the end of every competitive season, football clubs from Montenegro play in European competitions. Teams from Montenegro have been playing on the international scene since they represented Yugoslav First League, SFR Yugoslavia during the 1970 ...
*
Montenegrin Derby The Montenegrin Derby (Montenegrin language, Montenegrin: ''Crnogorski derbi'') is the main association football, football match in Montenegro, between the teams from the two biggest Montenegrin cities. Rivals are FK Budućnost Podgorica, FK Budu ...
*
Montenegrin Second League The Montenegrin Second League ( Montenegrin: ''Druga crnogorska fudbalska liga'' – ''Druga CFL'' – ''2. CFL'') is the second-top football league in Montenegro. It is headed by the Football Association of Montenegro. Second Montenegrin Leagu ...
*
Football in Montenegro Montenegro was independent from the late middle ages until 1918, when it declared its union with Serbia and, subsequently, became part of various incarnations of Yugoslavia and the state union of Serbia and Montenegro. During this time, football i ...
*
Montenegrin Women's League The Montenegrin Women's Football league or 1. ŽFL is the top level women's football league of Montenegro. It is organized by the Football Association of Montenegro. The winning team of the league is eligible for a spot in the UEFA Women's Ch ...
*
Montenegrin clubs in Yugoslav football competitions (1946-2006) Montenegrin may refer to: * Adjective for anything related to Montenegro * Demonym referring to the people of Montenegro, see Demographics of Montenegro * Ethnonym, referring to Montenegrins, the ethnic group associated with Montenegro * Monteneg ...
* Montenegrin Football Championship (1922-1940) *
Montenegrin Republic League Montenegrin Republic League (Montenegrin: ''Crnogorska republička liga'' / ''Црногорска републичка лига'') was the third tier football league of SFR Yugoslavia. The top clubs were promoted to Yugoslav Second League. Ove ...
* Montenegrin Futsal First League


References


External links


League by Weltfussballarchiv

Football Association of Montenegro - Official SiteLeague
on soccerway.com
on CGF
{{UEFA leagues
Montenegro ) , image_map = Europe-Montenegro.svg , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Podgorica , coordinates = , largest_city = capital , official_languages = M ...
1 Recurring sporting events established in 2004 2004 establishments in Montenegro