The Thai League 1 ( th, ไทยลีก 1), often referred to as T1, is the top level of the

Thai football league system Cup eligibility Being members of a league at a particular level also affects the eligibility for Cup competitions. *Thai FA Cup: Levels 1 to 5 *Thai League Cup: Levels 1 to 3 Current system Former system Before 1996 season Before the top l ...

. Contested by 16 clubs, it operates on a system of

promotion and relegation 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 ...

with

Thai League 2 Thai League 2 ( th, ไทยลีก 2), commonly known as the T2, formally called Thai Division 1 League, is the second-tier professional league in the Thai football league system. The top 3 are promoted to Thai League 1 at the end of the ...

. Seasons run from August to May, with each team playing 30 games (playing all 15 other teams both home and away). It is sponsored by

Toyota Motor Thailand Toyota Motor Thailand Co., Ltd. (TMT) is the wholly owned subsidiary of Toyota Motor Corporation in Thailand, established in 1962. In 1979, Toyota began making pressed body parts in Thailand. In 1989, TMT began manufacturing engines locally. TMT ...

and therefore officially known as the Hilux Revo Thai League. In the Thai League, most of the games are played during Saturdays and Sundays, with a few games played on Wednesdays and Fridays.

History

Origins

Thailand has had league-football competition since 1916. Before the inception of the Thai League, the highest level of club football was the semi-professional league

Kor Royal Cup Kor Royal Cup ( th, ถ้วยพระราชทาน ก. ; ถ้วย ก.), known as the Yai Cup ( th, ถ้วยใหญ่) until 1963, was the highest level of club football competition which competed in the tournament in Thailand ...

( th, ถ้วย ก.) which was contested in a tournament format from 1916 to 1995.

Foundation

Thai League was introduced in 1996 by the

Football Association of Thailand The Football Association of Thailand under Patronage of His Majesty the King ( th, สมาคมกีฬาฟุตบอลแห่งประเทศไทย ในพระบรมราชูปถัมภ์), or FA Thailand for s ...

(FAT) under the name Thailand Soccer League. Eighteen clubs who earlier competed for the Kor Royal Cup were registered to play in the first edition of a double round-robin league system.

Bangkok Bank Bangkok Bank Public Company Limited ( th, ธนาคารกรุงเทพ, RTGS: Thanakhan Krung Thep) is one of the largest commercial banks in Thailand. Its branch network includes over 1,165 branches, As of September 2018 within Thail ...

was crowned as the first champion of the

1996–97 Thailand Soccer League Between 1916 and 1995, the Kor Royal Cup was the top level of club football competition. In 1996 the Thai Premier League (official name: Johnnie Walker Thailand Soccer League) was established by the Football Association of Thailand, sponsored by wh ...

. The Thai League originally had 10 to 12 clubs each season until 2007, when it was expanded to 16 clubs. At the end of each season, the three bottom placed clubs are relegated to the

Thai Division 1 League Thai League 2 ( th, ไทยลีก 2), commonly known as the T2, formally called Thai Division 1 League, is the second-tier professional league in the Thai football league system. The top 3 are promoted to Thai League 1 at the end of the s ...

Leagues integration (2007)

Most of Thai League clubs in that time were the organisation of government authorities club that based in

Greater Bangkok The Bangkok Metropolitan Region (BMR) ( th, กรุงเทพมหานครและปริมณฑล; ; ), may refer to a government-defined "political definition" of the urban region surrounding the metropolis of Bangkok, or the built ...

and Metropolitan. Meanwhile, the other local clubs had competed in the semi-pro league called the

Provincial League Provincial League (formerly known as Professional League) also known as Pro League was the old regional Football league in Thailand in 1999–2008. It was founded in 1999 under the name "Provincial League" organized by Sports Authority of Thailan ...

. Thai Premier League faced the issue of low attendance and lack of local loyalties while the Provincial league suffered the financial issue. In 2007, Thai League was integrated with

completely.

Chonburi Chonburi ( th, ชลบุรี, , IAST: , ) is the capital of Chonburi Province and Mueang Chonburi District in Thailand. It is about 100 km southeast of Bangkok, on the coast of the Gulf of Thailand. Its name means 'city of water'. Chonb ...

from the Provincial League was the first champion of the new Thailand Premier League in 2007 season.

Modern era (2009)

In 2009 season, there were significant changes in the lead to the new era of the Thai Premier League.

Asian Football Confederation The Asian Football Confederation is the governing body of association football, beach soccer, and futsal in some countries/territories in Asia and Oceania. It has 47 member countries most of which are located in Asia. Australia, formerly i ...

declared the regulations for the associations that have the intention to send the clubs to compete in AFC Champions League starting from 2011. Football Association of Thailand had to establish Thai Premier League co.ltd and forced the clubs in the top league to complete AFC Club License Criteria otherwise Thai clubs will not eligible to play in the Champions League. Clubs were forced to separate themselves from the parent organisations and registered as the independent football authorities. The massive changes occurred in that season. Thailand Premier League renamed to Thai Premier League. Two times league champion Krung Thai Bank failed to complete the new regulations. The organisation decided to sell the club. The club was acquired by Boon Rawd and rebranded to be

Bangkok Glass BG Pathum United Football Club ( th, สโมสรฟุตบอลบีจี ปทุม ยูไนเต็ด) is a Thai professional football club based in Pathum Thani province and is managed by BG Sports Company Limited which is a ...

Bangkok University University (BU; th, มหาวิทยาลัยกรุงเทพ; ), commonly known as Mo Krung Thep ( th, มอกรุงเทพ), has operated since 1962, is one of the oldest and largest private, non-profit universities in ...

had expelled their football club section. The club rebrand itself to

Bangkok United True Bangkok United Football Club ( th, สโมสรฟุตบอลทรู แบงค็อก ยูไนเต็ด) is a Thai professional football club based in Pathum Thani province. Formerly known as Bangkok University Foot ...

since then. The organisation-based clubs had to relocate to find the local supporters to backup the clubs. Osotspa changed their home stadium to Saraburi Province, TOT moved to play in

Kanchanaburi Kanchanaburi ( th, กาญจนบุรี, ) is a town municipality (''thesaban mueang'') in the west of Thailand and part of Kanchanaburi Province. In 2006 it had a population of 31,327. That number was reduced to 25,651 in 2017. The town ...

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against ...

played in

Rayong Province Rayong province ( th, ระยอง, ) is one of seventy-six provinces (''changwat'') lies in eastern Thailand. Neighboring provinces are (from west clockwise) Chonburi, and Chanthaburi. To the south is the Gulf of Thailand. , per capita ea ...

while

Thailand Tobacco Monopoly The Tobacco Authority of Thailand ( th, การยาสูบแห่งประเทศไทย; ) (TOAT), is a Thai state enterprise and the sole legal entity permitted to produce tobacco products in the country, mostly cigarettes. It wa ...

integrated to Samut Sakhon Province and rebranded to TTM Samut Sakhon. Muangthong United were promoted from

in that season and won Thai Premier League in their first year in the top league.

Thailand Clasico

Thailand Clasico or The Classic Match of Thailand is the matchup between Muangthong United and

. It is the matchup that presents Thai football in the modern era. The name was given to the encounter of two teams due to the hype and massive atmosphere around the match. The first encounter between them happened in the 2009 Thai Premier League season. On 30 May 2009, Chonburi that was regarded as the best club in Thailand at that moment hosted the new powerhouse who were just promoted from Division 1 Muangthong United. The match was played at

Nong Prue Stadium Nong Prue Stadium ( th, สนามกีฬาหนองปรือ) or formally Nongprue Municipality Stadium ( th, สนามเทศบาลหนองปรือ) is a stadium in Pattaya, Chonburi, Thailand. The stadium was open ...

, Pattaya. Before the match, Chonburi was the leader in the table after 10 matches of the season while Muangthong followed in second with one less point. Chonburi made the lead by 2–0 in the first thirty minutes but Muangthong bounced back to win by the 5–2 result at the end. The match was full of the exciting and dramatic moments. Then, it was considered one of the most classic matches in Thai League history. The Muangthong versus Chonburi matchup was dubbed as "Thailand Clasico" ever since then.

The first invincible

In 2012 season, Muangthong United under Serbian head coach

Slaviša Jokanović Slaviša Jokanović ( sr-Cyrl, Славиша Јокановић, ; born 16 August 1968) is a Serbian professional football manager and former player. He is the manager of Russian club Dynamo Moscow. A physical player considered strong in the a ...

, had become the first club in the league history that completed the season with an unbeaten record. Muangthong finished at the top of the final standing with 25 wins and 9 draws.

Buriram dominance

The Buriram Dominance refers to the 2013 to 2015 season, which Buriram United won Thai Premier League in three consecutive seasons as the first club in the league history. The three titles in that period included two invincible titles which Buriram United completed Thai Premier League campaign unbeaten in

2013 File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fa ...

and 2015 season.

Rebranding (2017)

In 2017,

decided to rebrand Thai Premier League into Thai League 1. Since its inception in 1996 the Thai Premier League has relied upon local sponsorship. Re-branding initiatives seek to foster an international identity for the Thai and elevate the league globally through commitment to world class level management and marketing which incorporates multifaceted promotion through various media in order to draw attention to league competition and cups. This rebranding earned the Good Design Award in the Brand Identity branch from the

Japan Institute of Design Promotion The is a Japanese design institution. Originally called the Japan Industrial Design Promotion Organization, it was founded in 1969 with the goal of promoting industrial design Industrial design is a process of design applied to physical produ ...

Clubs

There are 16 clubs in the league, with three promoted teams from

replacing the three teams that were relegated from the 2021-22 season. Suphanburi, Samut Prakan City and Chiangmai United were relegated at the end of the 2021-22 season after finishing in the bottom three places of the table. They were replaced by 2021-22 Thai League 2 champions Lamphun Warriors. They were joined by runners-up Sukhothai, who also got promoted back after relegated one season before, and

Lampang Lampang, also called Nakhon Lampang ( th, นครลำปาง, ) to differentiate from Lampang province, is the third largest city in northern Thailand and capital of Lampang province and the Mueang Lampang district. Traditional names for L ...

, promotion plays-off winner.

Stadiums and Locations(2022–23)

:''Note: Table lists in alphabetical order.''

Champions

Wins by club

The Invincibles

Unbeatable champions: * Muangthong United in

2012 File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gat ...

* Buriram United in

and 2015

Records

All-time top scorers

Figures for active players (in bold).

Most appearances

Figures for active players (in bold) .

Player statistics

* Youngest player: Suphanat Mueanta ( Buriram United) – 15 years, 8 months and 22 days (25 April 2018, Buriram United 2–1

Nakhon Ratchasima Nakhon Ratchasima ( th, นครราชสีมา, ) is one of the four major cities of Isan, Thailand, known as the "big four of Isan". The city is commonly known as Korat (, ), a shortened form of its name. It is the governmental seat of ...

2018 Thai League 1 The 2018 Thai League 1 is the 22nd season of the Thai League 1, the top Thai professional league for association football clubs, since its establishment in 1996, also known as Toyota Thai League due to the sponsorship deal with Toyota Motor Thaila ...

) * Oldest player:

Somchai Subpherm Somchai Subpherm ( th, สมชาย ทรัพย์เพิ่ม; born March 8, 1962) is a Thai football coach and former footballer. Somchai lead Bangkok University to the league championship in 2006 and then took them on their first ad ...

( TOT) – 51 years, 7 months and 25 days (3 November 2013, Buriram United 2–1 TOT,

2013 Thai Premier League The 2013 Thai Premier League (also known as ''Toyota Thai Premier League'' due to the sponsorship from Toyota) is the 17th season of the Thai Premier League since its establishment in 1996. A total of 18 teams are competing in the league. It wil ...

) * Youngest scorer: Suphanat Mueanta ( Buriram United) – 15 years, 9 months and 25 days (26 May 2018, Buriram United 5–0 Air Force Central,

) * Oldest scorer: Therdsak Chaiman (

) – 40 years, 8 months and 24 days (2 June 2014, TOT 1–1

2014 Thai Premier League The 2014 Thai Premier League (also known as Toyota Thai Premier League due to the sponsorship from Toyota) is the 18th season of the Thai Premier League since its establishment in 1996. A total of 20 teams are competing in the league. The season h ...

) * Fastest scorer: Nirut Kamsawad ( Port Authority) – 9 seconds ( 2001–02 Thai League) * Most consecutive matches scored: 10 games –

Diogo Luís Santo Diogo Luís Santo (born 26 May 1987), known simply as Diogo, is a Brazilian professional footballer as a striker. After starting out at Portuguesa, he spent most of his professional career in the Super League Greece with Olympiacos – having ...

( Buriram United) (24 September 2017 – 2 March 2018,

) * Most consecutive unconceded matches: 6 games **

Siwarak Tedsungnoen Siwarak Tedsungnoen ( th, ศิวรักษ์ เทศสูงเนิน, ; born April 20, 1984) is a Thai professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Thai League 1 club Buriram United and the Thailand national team. Club car ...

( Buriram United,

2014 File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...

) ** Kawin Thamsatchanan ( Muangthong United,

2016 File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the Impeachment of Dilma Rousseff, impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses duri ...

) ** Kawin Thamsatchanan ( Muangthong United,

2017 File:2017 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The War Against ISIS at the Battle of Mosul (2016-2017); aftermath of the Manchester Arena bombing; The Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 ("Great American Eclipse"); North Korea tests a s ...

) * All-time most clean sheets: 815 minutes –

* Most goals in a season: 38 goals –

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 in a friendly match against Ic ...

(

) * Most assists in a season: 19 assists –

Theerathon Bunmathan Theerathon Bunmathan ( th, ธีราทร บุญมาทัน, , ; born 6 March 1990), simply known as Aum ( th, อุ้ม), is a Thai professional footballer who plays as a left back for Buriram United and the Thailand national t ...

( Buriram United, 2015) * Most titles won: 8 times –

Jakkaphan Kaewprom Jakkaphan Kaewprom ( th, จักรพันธ์ แก้วพรม, born May 24, 1988) is a Thai professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Thai League 1 club Ratchaburi and the Thailand national team. Club career BEC Tero ...

* Most seasons appeared: 19 seasons – Amnaj Kaewkiew (1996–2014) * All-time record for highest football transfer fee Thai players: 50 million baht –

Tanaboon Kesarat Tanaboon Kesarat ( th, ธนบูรณ์ เกษารัตน์, born 21 September 1993) is a Thai professional footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder or a centre-back for Thai League 1 club Port and the Thailand national team. ...

(2017), Worachit Kanitsribampen (2021)

Awards

Prize money

* Champion: 10,000,000

Baht The baht (; th, บาท, ; sign: ฿; code: THB) is the official currency of Thailand. It is divided into 100 ''satang'' (, ). The issuance of currency is the responsibility of the Bank of Thailand. SWIFT ranked the Thai baht as the 10th-m ...

* Runner-up: 3,000,000 * Third place: 1,500,000 * Fourth place: 800,000 * Fifth place: 700,000 * Sixth place: 600,000 * Seventh place: 500,000 * Eighth place : 400,000

Trophy

* 2011 – 2016 trophy: In 2010,

and Thai Premier League Co. Ltd considered to improve the image of Thai Premier League Trophy. The trophy itself was designed by Glue Creative from England and produced by British Silverware of

Sheffield Sheffield is a city in South Yorkshire, England, whose name derives from the River Sheaf which runs through it. The city serves as the administrative centre of the City of Sheffield. It is historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire a ...

. The trophy was crafted by silver with the European style of a crown. Three divas are holding up the trophy and three golden elephants are standing on the base. The trophy is 75 cm tall and weighs more than 30 kg. The production used 250-man hours of work and the finished trophy worth 2 million baht. * 2017 – current trophy: In 2017,

order the trophy produced from England that was created by Royal Jewellers Asprey of London to be new champions trophy. The trophy reflecting Thai identity by the use of

Kranok pattern Kranok pattern ( th, ลายกระหนก, ) is one of the most important Thai motif patterns, because it appears in many Thai artworks such as Tripiṭaka cabinets, the doors of Thai temples, and coffins. According to the Royal Institut ...

mixed with modern pattern and sculpt it pieces by piece.

Top scorers

Player of the Year

Young Player of the Year

Coach of the Year

Competition format and sponsorship

Competition

There are 16 clubs in the Thai League. During the course of a season, which lasts from August to May, each club plays the others twice, once at their home stadium and once at that of their opponents, for a total of 30 games. Teams receive three points for a win and one point for a draw. No points are awarded for a loss. Teams are ranked by total points, then head-to-head, then goal difference, and then goals scored. At the end of each season, the club with the most points is crowned champion. If points are equal, the head-to-head, the goal difference and then goals scored determine the winner. If still equal, teams are deemed to occupy the same position. If there is a tie for the championship, for relegation, or for qualification to other competitions, a play-off match at a neutral venue decides rank. The three lowest placed teams are relegated into the

and the top three teams from the Thai League 2 are promoted in their place.

Qualification for Asian competitions

In the past the champions will play in AFC Champions League playoffs and AFC Cup for the champions of

Thai FA Cup The Thai FA Cup ( th, ไทยเอฟเอคัพ), known officially as The Football Association of Thailand Cup, is a football cup competition in Thailand. Thai FA Cup is an annual knockout association football competition in men's domest ...

. Due to reforms from the AFC for the AFC Champions League and AFC Cup format, there will be no more a direct qualification spot for the AFC Champions League for that Thai Champion, for the time being. From 2012 Thai clubs has 1 automatic spot to the group stage and 1 playoff spot for the

Winners and 1 playoff spot for the thai league runner-up. But since

2021 File:2021 collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: the James Webb Space Telescope was launched in 2021; Protesters in Yangon, Myanmar following the coup d'état; A civil demonstration against the October 2021 coup in Sudan; Crowd shortly after t ...

, Thai clubs have 2 group stage spot for League Champion and FA Cup winner and 2 teams in play-off spot for Runner-up and Third in the league.

Ranking

To be used for allocating slots in the 2024–25 season. Updated on 25 May 202
(Source)

Thai League All-Star Exhibition game

Sponsorship

The Thai League has been sponsored since 1996 until 2003 and has been sponsored again since 2010. The sponsor has been able to determine the league's sponsorship name. The list below details who the sponsors have been and what they called the competition: * 1996–1997:

Johnnie Walker Johnnie Walker is a brand of Scotch whisky now owned by Diageo that originated in the Scottish burgh of Kilmarnock in East Ayrshire. The brand was first established by grocer John Walker. It is the most widely distributed brand of blended Sc ...

(Johnnie Walker Thailand Soccer League) * 1998–2000: Caltex (Caltex Premier League) * 2001–2003:

Advanced Info Service Advanced Info Service Public Company Limited (AIS) is Thailand's largest GSM mobile phone operator with 39.87 million customers as of Q3 2016. Founded in April 1985, AIS started off as a computer rental business. In October 1990, it launched a ...

(GSM Thai League) * 2003–2005: ''None'' (Thai League) * 2006–2008: ''None'' (Thailand Premier League) * 2009: ''None'' (Thai Premier League) * 2010–2012: Sponsor (Sponsor Thai Premier League) * 2013–present:

Toyota is a Japanese multinational automotive manufacturer headquartered in Toyota City, Aichi, Japan. It was founded by Kiichiro Toyoda and incorporated on . Toyota is one of the largest automobile manufacturers in the world, producing about 10 ...

(Toyota Thai Premier League in 2013–2015, Toyota Thai League in 2016–2020-21, Hilux Revo Thai League in 2021-22–present)

Match balls

The 2021–2028 season uses the

Molten Melting, or fusion, is a physical process that results in the phase transition of a substance from a solid to a liquid. This occurs when the internal energy of the solid increases, typically by the application of heat or pressure, which inc ...

Youth League

Like the reserve league, the youth league is open to all the youth teams of all professional clubs in Thailand.

Other tournaments

;Domestic tournaments * Chang FA Cup (1975–2001, 2009–present) *

Thailand Champions Cup The Thailand Champions Cup (continuing Kor Royal Cup, a different competition from the Thai Super Cup) is a single-game competition between the winners of previous Thai League 1 and Thai FA Cup, organised by the Football Association of Thailand. ...

(as

1996–2016) (2017–present) *

Toyota League Cup The League Cup ( th, ไทยลีกคัพ) is a football cup competition in Thailand. It is also known as Toyota League Cup for sponsorship reasons. It was re-formed during the 2010 domestic football league season in Thailand and runs alon ...

(1987–1994, 2010–present) ;International tournaments * AFC Champions League (1967–1971, 1985–present) * AFC Cup (2007, 2009–2012) *

ASEAN Club Championship The ASEAN Club Championship or ACC is an international club football competition organised by the ASEAN Football Federation between domestic champion clubs. The competition is backed by AFC and FIFA. The first edition was sponsored by LG Electron ...

(2003–2005, 2020–present) ;Defunct tournaments *

(1916–2016) *

Khǒr Royal Cup Khǒr Royal Cup ( th, ถ้วยพระราชทานประเภท ข. ; ถ้วย ข.), known as the Noi Cup () before a 1963 name change, was a part of the Thai football league system, founded by the Football Association of T ...

(1916–2015) *

Khor Royal Cup Khor Royal Cup ( th, ถ้วยพระราชทาน ค.; ถ้วย ค.) is the fifth-highest level of club football competition which competed in the tournament in Thailand since 1963. It was founded by Football Association of Thaila ...

(1962–2015) *

Ngor Royal Cup Ngor Royal Cup (Thai: ถ้วยพระราชทาน ง.; ถ้วย ง.) is the lowest level of club football competition which competed in the tournament in Thailand since 1963. It was founded by Football Association of Thailand alo ...

(1962–2015) * Toyota Premier Cup (2011–2017) *

Mekong Club Championship The Mekong Club Championship was an ASEAN club competition for men's association football clubs. Five teams entered as respective domestic league winners from Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam. The championship was sponsored by Toyota ...

(2015–2017)

Ranking Asian

Asia Football / Soccer Clubs Ranking

Notes

References

Thailand Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is b ...

1996 establishments in Thailand Sports leagues established in 1996 Professional sports leagues in Thailand