2025–26 Montenegrin First League
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

The Montenegrin First League ( Montenegrin: ''Prva crnogorska fudbalska liga'' — ''Prva CFL'' — ''1. CFL''; ), referred to as the Meridianbet 1. CFL for sponsorship reasons, is the top professional
football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...
league in Montenegro. Founded in 2006, competition is headed by the
Football Association of Montenegro The Football Association of Montenegro (Montenegrin language, Montenegrin: ''Fudbalski savez Crne Gore'', ''FSCG'' / Фудбалски савез Црне Горе, ФСЦГ) is the governing body of football in Montenegro. It is based in the ca ...
. 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 (UCL) is an annual club association football competition organised by the UEFA, Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) that is contested by List of top-division football clubs in UEFA countries, top-divisio ...
from the second round. The second and third placed teams and
Montenegrin Cup The Montenegrin Cup (Montenegrin language, Montenegrin: ''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 first qualifying round of the UEFA Conference League ...
winner play in the qualifying rounds of the
UEFA Conference League The UEFA Conference League (UECL), usually known simply as the Conference League, is an annual football competition organised since 2021 by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) for eligible European football clubs. It is the thir ...
. The last placed team is directly
relegated Promotion and relegation is used by sports leagues as a process where teams can move up and down among divisions in a league system, based on their performance over a season. Leagues that use promotion and relegation systems are sometimes call ...
to the
Montenegrin Second League The Montenegrin Second League (Montenegrin language, Montenegrin: ''Druga crnogorska fudbalska liga'' – ''Druga CFL'' – ''2. CFL'') is the second-top Association football, football league in Montenegro. It is headed by the Football Associatio ...
, and the two next lowest ranked teams play in
Montenegrin First League playoffs The Montenegrin First League playoffs is a two legs tournament between the teams from Montenegrin First League just above direct relegation, and the teams from Montenegrin Second League just below direct promotion. Format At the end of each season, ...
.


History


Before independence

As a part of the
Kingdom of Yugoslavia The Kingdom of Yugoslavia was a country in Southeast Europe, Southeast and Central Europe that existed from 1918 until 1941. From 1918 to 1929, it was officially called the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes, but the term "Yugoslavia" () h ...
, Montenegrin clubs played in the Montenegrin Football Championship which was formed in 1922. Despite the presence of the nationwide
Yugoslav Football Championship The Yugoslav First League ( Bosnian: Prva savezna liga u fudbalu, sr-Cyrl-Latn, Прва савезна лига у фудбалу, Prva savezna liga u fudbalu, , , , , ) was the premier football league in the Kingdom of Yugoslavia (1918–1941) ...
, Montenegrin teams did not partake in it. Montenegrin Football Championship played until the beginning of World War II. The 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: 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 * F ...
(5),
FK Budućnost Podgorica Fudbalski Klub Budućnost Podgorica (Cyrillic: Будућност Подгорица, , ) is a Montenegro, Montenegrin professional association football, football club from Podgorica, Montenegro. It is competing in the Montenegrin First League. ...
(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 1914–1940 Founded in 1914, Arsenal is the second oldest foot ...
(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 was a country in Southeast Europe, Southeast and Central Europe that existed from 1918 until 1941. From 1918 to 1929, it was officially called the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes, but the term "Yugoslavia" () h ...
government and forbidden. After
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
and the formation of the
Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia The Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (commonly abbreviated as SFRY or SFR Yugoslavia), known from 1945 to 1963 as the Federal People's Republic of Yugoslavia, commonly referred to as Socialist Yugoslavia or simply Yugoslavia, was a country ...
, the top league became the
Yugoslav First League The Yugoslav First League ( Bosnian: Prva savezna liga u fudbalu, sr-Cyrl-Latn, Прва савезна лига у фудбалу, Prva savezna liga u fudbalu, , , , , ) was the premier football league in the Kingdom of Yugoslavia (1918–1941) ...
. Montenegrin teams were allowed to partake in the nationwide league structure, with a
Montenegrin Republic League Montenegrin Republic League () was the third tier football league of SFR Yugoslavia. The top clubs were promoted to Yugoslav Second League. Overview Founded in spring 1946, Montenegrin Republic League was the oldest football competition in Mon ...
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: 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 * F ...
. FK Budućnost was among the founders of
Yugoslav First League The Yugoslav First League ( Bosnian: Prva savezna liga u fudbalu, sr-Cyrl-Latn, Прва савезна лига у фудбалу, Prva savezna liga u fudbalu, , , , , ) was the premier football league in the Kingdom of Yugoslavia (1918–1941) ...
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 Second League ( Bosnian: ''Druga savezna liga,'' Croatian: ''Druga savezna liga'', Serbian: ''Друга савезна лига'', Slovenian: ''Druga zvezna liga'', Macedonian: ''Втора сојузна лига'', ''Vtora sojuzna l ...
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 League ( Bosnian: Prva savezna liga u fudbalu, sr-Cyrl-Latn, Прва савезна лига у фудбалу, Prva savezna liga u fudbalu, , , , , ) was the premier football league in the Kingdom of Yugoslavia (1918–1941) ...
from 1946 to 1992, with final placements on every single season. In 1992 when SFR Yugoslavia dissolved the
Federal Republic of Yugoslavia The State Union of Serbia and Montenegro or simply Serbia and Montenegro, known until 2003 as the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and commonly referred to as FR Yugoslavia (FRY) or simply Yugoslavia, was a country in Southeast Europe locate ...
was formed. Serbian and Montenegrin teams played in its national league, although it was still named ''Yugoslav First League''. In 2003, FR Yugoslavia became
Serbia and Montenegro The State Union of Serbia and Montenegro or simply Serbia and Montenegro, known until 2003 as the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and commonly referred to as FR Yugoslavia (FRY) or simply Yugoslavia, was a country in Southeast Europe locate ...
and the football league was renamed. 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 professional football club from Golubovci, seat of the Zeta Municipality 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 ...
,
FK Kom FK Kom is a Montenegrin professional football club based in Zlatica, a suburb of Podgorica. Founded in 1958, the club competes in the Montenegrin Second League. The team is known as a first youth club of famous Montenegrin player Predrag Mijato ...
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 independenc ...
, 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 () was the third tier football league of SFR Yugoslavia. The top clubs were promoted to Yugoslav Second League. Overview Founded in spring 1946, Montenegrin Republic League was the oldest football competition in Mon ...
. Between 2006 and 2017, the league consisted on 12 clubs, which played 33 matches during the season. From the 2017-18 season the number of participants in the Montenegrin First League was reduced to 10, with a 36 week-long competition. 20 clubs have participated in the Montenegrin First League. The most successful are FK Sutjeska with five titles and FK Budućnost five national titles too. 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 (, ) is a town located in the Northern Montenegro, Northern Region of Montenegro, situated along Ćehotina, Ćehotina river. The town lies at an altitude of . In the Middle Ages, Pljevlja had been a crossroad of the important commercial ...
. 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 languages, Slavic male given name, connected with the variant of the Greek language, Greek name (English: John (given name), John) from Hebrew language, Hebrew meaning 'God is gracious'. It is associated worldwide with Sla ...
(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; , , 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 from the Phoenician alphabet, Phoenician letter zay ...
, 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 professional football club based in Berane. Established in 1920, the club plays in the Third League of Montenegro. History FK Berane was founded in 1920 ...
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 ( cnr-Cyrl, Подгорица; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Montenegro, largest city of Montenegro. The city is just north of Lake Skadar and close to coastal destinations on the Adriatic Sea. Histor ...
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 (, ) is a small town in the new Zeta Municipality of Montenegro. Until 2022, it was part of Podgorica Municipality. Golubovci is the seat of the new municipality. The town has 3,110 residents according to 2011 census, while the surroun ...
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 language, Montenegrin: ''Fudbalski savez Crne Gore'', ''FSCG'' / Фудбалски савез Црне Горе, ФСЦГ) is the governing body of football in Montenegro. It is based in the ca ...
. Next season started with incidents during the Montenegrin Derby 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 former football manager and player. Playing career Babić made his senior debut with Yugoslav Second League club Osijek in the 1969–70 season. He also played abroad for Beringen (Be ...
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 (, born 1 January 1982) is a Montenegro, Montenegrin football coach and former Association football, football player who is the manager of Uzbekistani club FC Sogdiana Jizzakh, Sogdiana Jizzakh. Club career Born in Podgorica, t ...
from
Grbalj Grbalj ( sr-Cyrl, Грбаљ), denotes a historic, rural region of the Montenegrin littoral, and a parish located between town of Budva Budva (Cyrillic script, Cyrillic: Будва, or ) is a town in the Coastal Montenegro, Coastal region o ...
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 ''(11-0)''. During that game, Bošković scored four goals - which is another Prva CFL record, shared with
FK Zeta FK Zeta is a professional football club from Golubovci, seat of the Zeta Municipality 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 ...
'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 tr ...
's player Zoran Petrović. Mogren became first club to win a second champion trophy in Prva CFL. The team from
Budva Budva (Cyrillic script, Cyrillic: Будва, or ) is a town in the Coastal Montenegro, Coastal region of Montenegro. It had 27,445 inhabitants as of 2023, and is the centre of Budva Municipality. The coastal area around Budva, called the Budv ...
won the title on season
2010–11 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number, numeral, and glyph. It is the first and smallest positive integer of the infinite sequence of natural numbers. This fundamental property has led to its unique uses in other fields, ranging from science to sp ...
, 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 Dragan Radojičić (; born 3 June 1970) is a Montenegrin Association football, football manager and former player. Playing career Radojičić started out at his hometown club FK Sutjeska Nikšić, Sutjeska Nikšić, making 31 appearances and sco ...
as head coach. The team from
Nikšić Nikšić (Cyrillic script, Cyrillic: Никшић, ), is the second largest city in Montenegro, with a total population of 32,046 (2023 census) located in the west of the country, in the centre of the spacious Nikšić field at the foot of Trebjesa ...
won the title for seasons
2012–13 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number, numeral, and glyph. It is the first and smallest positive integer of the infinite sequence of natural numbers. This fundamental property has led to its unique uses in other fields, ranging from science to sp ...
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 ( cnr-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 ...
. 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 (Cyrillic: Беране) is a town in Montenegro in the northern region. It is former administrative centre of the Ivangrad District. The town is located on the Lim river. From 1949 to 1992, it was named Ivangrad ( cyrl, Ивангра ...
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 Promotion and relegation is used by sports leagues as a process where teams can move up and down among divisions in a league system, based on their performance over a Season (sports), season. Leagues that use promotion and relegation systems a ...
, 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 tr ...
from
Podgorica Podgorica ( cnr-Cyrl, Подгорица; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Montenegro, largest city of Montenegro. The city is just north of Lake Skadar and close to coastal destinations on the Adriatic Sea. Histor ...
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-Latn, Stadion pod Goricom, Стадион под Горицом) is an all-seater multi-purpose stadium in Podgorica, Montenegro. Its seating capacity changed over the years due to several renovations, as of 2019 it h ...
, 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 in
Nikšić Nikšić (Cyrillic script, Cyrillic: Никшић, ), is the second largest city in Montenegro, with a total population of 32,046 (2023 census) located in the west of the country, in the centre of the spacious Nikšić field at the foot of Trebjesa ...
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 a ...
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 and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...
. 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: 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 * F ...
, FK Iskra and
FK Zeta FK Zeta is a professional football club from Golubovci, seat of the Zeta Municipality 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 ...
qualified for European competitions, too. Last-placed
OFK Grbalj Omladinski fudbalski klub Grbalj (, ) is a Montenegrin professional 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 Radanov ...
was directly relegated to Druga CFL and
FK Kom FK Kom is a Montenegrin professional football club based in Zlatica, a suburb of Podgorica. Founded in 1958, the club competes in the Montenegrin Second League. The team is known as a first youth club of famous Montenegrin player Predrag Mijato ...
after the playoff games against
FK Jezero FK Jezero is a Montenegrin professional 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, the first football club in the town of Plav is founded. Offic ...
. 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 2016–17: 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 Promotion and relegation is used by sports leagues as a process where teams can move up and down among divisions in a league system, based on their performance over a season. Leagues that use promotion and relegation systems are sometimes call ...
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 Promotion and relegation is used by sports leagues as a process where teams can move up and down among divisions in a league system, based on their performance over a season. Leagues that use promotion and relegation systems are sometimes call ...
against the second and third placed team of the Second League.


Rivalries

The main rivalry in the Montenegrin First League is between Budućnost and Sutjeska, often called the Montenegrin Derby. The first edition of the derby in official competitions was played at 1932, and the two clubs have played derbies in the highest-tier competitions of SFR Yugoslavia, FR Yugoslavia and in the Montenegrin First League. Another traditional rivalry is between FK Budućnost and
FK Lovćen Cetinje FK or fk may refer to: 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 * F ...
, because the two clubs have played 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; , , 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 from the Phoenician alphabet, Phoenician letter zay ...
. The two clubs from the territory of the Capital Podgorica were the main candidates for the title during the 2006-07 and 2007–08 seasons, and their match from the spring 2007 was attended by more than 10,000 spectators at Podgorica City Stadium. That is the highest attendance in the history of Montenegrin First League. During the seasons of 2012-13 and 2013–14, there was a big local derby in
Nikšić Nikšić (Cyrillic script, Cyrillic: Никшић, ), is the second largest city in Montenegro, with a total population of 32,046 (2023 census) located in the west of the country, in the centre of the spacious Nikšić field at the foot of Trebjesa ...
, 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, six 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, the best scorer of Prva CFL is awarded with Radio Montenegro Trophy. The most goals during a single season were scored by
Ivan Bošković Ivan Bošković (, born 1 January 1982) is a Montenegro, Montenegrin football coach and former Association football, football player who is the manager of Uzbekistani club FC Sogdiana Jizzakh, Sogdiana Jizzakh. Club career Born in Podgorica, t ...
(28) during the season 2009–10. In two seasons, two players were joint top-scorers.
Žarko Korać Žarko Korać ( sr-Cyrl, Жарко Кораћ; born 9 March 1947) is a Serbian psychologist and politician. He taught psychology at the University of Belgrade University of Belgrade Faculty of Philosophy, Faculty of Philosophy and is one of th ...
and
Admir Adrović Admir Adrović (; born 8 May 1988) is a Montenegrin professional footballer who plays as a forward 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. Af ...
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 tr ...
and
Zeta Zeta (, ; uppercase Ζ, lowercase ζ; , , 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 from the Phoenician alphabet, Phoenician letter zay ...
.


Players and managers


Players


Appearances

Ivan Novović, with 444 appearances, is the most capped player in the history of the league. ''As of the end of 2023–24 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 professional footballer who plays as a forward 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. Af ...
. 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 2023–24 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, 13 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 a ...
won three titles.
Dragan Radojičić Dragan Radojičić (; born 3 June 1970) is a Montenegrin Association football, football manager and former player. Playing career Radojičić started out at his hometown club FK Sutjeska Nikšić, Sutjeska Nikšić, making 31 appearances and sco ...
,
Mladen Milinković Mladen Milinković (Serbian Cyrillic: Младен Милинковић; born 14 May 1968) is a Serbian football coach and former player. He played as midfielder for FK Loznica, FK Mačva Šabac, Drina Zvornik, Omonia Aradippou from Cyprus, FF ...
and
Dejan Vukićević Dejan Vukićević (; born 27 April 1968) is a Montenegrin football manager and former player. Playing career Vukićević started out at his hometown side Budućnost Titograd, making his senior debut in the 1987–88 season. He spent five year ...
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 language, Montenegrin: ''Fudbalski savez Crne Gore'', ''FSCG'' / Фудбалски савез Црне Горе, ФСЦГ) is the governing body of football in Montenegro. It is based in the ca ...
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 ...
( 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 ...
( Budućnost) * 2011
Dragan Bošković Dragan Bošković (born 27 December 1985) is a Montenegrin retired footballer who played as a striker. From 2013 until his retirement, he played for five different clubs in Thai League 1, earning more appearances in the league than any other Eu ...
( 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 Kuwait SC. Club career In July 2013, Igumanović moved to Kazakhstan Premier League sid ...
( 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 Uzbekistan Super League club Neftchi. Club career Sutjeska Jovović made his ...
( Sutjeska) * 2015
Marko Šćepanović Marko Šćepanović (born 8 August 1982) is a Montenegrin retired footballer. He scored 14 goals in 28 matches in Montenegrin First League 2012–13. Club career Persepolis He came to Iran on 1 July 2013 and also trained with the team for th ...
(
Titograd Podgorica ( cnr-Cyrl, Подгорица; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Montenegro, largest city of Montenegro. The city is just north of Lake Skadar and close to coastal destinations on the Adriatic Sea. Histor ...
) * 2016
Radomir Đalović Radomir Đalović (; born 29 October 1982) is a Montenegrin professional football coach and a former player. He currently manages Croatian club Rijeka. In international competitions, he has played 26 matches for the national team of Montenegro. ...
( Budućnost) * 2017
Igor Ivanović Igor Ivanović (Serbian Cyrillic: Игор Ивановић; born 9 September 1990) is a Montenegrin professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder for Budućnost. Club career Early career Born in Titograd, Ivanović played with ...
( 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 Mornar. He also played for the Montenegro national team. Club career Youth Ćetković began his c ...
( Sutjeska) Manager of the Year * 2008
Dejan Vukićević Dejan Vukićević (; born 27 April 1968) is a Montenegrin football manager and former player. Playing career Vukićević started out at his hometown side Budućnost Titograd, making his senior debut in the 1987–88 season. He spent five year ...
( Mogren) * 2009
Dejan Vukićević Dejan Vukićević (; born 27 April 1968) is a Montenegrin football manager and former player. Playing career Vukićević started out at his hometown side Budućnost Titograd, making his senior debut in the 1987–88 season. He spent five year ...
( Mogren) * 2010
Nebojša Vignjević Nebojša Vignjević (; born 15 May 1968) is a Serbian football manager and former player. Playing career Vignjević came through the youth system of Partizan, but failed to make any first-team appearances. He started his senior career at lower ...
( Rudar) * 2011
Dragan Radojičić Dragan Radojičić (; born 3 June 1970) is a Montenegrin Association football, football manager and former player. Playing career Radojičić started out at his hometown club FK Sutjeska Nikšić, Sutjeska Nikšić, making 31 appearances and sco ...
( Rudar) * 2012 Slavoljub Bubanja ( Čelik) * 2013
Dragan Radojičić Dragan Radojičić (; born 3 June 1970) is a Montenegrin Association football, football manager and former player. Playing career Radojičić started out at his hometown club FK Sutjeska Nikšić, Sutjeska Nikšić, making 31 appearances and sco ...
( Sutjeska) * 2014
Dragan Radojičić Dragan Radojičić (; born 3 June 1970) is a Montenegrin Association football, football manager and former player. Playing career Radojičić started out at his hometown club FK Sutjeska Nikšić, Sutjeska Nikšić, making 31 appearances and sco ...
( Budućnost) * 2015
Mirko Marić Mirko Marić (; born 16 May 1995) is a professional footballer who plays as a forward for club Monza. Born in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Marić played for the Croatia national team. Club career NK Široki Brijeg Marić started his professiona ...
( 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 a ...
(
Titograd Podgorica ( cnr-Cyrl, Подгорица; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Montenegro, largest city of Montenegro. The city is just north of Lake Skadar and close to coastal destinations on the Adriatic Sea. Histor ...
) * 2017
Miodrag Vukotić Miodrag Vukotić (, born 8 November 1973) is a Montenegrin retired footballer who played as a defender. Playing career Born in Titograd, SR Montenegro, back in SFR Yugoslavia (nowadays Podgorica, Montenegro), during his adventurous career, he ...
( 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 a ...
( 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 a ...
( 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 abbreviated as SFRY or SFR Yugoslavia), known from 1945 to 1963 as the Federal People's Republic of Yugoslavia, commonly referred to as Socialist Yugoslavia or simply Yugoslavia, was a country ...
(1946–1992),
FR Yugoslavia The State Union of Serbia and Montenegro or simply Serbia and Montenegro, known until 2003 as the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and commonly referred to as FR Yugoslavia (FRY) or simply Yugoslavia, was a country in Southeast Europe locate ...
(1992–2001) and
Serbia and Montenegro The State Union of Serbia and Montenegro or simply Serbia and Montenegro, known until 2003 as the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and commonly referred to as FR Yugoslavia (FRY) or simply Yugoslavia, was a country in Southeast Europe locate ...
(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, 23 clubs have played in Montenegrin First League. Clubs that played all the seasons are Budućnost, Sutjeska 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 language, Montenegrin: ''Druga crnogorska fudbalska liga'' – ''Druga CFL'' – ''2. CFL'') is the second-top Association football, football league in Montenegro. It is headed by the Football Associatio ...
, 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 language, Montenegrin: ''Druga crnogorska fudbalska liga'' – ''Druga CFL'' – ''2. CFL'') is the second-top Association football, football league in Montenegro. It is headed by the Football Associatio ...
.


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 language, Montenegrin: ''Druga crnogorska fudbalska liga'' – ''Druga CFL'' – ''2. CFL'') is the second-top Association football, football league in Montenegro. It is headed by the Football Associatio ...
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 ...
*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 ...
(Secured title: ''11 April 2021''). *Lowest number of seasons between promotion and titlebe: ''4'' by Dečić (Promotion:
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 ...
; Champions: 2023–24) *Lowest number of seasons between the title and relegation:: ''5'' by Mogren (Champions:
2010–11 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number, numeral, and glyph. It is the first and smallest positive integer of the infinite sequence of natural numbers. This fundamental property has led to its unique uses in other fields, ranging from science to sp ...
; 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 tr ...
(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 ...
)


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 ...
*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 ...
*Lowest number of wins: ''1'', Mornar, season 2018–19 *Highest number of draws: ''17'', Rudar, season 2018–19 *Lowest number of draws: ''3'', Kom, season 2009–10 *Highest number of losses: ''26'',
Berane Berane (Cyrillic: Беране) is a town in Montenegro in the northern region. It is former administrative centre of the Ivangrad District. The town is located on the Lim river. From 1949 to 1992, it was named Ivangrad ( cyrl, Ивангра ...
, 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, 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 tr ...
, season 2007–08 *Highest number of conceded goals: ''78'',
Berane Berane (Cyrillic: Беране) is a town in Montenegro in the northern region. It is former administrative centre of the Ivangrad District. The town is located on the Lim river. From 1949 to 1992, it was named Ivangrad ( cyrl, Ивангра ...
, 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 (, born 1 January 1982) is a Montenegro, Montenegrin football coach and former Association football, football player who is the manager of Uzbekistani club FC Sogdiana Jizzakh, Sogdiana Jizzakh. Club career Born in Podgorica, t ...
,
Grbalj Grbalj ( sr-Cyrl, Грбаљ), denotes a historic, rural region of the Montenegrin littoral, and a parish located between town of Budva Budva (Cyrillic script, Cyrillic: Будва, or ) is a town in the Coastal Montenegro, Coastal region o ...
, 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 ...
*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 tr ...
, 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 ...
*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, 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 of the Montenegrin littoral, and a parish located between town of Budva Budva (Cyrillic script, Cyrillic: Будва, or ) is a town in the Coastal Montenegro, Coastal region o ...
, 15 September 2012 - 6 October 2012, season
2012–13 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number, numeral, and glyph. It is the first and smallest positive integer of the infinite sequence of natural numbers. This fundamental property has led to its unique uses in other fields, ranging from science to sp ...
;
Grbalj Grbalj ( sr-Cyrl, Грбаљ), denotes a historic, rural region of the Montenegrin littoral, and a parish located between town of Budva Budva (Cyrillic script, Cyrillic: Будва, or ) is a town in the Coastal Montenegro, Coastal region o ...
, 13 October 2012 - 10 November 2012, season
2012–13 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number, numeral, and glyph. It is the first and smallest positive integer of the infinite sequence of natural numbers. This fundamental property has led to its unique uses in other fields, ranging from science to sp ...


Single game

*Biggest league victory/defeat: ''11–0'',
Grbalj Grbalj ( sr-Cyrl, Грбаљ), denotes a historic, rural region of the Montenegrin littoral, and a parish located between town of Budva Budva (Cyrillic script, Cyrillic: Будва, or ) is a town in the Coastal Montenegro, Coastal region o ...
vs. Kom, ''29 May 2010'' (season 2009–10) *Biggest league victory away: ''0–7'', Mornar vs.
Grbalj Grbalj ( sr-Cyrl, Грбаљ), denotes a historic, rural region of the Montenegrin littoral, and a parish located between town of Budva Budva (Cyrillic script, Cyrillic: Будва, or ) is a town in the Coastal Montenegro, Coastal region o ...
, ''23 May 2015'' (season 2014–15) *Most goals on a single game: ''11'',
Grbalj Grbalj ( sr-Cyrl, Грбаљ), denotes a historic, rural region of the Montenegrin littoral, and a parish located between town of Budva Budva (Cyrillic script, Cyrillic: Будва, or ) is a town in the Coastal Montenegro, Coastal region o ...
vs. Kom 11–0, ''29 May 2010'' (season 2009–10);
Zeta Zeta (, ; uppercase Ζ, lowercase ζ; , , 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 from the Phoenician alphabet, Phoenician letter zay ...
vs. Bokelj 8–3, ''17 May 2008'' (season 2007–08) *Player with most goals on a single game: ''4'',
Ivan Bošković Ivan Bošković (, born 1 January 1982) is a Montenegro, Montenegrin football coach and former Association football, football player who is the manager of Uzbekistani club FC Sogdiana Jizzakh, Sogdiana Jizzakh. Club career Born in Podgorica, t ...
(
Grbalj Grbalj ( sr-Cyrl, Грбаљ), denotes a historic, rural region of the Montenegrin littoral, and a parish located between town of Budva Budva (Cyrillic script, Cyrillic: Будва, or ) is a town in the Coastal Montenegro, Coastal region o ...
), Grbalj vs. Kom 11–0, ''29 May 2010'' (season 2009–10); Miljan Vlaisavljević (
Zeta Zeta (, ; uppercase Ζ, lowercase ζ; , , 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 from the Phoenician alphabet, Phoenician letter zay ...
), 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 tr ...
),
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 tr ...
vs.
Lovćen Lovćen ( cnr-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 ...
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 ...
) *Fastest goal: Aleksa Marušić ( Sutjeska), ''00:16'';
Titograd Podgorica ( cnr-Cyrl, Подгорица; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Montenegro, largest city of Montenegro. The city is just north of Lake Skadar and close to coastal destinations on the Adriatic Sea. Histor ...
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 ...
) *Oldest top scorer: Ivan Jablan (
Lovćen Lovćen ( cnr-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 ...
), ''39 yrs 143 days'';
Grbalj Grbalj ( sr-Cyrl, Грбаљ), denotes a historic, rural region of the Montenegrin littoral, and a parish located between town of Budva Budva (Cyrillic script, Cyrillic: Будва, or ) is a town in the Coastal Montenegro, Coastal region o ...
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; , , 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 from the Phoenician alphabet, Phoenician letter zay ...
1:0, ''08.04.2007'',
Podgorica Podgorica ( cnr-Cyrl, Подгорица; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Montenegro, largest city of Montenegro. The city is just north of Lake Skadar and close to coastal destinations on the Adriatic Sea. Histor ...
(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 tr ...
vs.
Grbalj Grbalj ( sr-Cyrl, Грбаљ), denotes a historic, rural region of the Montenegrin littoral, and a parish located between town of Budva Budva (Cyrillic script, Cyrillic: Будва, or ) is a town in the Coastal Montenegro, Coastal region o ...
1:2, ''08.12.2007'',
Podgorica Podgorica ( cnr-Cyrl, Подгорица; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Montenegro, largest city of Montenegro. The city is just north of Lake Skadar and close to coastal destinations on the Adriatic Sea. Histor ...
(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 (2024–25)

The 2024–25 Montenegrin First League is the 19th season of top-tier football in Montenegro.
FK Dečić FK Dečić ( Montenegrin: ФК Дечић; Albanian: FK Deçiq), known as Dečić Admiral Bet for sponsorship reasons, is a Montenegrin professional football club from Tuzi. Currently, the club is a member of the Montenegrin First League. It is ...
are the defending champions. The season will begun July 2024 and will end in May 2025. 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 2024–25. ''Seasons in top division - including the season 2024-25.''


Montenegrin clubs in European football competitions


History

Montenegrin football clubs have played in four
UEFA The Union of European Football Associations (UEFA ; ; ) is one of six continental bodies of governance in association football. It governs football, futsal and beach soccer, beach football in Europe and the List of transcontinental countries#A ...
competitions - the
UEFA Champions League The UEFA Champions League (UCL) is an annual club association football competition organised by the UEFA, Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) that is contested by List of top-division football clubs in UEFA countries, top-divisio ...
,
UEFA Europa League The UEFA Europa League (UEL), usually known simply as the Europa League, is an annual association football, football club competition organised since 1971 by the UEFA, Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) for eligible European footb ...
(''formerly UEFA Cup'') and
Intertoto Cup The UEFA Intertoto Cup (from , "between" and , " betting pool"),Most precisely, from (football pool); cf. originally called the International Football Cup, was a summer football competition between European clubs. The competition was discon ...
.
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 (Montenegrin Cyrillic: Фудбалски клуб Сутјеска) is a professional association football club from Nikšić, Montenegro, currently competing in the Montenegrin First League. The club was established in ...
in 2019–20.
FK Zeta had the best performances in the UEFA Europa 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 tr ...
, FK Budućnost and FK Sutjeska which played in Round 3.
FK Mornar FK Mornar Bar is a Montenegro, Montenegrin professional association football, football club based in the coastal town of Bar, Montenegro, Bar, which competes in the Montenegrin First League. History FK Mornar (''FC Sailor'') was founded in Decemb ...
and
FK Dečić FK Dečić ( Montenegrin: ФК Дечић; Albanian: FK Deçiq), known as Dečić Admiral Bet for sponsorship reasons, is a Montenegrin professional football club from Tuzi. Currently, the club is a member of the Montenegrin First League. It is ...
had the best performances in the UEFA Conference League: reaching the 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 2024–25 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 ...
, 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, , ) is a Montenegro, Montenegrin professional association football, football club from Podgorica, Montenegro. It is competing in the Montenegrin First League. ...
and
FK Sutjeska Nikšić Fudbalski klub Sutjeska (Montenegrin Cyrillic: Фудбалски клуб Сутјеска) is a professional association football club from Nikšić, Montenegro, currently competing in the Montenegrin First League. The club was established in ...
. Biggest success made FK Budućnost, who played in the final 1991, after eliminated
Galatasaray SK Galatasaray Spor Kulübü (, ''Galatasaray Sports Club''), more commonly referred to as simply Galatasaray and familiarly as Cimbom, is a Turkish people, Turkish sports club based on the Rumelia, European side of the city of Istanbul including ...
.


UEFA rankings

UEFA Country Ranking for league participation in 2026–27 European football season (Previous year rank in italics) * 45 (''47'')
Kategoria Superiore Kategoria Superiore (), also known as Abissnet Superiore for sponsorship reasons with internet service provider, Abissnet, is a professional league for men's association football clubs in Albania. At the top of the Albanian football league syste ...
* 46 (''42'')
NIFL Premiership The NIFL Premiership, known as the Sports Direct Premiership for sponsorship purposes, and Irish Premiership colloquially, is a professional association football league which operates as the highest division of the Northern Ireland Football L ...
* 47 (''53'') Montenegrin First League * 48 (''43'')
Luxembourg National Division The National Division (, , ), known as the BGL Ligue for sponsorship reasons, is the highest association football, football league in Luxembourg. Until 2011, it was known as the BGL Ligue, after the Luxembourg Football Federation managed to sea ...
* 49 (''46'')
Erovnuli Liga The Erovnuli Liga ( ka, ეროვნული ლიგა; ) is the top Division (sport), division of professional top tier Association football, football in Georgia (Country), Georgia. Since 1990, it has been organized by the Professional ...


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: ''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 first qualifying round of the UEFA Conference League ...
,
Montenegrin Second League The Montenegrin Second League (Montenegrin language, Montenegrin: ''Druga crnogorska fudbalska liga'' – ''Druga CFL'' – ''2. CFL'') is the second-top Association football, football league in Montenegro. It is headed by the Football Associatio ...
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.


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-Mobile International AG, T-Com 1. CFL * 2011–2022: T-Mobile International AG, Telekom 1. CFL * 2022–present: '
Meridianbet
1. CFL


Broadcasting rights

Since the foundation of the competition, official broadcaster of First Montenegrin League matches is RTCG, the national television station of Montenegro. Matches of 1. CFL are directly broadcast on TVCG 2, with most important matches on the satellite channel. From season 2017–18, broadcaster of matches is regional group Arena Sport. 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 The Montenegrin First League playoffs is a two legs tournament between the teams from Montenegrin First League just above direct relegation, and the teams from Montenegrin Second League just below direct promotion. Format At the end of each season, ...
*
Montenegrin Cup The Montenegrin Cup (Montenegrin language, Montenegrin: ''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 first qualifying round of the UEFA Conference League ...
*Montenegrin clubs in European football competitions * Montenegrin Derby *
Montenegrin Second League The Montenegrin Second League (Montenegrin language, Montenegrin: ''Druga crnogorska fudbalska liga'' – ''Druga CFL'' – ''2. CFL'') is the second-top Association football, football league in Montenegro. It is headed by the Football Associatio ...
*Football in Montenegro *Montenegrin Women's League *Montenegrin clubs in Yugoslav football competitions (1946-2006) *Montenegrin Football Championship (1922-1940) *
Montenegrin Republic League Montenegrin Republic League () was the third tier football league of SFR Yugoslavia. The top clubs were promoted to Yugoslav Second League. Overview Founded in spring 1946, Montenegrin Republic League was the oldest football competition in Mon ...
*Montenegrin Futsal First League


References


External links


League by Weltfussballarchiv

Football Association of Montenegro - Official SiteLeague
on soccerway.com
on CGF
{{UEFA leagues Montenegrin First League, Top-level football leagues in Europe, Montenegro Football leagues in Montenegro, 1 Recurring sporting events established in 2004 2004 establishments in Montenegro