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Montenegrin First League

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Montenegrin First League
Official logo
Founded2006
Country Montenegro
ConfederationUEFA
Number of teams10
Level on pyramid1
Relegation toMontenegrin Second League
Domestic cup(s)Montenegrin Cup
International cup(s)UEFA Champions League
UEFA Conference League
Current championsDečić (1st title)
(2023–24)
Most championshipsBudućnost
(6 titles)
Most appearancesIvan Novović (444)
Top goalscorerŽarko Korać
(121 goals)
TV partnersRTCG, Arena Sport, MNE Sport
Websitefscg.me/takmicenja/meridianbet-1-cfl/ Edit this at Wikidata
Current: 2024–25 Montenegrin First League

The Montenegrin First League (Montenegrin: Prva crnogorska fudbalska liga — Prva CFL — 1. CFL; pronounced [pr̂ːvaː t͡srnǒɡorskaː fûdbaːlskaː lǐːɡa]), referred to as the Meridianbet 1. CFL for sponsorship reasons, is the top professional football league in Montenegro. Founded in 2006, competition is headed by the Football Association of Montenegro. 10 teams participate in this league. The winner of the Montenegrin First League starts the qualifications for the UEFA Champions League from the second round. The second and third placed teams and Montenegrin Cup winner play in the qualifying rounds of the UEFA Conference League. The last placed team is directly relegated to the Montenegrin Second League, and the two next lowest ranked teams play in Montenegrin First League playoffs.

History

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Before independence

[edit]
See also: Montenegrin Football Championship (1922–1940), Montenegrin clubs in Yugoslav football competitions (1946–2006), and Montenegrin Republic League

As a part of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia, Montenegrin clubs played in the Montenegrin Football Championship which was formed in 1922.[1][2][3] Despite the presence of the nationwide Yugoslav Football Championship, 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 (5), FK Budućnost Podgorica (4) and FK Arsenal Tivat (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 government and forbidden.

After World War II and the formation of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, the top league became the Yugoslav First League. Montenegrin teams were allowed to partake in the nationwide league structure, with a Montenegrin Republic League 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 Budućnost was among the founders of Yugoslav First League 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 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 from 1946 to 1992, with final placements on every single season.

Club 47 49 50 56 57 58 59 60 63 65 67 72 73 76 77
Budućnost 10 6 10 11 9 10 9 11 14 - - - - 15 9
Sutjeska - - - - - - - - - 15 15 16 18 - -
Club 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92
Budućnost 11 6 11 6 8 14 14 15 14 7 9 14 10 17 12
Sutjeska - - - - - - - 9 10 10 17 - - - 13

In 1992 when SFR Yugoslavia dissolved the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia 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 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 Zeta, FK Kom 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.

Club 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 00 01 02 03 04 05 06
Budućnost 10 6 11 14 10 8 14 12 15 - - - 6 14
Sutjeska 16 18 19 - 20 21 - 5 7 11 4 8 15 -
Mogren 13 20 - - - - 15 19 - - 16 - - -
Rudar - 13 20 - - 20 - - - 7 17 - - -
Zeta - - - - - - - - 13 5 8 11 3 5
Kom - - - - - - - - - - - 16 - -
Jedinstvo - - - - - - - - - - - - - 16

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

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In 2006, after the Independence referendum, 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.

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

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Official logo 2007-2018

The first game in Prva CFL was played on 11 August 2006 in Pljevlja. 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 (Budućnost) scored the first goal in the history of Prva CFL.

The first champion of the top-tier CFL was Zeta, who won the trophy on the championship's final weekend, after a hard struggle with neighbouring Budućnost. Game between FK Berane and FK Budućnost was not even finished, after the crowd disturbances during the second half.[4] A third derby between Budućnost and Zeta in Podgorica 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[5] and a match between Zeta and Budućnost in Golubovci was not played, after the decision was made by the home team not to open their stadium following discussion with Football Association of Montenegro.[6]

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.[7] Their manager at that time Branko Babić 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,[8] 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[9] 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 from Grbalj 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).[10] During that game, Bošković scored four goals - which is another Prva CFL record, shared with FK Zeta's player Miljan Vlaisavljević and OFK Titograd's player Zoran Petrović.

Mogren became first club to win a second champion trophy in Prva CFL. The team from Budva won the title on season 2010–11, but with equal number of points as second-placed Budućnost: (73).[11] 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,[12] whilst also setting records for highest number of points in CFL by single season (80) and highest number of scored goals by season (83). But, the team from Podgorica didn't win the trophy easily - they were followed by Rudar, who trailed by three points at the end of season. Additionally, Budućnost failed to beat Rudar during the season (0-2; 2-2; 1-1)

Sutjeska became the first club to win two consecutive titles of CFL champion - both times with Dragan Radojičić as head coach. The team from Nikšić won the title for seasons 2012–13 and 2013–14. Sutjeska headed to their first title with five points more than Budućnost, but secured the trophy on last week of the season.[13] 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. The title winner was decided a week before the end of season, after a draw between Sutjeska and Lovćen (1-1).[14] That was the first season on which Budućnost didn't finish in first or second position.

At the end of season 2014–15, Rudar[15] 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 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, 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 from Podgorica won their first-ever national title.[16] 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

[edit]

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,[17] 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, and the game was interrupted and registered with result 0–3.[18] 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.[19] 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 was followed by huge incidents after the game, with numerous wounded ultras and policemen.[20][21][22][23] Week before the end, FK Sutjeska won the title - fourth in team's history. At the same time, Nikola Rakojević 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. 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.[24] 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.[25] 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 Iskra and FK Zeta qualified for European competitions, too. Last-placed OFK Grbalj was directly relegated to Druga CFL and FK Kom after the playoff games against FK Jezero.[26]

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

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

Rivalries

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FK Budućnost supporters at Montenegrin Derby game
Main article: Montenegrin Derby

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,[27] 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, 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. 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, 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

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Champions

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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
0†0 League champions also won the Montenegrin Cup.
Season Champions Runners up Third place
2006–07 Zeta (1) Budućnost Grbalj
2007–08 Budućnost (1) Zeta Mogren
2008–09 Mogren (1) Budućnost Sutjeska
2009–10 Rudar (1) Budućnost Mogren
2010–11 Mogren (2) Budućnost Rudar
2011–12 Budućnost (2) Rudar Zeta
2012–13 Sutjeska (1) Budućnost Čelik
2013–14 Sutjeska (2) Lovćen Čelik
2014–15 Rudar (2) Sutjeska Budućnost
2015–16 Mladost (1) Budućnost Rudar
2016–17 Budućnost (3) Zeta Mladost
2017–18 Sutjeska (3) Budućnost Mladost
2018–19 Sutjeska (4) Budućnost Zeta
2019–20 Budućnost (4) Sutjeska Iskra
2020–21 Budućnost (5) Sutjeska Dečić
2021–22 Sutjeska (5) Budućnost Dečić
2022–23 Budućnost (6) Sutjeska Arsenal
2023–24 Dečić (1) Mornar Budućnost

Performance by club

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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 is the only team which finished as a runner-up but never won any title.

Club City Champions Runners-up Winning years
FK Budućnost Podgorica
6
9
 2007–08, 2011–12, 2016–17, 2019–20, 2020–21, 2022–23
FK Sutjeska Nikšić
5
4
 2012–13, 2013–14, 2017–18, 2018–19, 2021–22
FK Rudar Pljevlja
2
1
 2009–10, 2014–15
FK Mogren Budva
2
-
 2008–09, 2010–11
FK Zeta Golubovci
1
2
 2006–07
OFK Titograd Podgorica
1
-
 2015–16
FK Dečić Tuzi
1
-
 2023–24
FK Lovćen Cetinje
-
1
FK Mornar Bar
-
1

Top scorers

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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 (28) during the season 2009–10. In two seasons, two players were joint top-scorers. Žarko Korać and Admir Adrović 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 and Zeta.

Season Top scorer(s) Club Goals
2006–07 Montenegro Damir Čakar
Montenegro Žarko Korać 		Rudar
Zeta 		16
2007–08 Montenegro Ivan Jablan Lovćen 13
2008–09 Montenegro Fatos Bećiraj Budućnost 18
2009–10 Montenegro Ivan Bošković Grbalj 28
2010–11 Montenegro Ivan Vuković Budućnost 20
2011–12 Montenegro Admir Adrović Budućnost 22
2012–13 Montenegro Admir Adrović
Montenegro Žarko Korać 		Budućnost
Zeta 		15
2013–14 Montenegro Stefan Mugoša FK Mladost Podgorica 15
2014–15 Montenegro Goran Vujović Sutjeska 21
2015–16 Montenegro Marko Šćepanović FK Mladost Podgorica 19
2016–17 Montenegro Zoran Petrović FK Mladost Podgorica 14
2017–18 Montenegro Igor Ivanović Sutjeska 14
2018–19 Montenegro Nikola Krstović Zeta 17
2019–20 Montenegro Marko Ćetković Sutjeska 10
2020–21 Montenegro Božo Marković Sutjeska 16
2021–22 Montenegro Adnan Bašić Petrovac 14
2022–23 Netherlands Tyrone Conraad Sutjeska 26
2023–24 Montenegro Žarko Korać Jedinstvo 18

Players and managers

[edit]

Players

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Appearances

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Ivan Novović, with 444 appearances, is the most capped player in the history of the league.

Rank Player Club(s) Games First Last
1 Montenegro Ivan Novović Zeta, OFK Titograd, Dečić, Budućnost 444 2007–08 2023–24
2 Montenegro Miroje Jovanović OFK Titograd, Kom, Rudar, Iskra 420 2006–07 2020–21
3 Montenegro Milan Đurišić Budućnost, OFK Titograd, Lovćen, Iskra 418 2006–07 2021–22
4 Montenegro Draško Božović Budućnost, Mogren, OFK Titograd, Lovćen, Sutjeska, Rudar, Dečić 411 2006–07 2023–24
5 Montenegro Luka Mirković Lovćen, OFK Titograd, Budućnost 409 2008–09 2023–24

As of the end of 2023–24 season.
First = First season in Prva CFL; Last = Last season in Prva CFL
Sources:[28][29][30][10][31][32][33][34][35][36][37][38]

Goalscorers

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Since the foundation of Prva CFL, most goals in competition scored Admir Adrović. Playing for six teams, he scored overall 110 goals. Below is a list of the 5 best all-time goalscorers.

Rank Player Club(s) Goals Games First Last
1 Montenegro Žarko Korać Zeta, Grbalj, Jedinstvo 121 222 2006–07 2023–24
2 Montenegro Admir Adrović Berane, Sutjeska, Budućnost, OFK Titograd, Dečić, Podgorica 110 303 2006–07 2021–22
3 Montenegro Ivan Vuković Budućnost, OFK Titograd, Grbalj, Iskra 95 287 2006–07 2021–22
4 Montenegro Božo Marković Sutjeska, OFK Titograd, Dečić, Mornar 83 308 2009–10 2023–24
5 Montenegro Ivan Jablan Petrovac, Lovćen, Grbalj 76 298 2006–07 2018–19

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:[28][29][30][10][31][32][33][34][35][36][37][38]

Goalkeepers

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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.

Rank Goalkeeper Season Club Minutes
1 Montenegro Vladan Giljen 2017–18 Sutjeska 1019
2 Montenegro Mileta Radulović 2012–13 Grbalj 845
3 Montenegro Mladen Božović 2006–07 Budućnost 795

Managers

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During the history, 13 managers have won the title of Montenegrin First League champions. Among them, Nikola Rakojević won three titles. Dragan Radojičić, Mladen Milinković and Dejan Vukićević did it twice. Rakojević and Radojičić are the managers which won more than one title with the same team (both with FK Sutjeska).

Manager Club(s) Wins Winning years
Montenegro Nikola Rakojević OFK Titograd, Sutjeska 3 2015–16, 2017–18, 2018–19
Montenegro Dragan Radojičić Sutjeska 2 2012–13, 2013–14
Montenegro Dejan Vukićević Zeta, Mogren 2 2006–07, 2008–09
Serbia Mladen Milinković Budućnost 2 2019–20, 2020–21
Serbia Branko Babić Budućnost 1 2007–08
Montenegro Miodrag Radulović Budućnost 1 2011–12
Montenegro Miodrag Vukotić Budućnost 1 2016–17
Serbia Nebojša Vignjević Rudar 1 2009–10
Montenegro Mirko Marić Rudar 1 2014–15
Montenegro Branislav Milačić Mogren 1 2010–11
Montenegro Milija Savović Sutjeska 1 2021–22
Montenegro Miodrag Džudović Budućnost 1 2022–23
Montenegro Milorad Peković Dečić 1 2023–24

Awards

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Every year, Football Association of Montenegro 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.

All time tables

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Montenegrin clubs in Yugoslav First League (1946–2006)

[edit]
Main article: Montenegrin clubs in Yugoslav football competitions (1946–2006)

In period from 1946 to 2006, Montenegrin clubs played in the First league of SFR Yugoslavia (1946–1992), FR Yugoslavia (1992–2001) and Serbia and Montenegro (2001–2006). Below is the list of all matches and seasons by every single club in the First league from 1946 until 2006.

Club Town Season First Last Pld W D L GD Pts
Budućnost Podgorica 37 1946–47 2005–06 1152 386 266 500 1274:1625 1424
Sutjeska Nikšić 20 1964–65 2004–05 671 217 136 318 776:1029 787
Zeta Golubovci 6 2000–01 2005–06 188 83 34 71 269:250 283
Rudar Pljevlja 6 1993–94 2002–03 206 66 41 99 217:277 239
Mogren Budva 5 1993–94 2002–03 170 44 35 91 171:289 167
Kom Podgorica 1 2003–04 2003–04 30 4 2 24 21:67 14
Jedinstvo Bijelo Polje 1 2005–06 2005–06 30 3 2 25 18:72 11

Prva CFL (2006–present)

[edit]

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.

Rank
Club
Town
Ssn
First
Last
Pld
W
D
L
GD
Pts
HF
1 Budućnost Podgorica 18 06–07 23–24 610 354 147 109 1043:517 1209 1st
2 Sutjeska Nikšić 18 06–07 23–24 610 279 169 153 836:565 1006 1st
3 Rudar Pljevlja 18 06–07 23–24 610 245 144 221 720:656 879 1st
4 Zeta Golubovci 16 06–07 21–22 538 221 143 174 670:573 805 1st
5 Petrovac Petrovac 18 06–07 23–24 610 181 182 237 631:807 725 5th
6 Grbalj Radanovići 14 06–07 19–20 466 165 134 167 550:518 629 3rd
7 Dečić Tuzi 14 06–07 23–24 477 148 131 198 478:589 575 3rd
8 Titograd Podgorica 13 06–07 20–21 436 148 120 168 488:516 564 1st
9 Mogren Budva 9 06–07 14–15 297 132 73 93 402:335 469 1st
10 Lovćen Cetinje 11 07–08 18–19 366 122 91 153 362:428 457 2nd
11 Mornar Bar 10 09–10 23–24 342 96 86 160 314:483 373 2nd
12 Iskra Danilovgrad 8 15–16 22–23 277 92 81 104 289:321 357 3rd
13 Jezero Plav 5 08–09 23–24 177 59 43 75 176:218 220 5th
14 Kom Podgorica 6 06–07 19–20 199 50 51 98 178:273 201 7th
15 Jedinstvo Bijelo Polje 6 06–07 23–24 204 46 54 104 192:331 192 5th
16 Bokelj Kotor 5 07–08 16–17 165 49 39 77 154:202 186 4th
17 Podgorica Podgorica 3 19–20 21–22 103 31 33 39 111:126 126 4th
18 Čelik Nikšić 2 12–13 13–14 66 30 17 19 88:63 107 3rd
19 Berane Berane 4 06–07 14–15 132 26 22 84 110:229 100 11th
20 Arsenal Tivat 2 22–23 23–24 72 22 26 24 82:117 92 3rd
21 Mladost DG Podgorica 1 23–24 23–24 36 9 7 20 37:59 34 9th
22 Bar Bar 1 10–11 10–11 33 7 11 15 30:43 32 12th
23 Otrant Ulcinj 1 24–25 24–25 0 0 0 0 - 0 Debut
League or status for 2024–25 season
2024–25 Montenegrin First League
2024–25 Montenegrin Second League
2024–25 Montenegrin Third League
No longer exists

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

[edit]
Club 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24
Arsenal - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 3 7
Bar - - - - 12 - - †
Berane 12 - - 11 - 11 - - 12 - - - - - - - - -
Bokelj - 10 - - - 12 - - 8 4 10 - - - - - - -
Budućnost 2 1 2 2 2 1 2 4 3 2 1 2 2 1 1 2 1 3
Čelik - - - - - - 3 3 - - - - - - - - - -
Dečić 10 7 11 9 6 10 - 12 - 6 5 10 - - 3 3 4 1
Grbalj 3 4 4 5 7 9 4 7 5 7 7 4 6 10 - - - -
Iskra - - - - - - - - - 10 6 7 5 3 8 4 10 -
Jedinstvo 11 - 12 - - - 12 - - - 12 - - - - - 5 8
Jezero - - 10 - - - - - - - - - - - 5 6 7 5
Kom 7 9 8 12 - - - - - - - 8 - 9 - - - -
Lovćen - 6 7 6 8 6 9 2 6 9 11 - 9 - - - - -
Mladost DG ∅ - - - - 9
Mogren 5 3 1 3 1 4 10 10 11 - - †
Mornar - - - 10 10 - 11 11 10 12 - - 10 - - 5 8 2
Petrovac 6 8 6 8 9 5 7 5 7 11 9 9 7 6 9 7 6 6
Podgorica ∅ - - - - 5 4 9 - -
Rudar 4 5 5 1 3 2 5 6 1 3 8 5 8 7 7 8 9 10
Sutjeska 8 11 3 7 11 8 1 1 2 5 4 1 1 2 2 1 2 4
Titograd 9 12 - - 5 7 6 9 4 1 3 3 4 8 10 - - -
Zeta 1 2 9 4 4 3 8 8 9 8 2 6 3 4 6 10 - -

Relegation and promotion

[edit]

At the end of every season, the last placed team are relegated to the Montenegrin Second League, 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

[edit]
See also: Montenegrin Second League Winners

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.

Year Directly relegated Directly promoted
2007 FK Berane FK Lovćen
2008 FK Mladost Podgorica FK Jezero
2009 FK Jedinstvo FK Berane
2010 FK Kom FK Mladost Podgorica
2011 OFK Bar FK Bokelj
2012 FK Bokelj FK Čelik
2013 FK Jedinstvo FK Dečić
2014 FK Dečić FK Bokelj
2015 FK Berane FK Iskra
2016 FK Mornar FK Jedinstvo
2017 FK Jedinstvo FK Kom
2018 FK Dečić FK Mornar
2019 FK Mornar FK Podgorica
2020 OFK Grbalj FK Dečić
2021 OFK Titograd FK Mornar
2022 FK Zeta FK Jedinstvo
2023 FK Iskra OFK Mladost DG
2024 FK Rudar FK Bokelj

Playoffs

[edit]
Main article: Montenegrin First League playoffs

Montenegrin First League playoffs is a two legs tournament between the teams from Montenegrin First League which above direct relegation, and the teams from Montenegrin Second League which below the direct promotion. Below is the list of playoffs participants by every single season.

0†0 Playoffs winners.
Season First League Participants Second League Participants
2007 FK Dečić FK Jedinstvo FK Bokelj FK Ibar
2008 FK Sutjeska FK Bokelj FK Jedinstvo FK Čelik
2009 FK Dečić FK Jezero FK Mornar OFK Titograd
2010 FK Berane FK Mornar FK Bratstvo OFK Bar
2011 FK Sutjeska FK Mornar FK Berane FK Jedinstvo
2012 FK Dečić FK Berane FK Mornar FK Jedinstvo
2013 FK Mogren FK Mornar FK Bokelj FK Zabjelo
2014 FK Mogren FK Mornar FK Berane FK Jezero
2015 FK Mornar FK Mogren FK Dečić OFK Igalo
2016 FK Iskra OFK Petrovac FK Cetinje FK Bratstvo
2017 OFK Petrovac FK Rudar FK Otrant FK Ibar
2018 FK Kom OFK Petrovac FK Podgorica FK Lovćen
2019 FK Rudar FK Lovćen FK Kom FK Bokelj
2020 OFK Titograd FK Kom FK Jezero FK Bokelj
2021 FK Iskra OFK Petrovac FK Arsenal FK Igalo
2022 FK Rudar FK Podgorica FK Arsenal OFK Mladost DG
2023 FK Mornar FK Rudar FK Kom FK Berane
2024 FK Jedinstvo OFK Mladost DG FK Otrant FK Podgorica

Records and statistics

[edit]

Champions

[edit]

Records by seasons

[edit]

Runs

[edit]
  • Longest unbeaten run: 23 matches, Budućnost, 22 September 2020 - 20 March 2021, season 2020–21
  • Longest run without win: 30 matches, OFK Titograd, 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
  • 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, 15 September 2012 - 6 October 2012, season 2012–13; Grbalj, 13 October 2012 - 10 November 2012, season 2012–13

Single game

[edit]

Attendance

[edit]

Attendance by season

[edit]
Season Avg Overall M H CH CL
2006–07 1,178 229,800 195 10,000 Budućnost (2,470) Petrovac (477)
2007–08 1,064 205,400 193 9,000 Budućnost (4,250) OFK Titograd (281)
2008–09 1,101 216,850 197 6,000 Budućnost (4,117) Petrovac (364)
2009–10 1,105 215,550 195 8,000 Budućnost (2,623) Kom (297)
2010–11 851 167,600 197 4,000 Budućnost (2,058) Grbalj (335)
2011–12 873 169,350 194 5,000 Budućnost (2,607) Petrovac (276)
2012–13 871 165,400 190 7,000 Sutjeska (2,529) Petrovac (281)
2013–14 746 143,300 192 4,500 Sutjeska (2,230) Grbalj (313)
2014–15 656 127,150 194 4,000 Rudar (1,512) Mogren (256)
2015–16 693 137,150 198 4,000 Budućnost (1,195) Grbalj (288)
2016–17 883 171,300 194 5,000 Budućnost (2,015) Grbalj (354)
2017–18 707 123,800 175 4,000 Rudar (1,233) Grbalj (283)
2018–19 513 92,300 180 3,500 Budućnost (1,067) Mornar (206)
2019–20 580 66,700 115 3,000 Budućnost (1,050) Grbalj (259)
2020–21 Without attendance due to the coronavirus pandemic
2021–22 548[53] 98,600 180 3,000 Budućnost (1,056) Jezero (317)
2022–23 786 133,600 170 4,000 Budućnost (1,489) Jezero (427)
2023–24 679 118,100 174 5,000 Budućnost (1,513) Mladost DG (333)
2024–25 735 54,400 74 2,500 Sutjeska (1,300) Jezero (317)

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)

[edit]
Main article: 2024–25 Montenegrin First League

The 2024–25 Montenegrin First League is the 19th season of top-tier football in Montenegro. FK Dečić 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.

Club
 City Founded Position
in 2022–23 		Seasons in
top division 		First season in
top division 		Stadium Floodlights
Arsenal Tivat 1914 7th 3 2022–23 Stadion u parku (2,000) No
Bokelj Kotor 1922 1st in 2. CFL 6 2007–08 Stadion Pod Vrmcem (1,000) Yes
Budućnost Podgorica 1925 3rd 56 1946–47 Stadion pod Goricom (15,230) Yes
Dečić Tuzi 1926 1st 15 2006–07 Stadion Tuško Polje (2,000) Yes
Jedinstvo Bijelo Polje 1922 8th 8 2005–06 Gradski Stadion (4,000) Yes
Jezero Plav 1934 5th 6 2008–09 Stadion Pod Racinom (2,500) No
Mornar Bar 1923 8th 11 2009–10 Stadion Topolica (2,500) Yes
Otrant Ulcinj 1921 2nd in 2. CFL 1 2024–25 Stadion Olympic (1,500) No
Petrovac Petrovac 1969 6th 19 2006–07 Stadion pod Malim brdom (1,630) Yes
Sutjeska Nikšić 1920 4th 39 1964–65 Stadion kraj Bistrice (5,214) Yes

Seasons in top division - including the season 2024-25.

Montenegrin clubs in European football competitions

[edit]

History

[edit]
Main article: Montenegrin clubs in European football competitions

Montenegrin football clubs have played in four UEFA competitions - the UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League (formerly UEFA Cup) and Intertoto Cup.
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 in 2019–20.
FK Zeta had the best performances in the UEFA Europa League: reaching the playoffs, and OFK Titograd, FK Budućnost and FK Sutjeska which played in Round 3.
FK Mornar and FK Dečić 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.

Team Seasons G W D L GD Pts
FK Budućnost Podgorica
20
65
21
13
31
79:95
76
FK Sutjeska Nikšić
12
37
5
12
20
22:50
27
OFK Titograd
6
20
6
5
9
18:34
23
FK Zeta Golubovci
10
28
6
5
17
25:56
23
FK Mogren Budva
4
12
5
1
6
15:24
16
FK Rudar Pljevlja
8
20
3
5
12
13:33
14
FK Dečić Tuzi
3
10
2
3
5
8:12
9
FK Mornar Bar
1
6
2
2
2
7:9
8
OFK Grbalj Radanovići
2
6
1
2
3
8:10
5
FK Podgorica
1
2
1
0
1
1:3
3
OFK Petrovac
1
4
1
0
3
5:10
3
FK Čelik Nikšić
3
8
0
2
6
6:36
2
FK Iskra Danilovgrad
1
2
0
1
1
0:1
1
FK Lovćen Cetinje
1
2
0
1
1
0:1
1
FK Arsenal Tivat
1
2
0
1
1
2:7
1
FK Bokelj Kotor
1
2
0
1
1
1:6
1
OVERALL
226
53
54
119
210:387
213

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, former regional football competition (1960-1994). Teams from Montenegro which played in Balkans Cup were FK Budućnost Podgorica and FK Sutjeska Nikšić. Biggest success made FK Budućnost, who played in the final 1991, after eliminated Galatasaray SK.

UEFA rankings

[edit]
Main article: Montenegrin First League Rankings (2008-)

UEFA Country Ranking for league participation in 2026–27 European football season (Previous year rank in italics)

Logo and sponsorships

[edit]

Official logo and equipment

[edit]

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, Montenegrin Second League and youth leagues.[54]

The official ball of the competition is produced under the Derbystar brand, while the official equipment of referees is a product of Legea.

Sponsorships

[edit]

Name of the competition

[edit]

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.

Broadcasting rights

[edit]

Since the foundation of the competition, official broadcaster of First Montenegrin League matches is the national television station of Montenegro - RTCG. Matches of 1. CFL are directly broadcasting at RTCG channel 2, with most important matches on satellite programming.

From season 2017–18, broadcaster of matches is regional group Arena Sport. Every weekend, one game is broadcast live on Arena Sport channel.[55]
Since season 2018–19, some games of Prva CFL are broadcast by cable-network channel MNE Sport TV.[citation needed]

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Traume odrastanja crnogorskog fudbala". Vijesti.me. Retrieved 17 September 2017.
  2. ^ "FUDBAL U CRNOJ GORI DO DRUGOG SVJETSKOG RATA (I): Lovćen – prvi fudbalski klub". Monitor.co.me. 15 June 2012. Retrieved 19 January 2017.
  3. ^ "BARinfo - Naši klubovi drugačijeg imena". Barinfo.me. Archived from the original on 6 August 2017. Retrieved 19 January 2017.
  4. ^ "Zeta prvi šampion Crne Gore". B92.net (in Serbian). Retrieved 17 September 2017.
  5. ^ "Budućnost dobila, prekid u Beranama". B92.net.
  6. ^ "FSCG: Zeta - Budućnost 0:3". B92.net.
  7. ^ "Deset godina od istorijske titule Budućnosti". 17 May 2018.
  8. ^ "T-Com 1. CFL (33. kolo) - Mogren šampion!". FSCG.me.
  9. ^ "Rudar novi šampion Crne Gore". B92.net.
  10. ^ a b c "Table" (PDF). fscg.me. 2010. Retrieved 19 October 2020.
  11. ^ "T-Com 1.CFL (33.kolo) - Mogren šampion!". FSCG.me.
  12. ^ "Budućnost šampion!- Najnovije vijesti iz Pljevalja | - Najnovije vijesti iz Pljevalja". 26 May 2012.
  13. ^ "Fešta kraj Bistrice: Sutjeska šampion prvi put u istoriji". Vijesti.me. 1 June 2013.
  14. ^ "Remi Sutjeske i Lovćena, Nikšićani nadomak titule". Vijesti.me. 24 May 2014.
  15. ^ "Rudar šampion- Najnovije vijesti iz Pljevalja | - Najnovije vijesti iz Pljevalja". 30 May 2015.
  16. ^ "CRNA GORA: Mladost šampion!". Sport Klub SR. 15 May 2016.
  17. ^ Fudbal, C. G. (21 April 2017). "Vlaisavljević: Nije kažnjena Zeta, nego crnogorski reprezentativci • CG-Fudbal".
  18. ^ "Prekinuto pod Goricom, Budućnost gubi titulu?". Vijesti.me. 20 May 2017.
  19. ^ Vukotić, Danilo (21 April 2018). "Sutjeska novi šampion Crne Gore" [June the new Champion of Montenegro]. FSCG.me (in Croatian).
  20. ^ "Uznemirujuće: Krvave glave kao epilog fudbalskog derbija u Nikšiću". Vijesti.me. 3 April 2019.
  21. ^ "Ekskluzivno: Pogledajte kako je počeo incident u Nikšiću". 4 April 2019.
  22. ^ "Sukob Varvara i policije, povrijeđeno šest policajaca". 3 April 2019.
  23. ^ "Varvari: Policijaci su nam rekli da će nas sve u tamnicu poslati". 3 April 2019.
  24. ^ "Saopštenje sa X sjednice Izvršnog odbora". FSCG.me.
  25. ^ "Saopštenje Izvršnog odbora - 07.07.2020". FSCG.me.
  26. ^ "Izvršni odbor FSCG odlučio: Završena sezona, trenutni plasman je i konačan | FOS Media".
  27. ^ "1932-1933". Exyufudbal.in.rs. Archived from the original on 4 June 2018. Retrieved 17 September 2017.
  28. ^ a b "Table" (PDF). fscg.me. 2007. Retrieved 19 October 2020.
  29. ^ a b "Table" (PDF). fscg.me. 2008. Retrieved 19 October 2020.
  30. ^ a b "Table" (PDF). fscg.me. 2009. Retrieved 19 October 2020.
  31. ^ a b "Table" (PDF). fscg.me. 2011. Retrieved 19 October 2020.
  32. ^ a b "Table" (PDF). fscg.me. 2012. Retrieved 19 October 2020.
  33. ^ a b "Almanah Fudbalskog Saveza Crne Gore 2012/2013" [Almanac of the Football Federation of Montenegro 2012/2013] (PDF) (in Bosnian). Retrieved 13 March 2020.
  34. ^ a b "Table" (PDF). fscg.me. 2014. Retrieved 19 October 2020.
  35. ^ a b "Table" (PDF). fscg.me. 2015. Retrieved 19 October 2020.
  36. ^ a b "Table" (PDF). fscg.me. 2016. Retrieved 19 October 2020.
  37. ^ a b "Table" (PDF). fscg.me. 2017. Retrieved 19 October 2020.
  38. ^ a b "Table" (PDF). fscg.me. 2017. Retrieved 19 October 2020.
  39. ^ a b "Vučinić i Vujović najbolji u CG". B92.net. Retrieved 17 September 2017.
  40. ^ a b "FSCG: Vukićević, Vuković i Jovetić". B92.net. Retrieved 17 September 2017.
  41. ^ a b "Mirko Vučinić fudbaler godine". Vijesti.me. Retrieved 17 September 2017.
  42. ^ "Bošković: Drago mi je da ljudi prepoznaju kvalitet". Vijesti.me. Retrieved 17 September 2017.
  43. ^ a b "Vučinić, Igumanović i Bubanja". Vijesti.me. Retrieved 17 September 2017.
  44. ^ a b "FSCG: Mirko Vučinić fudbaler godine". Portalanalitika.me. Retrieved 17 September 2017.
  45. ^ a b "Baša: Najdraži trofej u karijeri". Vijesti.me. Retrieved 17 September 2017.
  46. ^ a b "FSCG: Jovetić i Šćepanović najbolji u 2015. godini - FK Mladost". Fkmladost.me. 29 December 2015. Retrieved 17 September 2017.
  47. ^ a b "FSCG izabrao: Savić ubjedljivo najbolji, Rakojević trener godine - fudbal - pvinformer.me". pvinformer.me. Archived from the original on 29 November 2018. Retrieved 17 September 2017.
  48. ^ a b "Stefan Savić najbolji fudbaler Crne Gore". fscg.me. Retrieved 1 January 2018.
  49. ^ a b "Info". fscg.me. 2018. Retrieved 19 October 2020.
  50. ^ a b "Info". fscg.me. 2019. Retrieved 19 October 2020.
  51. ^ "Radojičić: Potrudiću se da opravdam povjerenje". Vijesti.me. Retrieved 17 September 2017.
  52. ^ "Portal Analitika - najvažnije vijesti iz Crne Gore i svijeta".
  53. ^ Capacity reduced to third due to coronavirus pandemic
  54. ^ "Predstavljeni amblemi fudbalskih takmičenja". FSCG.me (in Croatian). Retrieved 19 October 2020.
  55. ^ "Mečevi CFL-a od subote na Areni sport?". Vijestime. Retrieved 17 September 2017.
[edit]
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