The Tunisian Ligue Professionnelle 1, formerly known as the Tunisian National Championship (1955–1994), is the highest-level football competition in Tunisia and is organised by the Tunisian Football Federation (FTF) and the National Professional Football League (LNFP). The history of the competition is somewhat complex, with the first edition being held in 1907 during the French protectorate in Tunisia, organised by the Union des Sociétés Françaises de Sports Athlétiques (USFSA), it was played in a knockout format and the first official match taking place on 9 June 1907. In 1921, the Tunisian Football Association League was founded. It is the Tunisian branch of the French Football Federation and a member of the North African Football League, which remained in operation until independence in 1956.

On 29 March 1957, the Tunisian Football Federation was founded, the official governing body for football championships in Tunisia. The Tunisian Championship became professional in the 1994–95 season following the establishment of the National Professional Football League, and the competition took its current name. Espérance Sportive de Tunis is the club that has won the title the most with 34 titles, the last of which was in the 2024–25 season. Coach Faouzi Benzarti has won the tournament on a record ten occasions with Espérance de Tunis (5), Étoile du Sahel (4) and Club Africain (1), while Khalil Chemmam has won it twelve times, the most successful player, all with Espérance de Tunis.

The top two teams in the standings automatically qualify for the CAF Champions League, and the third-place team automatically qualifies for the CAF Confederation Cup, while the Tunisian Football Federation selects the clubs that qualify for the Arab Club Champions Cup. The Tunisian Ligue Professionnelle 1 ranked first in the Arab world and Africa, and fifteenth globally, according to the 2019 IFFHS rankings.

History Pre-independence (1904–1956) Football was born in Tunisia in 1904 with the unofficial creation of the Racing Club de Tunis, formalized in 1905 but which had to wait for the creation of other clubs in Tunis and Bizerte to participate in an official competition. Then the government is obliged to take an active interest in it. It distributed a few grants, though very small. A committee of the Union des Sociétés Françaises de Sports Athlétiques, responsible for the management of all sports in Tunisia, was then created. In 1910, a first series championship was organized with the participation of the Racing Club, Sporting Club de Tunis, Lycée Carnot de Tunis, the Colonial School of Agriculture, the Football Club of Tunis and the Red Star Club de l'Ariana, and a second series made up of the second teams of Racing Club de Tunis, Sporting and Gallia Club. The national title is awarded after a final between Racing and Stade maritime de Bizerte (champion of the Mediterranean squadrons) with a score of 2–0.

There are then very few Tunisian player. But, surprisingly, La Dépêche tunisienne published on 12 June 1910 the list of players of the Khereddine Club team, called to play against the Ariana Club and who are all Tunisians. It is the first fully Tunisian team but which we have not heard from later and which precedes the Comète Club team, created in 1914 but which did not survive the First World War. The Racing Club won the championship in 1909–10, 1910–11 and 1913–14, then in 1919–20 and 1920–21, while Sporting de Ferryville was crowned in 1911–12 and 1912–13. The championship became official with the creation of the Tunisian Football Association League in 1921 was established, which is the Tunisian branch of the French Football Federation. Until 1939, the title of champion was awarded following play-offs between regional champions. From 1946 to 1947, a championship of "excellence" (national division) is created and is contested at the national level. In 1944–45, 1945–46 and 1952–53, the championship was not contested and replaced by a criterium (a sort of group tournament where participation was not compulsory). These years saw the creation of the Stade Tunisien in 1948.

Post-independence (1956–present) Following Tunisia's independence on 20 March 1956, a profound reorganization of national football took place. The main clubs associated with French colonialism, such as Racing Club de Tunis, Sporting Club de Tunis, Stade gaulois, and Avant-garde, were dissolved. On 29 March 1957, the Tunisian Football Federation was founded, which has administered Tunisian football ever since, and the championship began to be played under its auspices. The first season after independence saw CS Hammam-Lif crowned champion, followed by Étoile Sportive du Sahel, Club Africain, and Espérance Sportive de Tunis. In the 1956–57 season, Stade Tunisien won its first title, while in 1957–58, Étoile du Sahel secured its second championship. Espérance won its first post-independence titles in the 1958–59 and 1959–60 seasons, quickly establishing itself as one of the dominant teams. In 1960, the Tunisian Super Cup was created. Stade Tunisien continued its winning streak, becoming champions in 1960–61 and 1961–62, and the first team to achieve the double (league and Tunisian Cup) after independence. However, a dramatic event marked this period: on 20 March 1961, President Habib Bourguiba ordered the dissolution of Étoile Sportive du Sahel due to riots instigated by its fans. After a year's absence, the club returned triumphantly in the 1962–63 season, winning both the league and the cup, thus achieving its second double of the independent era.

During the 1960s, Club Africain won its first post-independence titles in 1963–64 and 1966–67. Stade Tunisien added another championship in 1964–65, consolidating its dominance in this decade with four titles. Étoile du Sahel was crowned champion again in 1965–66, while Sfax Railway Sport achieved its first post-independence title in 1967–68, following its victories in 1933–34 and 1952–53. The 1968–69 season marked the first championship for CS Sfaxien, securing the second consecutive title for the city of Sfax. The 1970s began with Espérance's fourth title in 1969–70. CS Sfaxien won its second post-independence championship in 1970–71, while Étoile du Sahel won in 1971–72. Club Africain secured two consecutive titles in 1972–73 and 1973–74, and Espérance added three more championships in 1974–75, 1975–76, and 1981–82. A notable event was the 1976–77 coronation of JS Kairouan, breaking the dominance of the larger clubs. CS Sfaxien won in 1977–78, a season in which the Tunisian Cup could not be completed due to the national team's participation in the 1978 FIFA World Cup. Club Africain closed out the decade with two consecutive titles in 1978–79 and 1979–80 seasons.

The 1980s were characterized by the alternating title wins of the four major Tunisian football clubs. CS Sfaxien won his fourth and fifth title in 1980–81 and 1982–83, while Espérance de Tunis dominated with four titles in 1981–82, 1984–85, 1987–88, and 1988–89, achieving their tenth championship. Étoile Sportive du Sahel secured three consecutive or nearly consecutive titles in 1985–86 and 1986–87, reaching their seventh championship. CA Bizertin won their fourth title in 1983–84, demonstrating that other teams could also compete for the title. Club Africain closed out the decade with their ninth championship in 1989–90.

Media coverage

On 31 July 2015, the Tunisian Football Federation announced the sale of the TV rights of the championship to the company B4 Production for three seasons, starting from the 2015–16 season. The latter obtains the exclusivity of these rights concerning the Gulf and Maghreb countries, while maintaining the rights of the Al-Kass Sports Channel for the 2015–16 season and without questioning the rights of the El Watania 1, El Watania 2 and Hannibal TV channels in 2023, Diwan FM started broadcasting games on a new sports channel named Diwan Sport. to also broadcast the matches of the Championship and the Tunisian Cup.

The federation and national television seal on 6 October 2016 an agreement on television rights for three seasons. Under the agreement, worth 13 million dinars, or 4.5 million per season, national television will be able to broadcast live four matches of each day of the championship. This agreement concerns the 2016–17, 2017–18 and 2018–19 seasons and makes national television the exclusive broadcaster in Tunisian Ligue Professionnelle 1matches and the only television authorized to film all the matches of the week. Broadcasting rights Tunisian Ligue Professionnelle 1 Media Coverage Country Television Channel MatchesAl-Kass Sports Channel Main MatchesEl Watania 1El Watania 2Diwan Sport All Matches

Trophy

According to the competition regulations, the Tunisian Football Federation adopts a new championship trophy every time a club wins the title for three consecutive seasons. Five cups have been adopted in the history of the competition since independence. The first trophy, a lion stretching out on a tree trunk, was adopted in the 1957-58 season, the first season organized by the Tunisian Football Federation. The first team to hoist it was Étoile Sportive du Sahel, and many other teams have won it, including Espérance Sportive de Tunis, Stade Tunisien, Étoile Sportive du Sahel, Club Africain, CS Sfaxien, Sfax RS, and JS Kairouan.

It remained in use until the 1999–2000 season, after Espérance Sportive de Tunis won the championship for three consecutive seasons. The second trophy is a cup in the shape of an open-winged eagle standing on a football, mounted on a green marble base, and imported from Italy. Remarkably, Espérance Sportive de Tunis is the only team to have hoisted this cup and retained it so early, having won the championship for three consecutive seasons. The third trophy, also in the form of a closed-winged eagle centered on a wooden base, was imported from Italy and has been used since the 2003–04 season. It was first worn by Espérance Sportive de Tunis and won by other teams, including Étoile Sportive du Sahel, CS Sfaxien, and Club Africain. Espérance Sportive de Tunis retained it after winning the championship for three consecutive seasons.

The fourth trophy, an iron pole with a bronze football and two iron handles on top, was imported from France and adopted since the 2011–12 season. It was first worn by Espérance Sportive de Tunis and won by other teams, including Étoile Sportive du Sahel, CS Sfaxien, and Club Africain. Espérance Sportive de Tunis retained it after winning the championship for three consecutive seasons. The fifth emblem, adopted since the 2019–20 season, is an eagle with outstretched wings. This emblem is distinguished by its Tunisian design and manufacture. It weighs 17 kg, is 14 cm thick, is 50 cm long, and is 88 cm wide. The trophy is made of bronze and coated in 18-karat gold.

Format As the 2025–26 season, the Tunisian Ligue Professionnelle 1 consists of sixteen clubs, each playing each other home and away. The champion is the team with the most points after the 30 matchdays. At the end of the season, the champion and runner-up qualify for the CAF Champions League, the third-placed team and the winner of the Tunisian Cup qualify for the CAF Confederation Cup, and the bottom three teams are relegated to Tunisian Ligue Professionnelle 2 the following year. The standings are calculated using the following points system: a win is worth three points, a draw one point, and a loss earns no points.

In the event of a tie, the following tiebreakers are used:

Higher head-to-head record; Higher goal difference in head-to-head record; Higher goal difference overall; Higher number of goals scored. Fair Play Ranking; Play-off match between the two teams.

Qualification for African competitions

Association ranking for the 2025–26 CAF club season