Prime Premier League (), formerly known as the Syrian Premier League, is a professional association football league in Syria and the top division of the Syrian football league system. The league comprises 16 teams and operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the Syrian League 1st Division. The league was founded in 1966 and, as of 2025, operates under a new name and branding as part of a wider restructuring and modernization process.
The first team to win the title was Al-Ittihad Ahli in 1967, whilst Al-Jaish has the record with 17 league titles. Their closest rivals, Al-Karamah, have won the league 8 times.
In the beginning, the main tournament was the first division, then the Syrian Football Association developed the competition in a historic step that allowed the participation of foreign players to turn the competition into a professional league.
Competition format The Prime Premier League consists of 16 teams competing throughout the football season under a full league system. The competition is played in a double round-robin format, in which each team faces every other team twice—once at home and once away—resulting in 30 matches per team per season.
Teams are awarded three points for a win, one point for a draw, and no points for a loss, in accordance with international football regulations. League standings are determined by total points accumulated, with goal difference, goals scored, and head-to-head results used as tie-breaking criteria when teams are level on points.
The club finishing at the top of the table at the end of the season is crowned Prime Premier League champion. At the lower end of the table, relegation to the Syrian First Division is applied to the lowest ranked teams, while promotion is granted to the top-performing clubs from the second tier, subject to regulations set by the Syrian Football Association. In exceptional seasons, promotion and relegation rules may be modified.
Number of teams Teams Seasons 20 2015–16 18 2012–13 until 2014–15 16 2011–12, 2016–17 15 1978–79 until 1979–80, 2003–04 14 1994–95 until 2000–01, 2004–05 until 2010–11, 2017–18 until 2021–22 13 1992–93, 2002–03 12 1975–76, 1981–82, 1984–85 until 1985–86, 1987–88 until 1991–92, 1993–94, 2022–23–present 11 1986–87 10 1969–70, 1972–73, 1976–77, 1983–84, 2001–02 9 1967–68 until 1968–69, 1974–75, 1982–83 8 1966–67
Qualification for Asian competitions
As of December 2025 Ranking Member AssociationClub Points Points20252018 2016201720182019202120222023/2420252917 -12 Syria5.3335.9332.0003.1331.7852.8901.4002.50014.174
Qualification criteria for 2022
At present, the winners of Prime Premier League qualify for the AFC Champions League play-off, and the league runners-up qualify for the AFC Cup group stage alongside the winners of Syrian Cup.
If the cup winners are also the league winners or runners-up, the third-placed team in the league qualifies for the AFC Cup group stage. The winners of the AFC Champions League and AFC Cup may earn an additional qualification for the subsequent season's AFC Champions League qualifying play-offs if they have not already qualified.
The number of places allocated to the Syrian clubs in AFC competitions is dependent upon the position the country holds in the AFC Club Competitions Ranking, which is calculated based upon the performance of teams in AFC competitions in the previous four years.
Current clubs (2025–26)
Stadiums and locations
Team Location Stadium CapacityAl-Wahda Damascus Al-Jalaa Stadium Al-Jaish Damascus Al-Fayhaa Stadium Al-Shorta Damascus Al-Jalaa Stadium Damascus Al-Ahli Damascus Al-Jalaa Stadium Al-Ittihad Ahli Aleppo Al-Hamadaniah Stadium Al-Hurriya Aleppo Al-Hamadaniah Stadium Al-Karamah Homs Khalid ibn al-Walid Stadium Homs Al Fidaa Homs Khalid ibn al-Walid Stadium Al-Taliya Hama Hama Municipal Stadium Tishreen Latakia Latakia Municipal Stadium Hutteen Latakia Latakia Municipal Stadium Jableh Jableh Jableh Stadium Al-Fotuwa Deir ez-Zor Deir ez-Zor Municipal Stadium Al-Shouleh Daraa Sports City Stadium Omaya Idlib Idlib Municipal Stadium Khan Shaykhun Khan Shaykhun Idlib Municipal Stadium 1: Al-Karamah and Al-Wathba also use Homs Baba Amr Stadium (25,000 seats) as a home stadium.
List of seasons Champions so far are:
SeasonWinnerRunner-upThird Place1966–67Al-Ittihad AhliAl-FutowaBarada1967–68Al-Ittihad AhliAl-FutowaBarada1968–69BaradaAl-FutowaAl-Ittihad Ahli1969–70BaradaAl-FutowaAl-Ittihad Ahli1970–711971–721972–73Al-JaishAl-ShortaAl-Karamah1973–741974–75Al-KaramahAl-FutowaAl-Ittihad Ahli1975–76Al-JaishAl-ShortaAl-Karamah1976–77Al-Ittihad AhliAl-KaramahAl-Hurriya1977–781978–79Al-JaishAl-ShortaAl-Ittihad Ahli1979–80Al-ShortaAl-HurriyaAl-Ittihad Ahli1980–811981–82TishreenAl-WathbaAl-Ittihad Ahli1982–83Al-KaramahAl-Ittihad AhliAl-Futowa1983–84Al-KaramahJablehAl-Ittihad Ahli1984–85Al-JaishAl-KaramahJableh1985–86Al-JaishJablehAl-Futowa1986–87JablehAl-KaramahAl-Shorta1987–88JablehAl-Ittihad AhliAl-Futowa1988–89JablehAl-ShortaAl-Ittihad Ahli1989–90Al-FutowaAl-KaramahAl-Wathba1990–91Al-FutowaJablehAl-Shorta1991–92Al-HurriyaJablehAl-Ittihad Ahli1992–93Al-Ittihad AhliAl-KaramahAl-Hurriya1993–94Al-HurriyaJablehAl-Ittihad Ahli1994–95Al-Ittihad AhliAl-KaramahJableh1995–96Al-KaramahHutteenAl-Hurriya1996–97TishreenAl-JaishAl-Karamah1997–98Al-JaishAl-KaramahHutteen1998–99Al-JaishAl-KaramahAl-Wahda1999–00JablehHutteenTishreen2000–01Al-JaishAl-KaramahAl-Jihad2001–02Al-JaishAl-Ittihad AhliAl-Wahda2002–03Al-JaishAl-Ittihad AhliQardaha2003–04Al-WahdaAl-KaramahTishreen2004–05Al-Ittihad AhliAl-KaramahAl-Wahda2005–06Al-KaramahAl-JaishAl-Wahda2006–07Al-KaramahAl-Ittihad AhliTaliya2007–08Al-KaramahAl-MajdAl-Ittihad Ahli2008–09Al-KaramahAl-Ittihad AhliAl-Jaish2009–10Al-JaishAl-KaramahTishreen2010–112011–12Al-ShortaAl-JaishAl-Wahda2012–13Al-JaishAl-ShortaAl-Hurriya2013–14Al-WahdaAl-JaishAl-Muhafaza2014–15Al-JaishAl-WahdaAl-Shorta2015–16Al-JaishAl-WahdaAl-Ittihad Ahli2016–17Al-JaishTishreenAl-Wahda2017–18Al-JaishAl-Ittihad AhliAl-Wahda2018–19Al-JaishTishreenAl-Wahda2019–20TishreenAl-WathbaHutteen2020–21TishreenAl-JaishAl-Karamah2021–22TishreenAl-WathbaAl-Jaish2022–23Al-FotuwaAl-Ittihad AhliJableh2023–24Al-FotuwaJablehTishreen2024–25Al Ittihad AhliAl-KaramahHutteen2025–26Al Ittihad AhliHoms Al FidaaAl-Wahda
Performances Performance by club Club Winners Runners-up Third place Winning yearsAl-Jaish1972–73, 1975–76, 1978–79, 1984–85, 1985–86, 1997–98, 1998–99, 2000–01, 2001–02, 2002–03, 2009–10, 2012–13, 2014–15, 2015–16, 2016–17, 2017–18, 2018–19Al-Karamah1974–75, 1982–83, 1983–84, 1995–96, 2005–06, 2006–07, 2007–08, 2008–09Al-Ittihad Ahli1966–67, 1967–68, 1976–77, 1992–93, 1994–95, 2004–05, 2024–25, 2025–26Tishreen1981–82, 1996–97, 2019–20, 2020–21, 2021–22Jableh1986–87, 1987–88, 1988–89, 1999–2000Al-Futowa1989–90, 1990–91, 2022–23, 2023–24Al-Shorta1979–80, 2011–12Al-Wahda2003–04, 2013–14Al-Hurriya1991–92, 1993–94Barada1968–69, 1969–70
Performance by city City Winners Club(s)Damascus23Al-Jaish, Al-Shorta, Al-Wahda, BaradaAleppo10Al-Ittihad Ahli, Al-HurriyaHoms8Al-KaramahLatakia5TishreenJableh4JablehDeir ez-Zor4Al-Futowa
Doubles Five teams have won the double of the Syrian Premier League and the Syrian Cup in the same season. Club Number of titles Winning seasonsAl-Karamah1983, 1996, 2007, 2008, 2009Al-Jaish 1986, 1998, 2002, 2018Al-Fotuwa1990, 1991, 2024Al-Shorta1980Al-Hurriya1992
Records and statistics All seasons top goalscorers
All time top goalscorers
Boldface indicates a player still active in Syrian Premier League.
No.PlayerGoalsYears1Raja Rafeأفضل 4 مهاجمين في تاريخ الكرة السورية 1942000–20212Mohammed Al Wakid1732004–3Aref Al Agha1611995–2009
League participation
As of 2022, 35 clubs have participated. The tallies since its establishment in 1966 until the end of the 2021–22 season.
50 seasons: Al-Ittihad Ahli
Records The highest points average for the league champion: 64 points (Al-Karamah, 2007–08 season). The fastest goal in the history of the league was scored by Al-Majd player Samer Awad against Qardaha, the 2005–06 season, after just 16 seconds.
See also Syrian Premier League top scorers List of football stadiums in Syria List of football clubs in Syria Football in Syria
References
External links League at FIFA (archived 20 August 2007) League at soccerway.com Syrian Premier League – Hailoosport.com (in Arabic) Syrian Premier League – Hailoosport.com