Sport
Somali First Division (Somali National League): every champion since 1933
The Somali First Division, now called the Somali National League, is Somalia's top men's football league. It has run since 1967, with earlier championships under Italian rule from 1933. Mogadishu City Club, counting its earlier names, has the most titles (10), ahead of Horseed (8). Gaadiidka won the 2025–26 season.
The league today
The Somali National League, formerly the Somali Premier League and widely called the First Division, is the top men's football league in Somalia. It was set up in 1967, is run by the Somali Football Federation, and each club may register four foreign players at a time (Somali First Division, Wikipedia). The federation also runs a second and third division and the Somalia Cup (Somali Football Federation, Wikipedia). In 2015 Al Jazeera reported foreign players arriving as the league revived (Al Jazeera, 1 July 2015).
Before independence
The RSSSF, which keeps football records by country, finds league championships under Italian colonial rule from at least 1932/33 to 1939/40, won by Italian clubs. The first Somali clubs were formed in the 1940s. Among the earliest were Bondhere (first called SYL "Leego", founded by the Somali Youth League), the transport team Autoparco (later Gaadiidka), the Public Works team Lavori Publici (later Jeenyo, from the Italian genio), Shibis, Hamarweyne and Wardhiigley. Police and army teams became the strongest; because matches between them caused tension, they were later merged to form Horseed (RSSSF, Somalia champions).
Every champion
| Season | Champion |
|---|---|
| 1933 | Comando Marina |
| 1937, 1938 | AC Amaruini (Hamarweyne) |
| 1939 | Arabe |
| 1946/47 | AC Mogadiscio |
| 1952 | SC Genio Officina (Jeenyo) |
| 1953/54 | AS Corpo di Polizia (Police) |
| 1954/55 to 1956/57 | Autoparco (Gaadiidka), three in a row |
| 1957/58 | AS Mogadiscio |
| 1959/60 | Lavori Publici (Jeenyo) |
| 1967 | Somali Police (Booliska) |
| 1968 | Hoga (Xoogga) |
| 1969, 1970, 1971 | Lavori Publici (Jeenyo) |
| 1971/72, 1972/73, 1973/74 | Horseed |
| 1975/76 | Mogadishu Municipality |
| 1976/77 to 1979/80 | Horseed, four in a row |
| 1980/81 | Lavori Publici (Jeenyo) |
| 1982 | Wagad |
| 1983 | National Printing Agency (Madbacadda Qaranka) |
| 1984 | Marine Club (Badda) |
| 1985 | Wagad |
| 1986 | Mogadishu Municipality |
| 1987, 1988 | Wagad |
| 1989 | Mogadishu Municipality |
| 1990 | Gaadiidka |
| 1994 | Morris Supplies |
| 1995 | Alba |
| 1998 | Ports Authority (Dekedda) |
| 1999 | Banaadir Telecom |
| 2000 to 2003 | Elman FC |
| 2004–06 | Banaadir Telecom |
| 2007 | Ports Authority (Dekedda) |
| 2009/10 | Banaadir Telecom |
| 2011, 2012 | Elman FC |
| 2013/14 | Banaadir Telecom |
| 2014/15 | Heegan |
| 2015/16 | Banaadir Telecom |
| 2016/17, 2018, 2019 | Dekedda |
| 2019/20 | Mogadishu City Club |
| 2021 | Horseed |
| 2022 | Gaadiidka |
| 2023/24 | Dekedda |
| 2024/25 | Mogadishu City Club |
| 2025/26 | Gaadiidka |
Source: RSSSF, Somalia champions, list by Karel Stokkermans and others. Years not shown were not played or are not known. RSSSF notes that Elman FC's own player profiles date its four titles to 1997, 1999, 2001 and 2003, and that the 2004 season was suspended after a few weeks and resumed only in August 2006.
Titles by club since 1967
- 10: Mogadishu City Club, counting Mogadishu Municipality and Banaadir Telecom
- 8: Horseed
- 6: Dekedda (Ports Authority) and Elman FC
- 4: Lavori Publici (now Jeenyo) and Wagad
- 3: Gaadiidka
- 1: Alba, Heegan, Hoga, Marine Club, Morris Supplies, National Printing Agency, Somali Police
Source: RSSSF, which counts 48 titles since 1967 and notes that two may be missing.
A season in detail: 2021
Ten clubs played 18 rounds from January to July 2021. Horseed and Mogadishu City Club finished level on 38 points. The play-off on 2 August was awarded to Horseed after Mogadishu City Club declined to play, because two of its players were suspended. Elman FC and Geeska Afrika were relegated, and Badbaado and Saxafi Hotel came up (RSSSF, Somalia 2021). Heegan beat Geeska Afrika 13–0 in the last round (same). Wikipedia records a crowd of 65,000 at Horseed against Mogadishu City Club, the largest of the season (Somali First Division, Wikipedia; WardheerNews).
Inter-state championship
Teams of the federal member states play their own championship:
- 2016: Puntland beat Jubbaland on penalties
- 2017: Jubbaland 1–0 Puntland
- 2020: Banadir beat Galmudug on penalties
- 2023/24: Galmudug beat Hirshabelle on penalties
Source: RSSSF, Somalia cup winners.
Read more
Sources
- Somali First Division, Wikipedia · en.wikipedia.org
- Somali Football Federation, Wikipedia · en.wikipedia.org
- Al Jazeera, 1 July 2015 · aljazeera.com
- RSSSF, Somalia champions · rsssf.org
- RSSSF, Somalia 2021 · rsssf.org
- WardheerNews · wardheernews.com
- RSSSF, Somalia cup winners · rsssf.org
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Where this matters
Same era
- Australia18,401 people of Somali ancestry and 8,101 born in Somalia lived in Australia at the 2021 Census, more than half in Victoria. History, work, issues.
- Birmingham (Somali diaspora)About 17,000 to 21,600 Somalis live in Birmingham (Census 2021), mostly in Nechells, Newtown, Small Heath and Alum Rock. History, work, health and ties home.
- Bristol (Somali diaspora)9,167 people in Bristol identified as Somali or Somalilander in Census 2021, the city's largest minority group. Where they live, work, housing, leaders and ties home.
- Calgary, Alberta, Canada2,845 people of Somali origin lived in Calgary at the 2021 Census, plus 890 in Brooks. How they came, who serves them and what they face.
- Denmark (Somali diaspora)21,885 people of Somali origin lived in Denmark in 2026, half born there. Numbers, history, work, permit reviews, and ties home.
- DjiboutiAbout 13,900 refugees from Somalia live in Djibouti (Aug 2026): numbers since 1990, Ali Addeh, Holl-Holl, the 2017 refugee law, Arta 2000 and 2025 returns.
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- Somalia national football team (the Ocean Stars): history, results and recordsThe Somalia national football team: history since the 1940s, the 1963 FIFA entry, the 2019 win over Zimbabwe, records, captains, head-to-head results and home grounds.
- Somalia Cup (General Da'ud Cup) and Somalia Super Cup: every winnerSomalia's football cup competitions: the General Da'ud Cup since 1972 and the Super Cup since 2013, with every known winner and final score.
- Somaliland national football team, league and regional gamesSomaliland football: the national team in ConIFA, its first matches, the 2016 ConIFA World Cup, the Somaliland league, the regional games and Hargeisa stadium.
- Women's football in Somalia: from the first match to the national teamWomen's football in Somalia: registration figures since 2000, restrictions on women's sport, Golden Girls FC, the first tournament in 2024 and the national team's first match in 2025.
- Somali Football Federation (SFF): history, leaders and what it runsThe Somali Football Federation: founding in 1951, FIFA, CAF and UAFA membership, competitions it runs, leaders, the 2012 and 2017 killings of officials, and its women's strategy.