Kuwait_Premier_League
Kuwait Premier League
Football league
The Kuwait Premier League (Arabic: الدوري الكويتي, romanized: Dawriyy al-Kuwaytī), known as Zain Premier League due to sponsorship reasons, is the top division of the Kuwait football pyramid system. Formed in 1961, Kuwait SC hold the best record in the competition, having won 18 times.
| Founded | 1961; 63 years ago (1961) |
|---|---|
| Country |  Kuwait |
| Confederation | AFC |
| Number of teams | 10 |
| Level on pyramid | 1 |
| Relegation to | Kuwaiti Division One |
| Domestic cup(s) | Kuwait Emir Cup Kuwait Crown Prince Cup Kuwait Federation Cup Kuwait Super Cup |
| International cup(s) | AFC Champions League Two Arab Club Champions Cup |
| Current champions | Kuwait SC (18th title) (2022–23) |
| Most championships | Kuwait SC (18 titles) |
| Top goalscorer | Bader Al-Mutawa (167 goals) |
| TV partners | SHASHA |
| Current: 2023–24 Kuwaiti Premier League | |
The Kuwaiti Premier League officially began in the 1961/62 season, after playing unofficially for eight years (played with group of clubs: "Ahli - Al Jazeera - Arabism - Gulf - Solidarity - Al-Qubali, Al-Nahda, Al-Sharqai, Al-Merqab, Al-Mawalim and Al-Taawon). National companies and ministries were club's first sponsors.
1960s
In the 1961/1962 season, several new clubs joined (Al-Arabi, Qadsia, Kuwait SC, Kifan High School, Shuwaikh Secondary School, Industrial College and Police Team). Al-Arabi won the league title without losing, and winning 7 points ahead of Qadsia, scoring 42 goals and conceding 10.
In the following season, the number of teams was reduced to 7. Al-Arabi managed to win the second title in a row after winning 18 points ahead of Qadsia, scoring 45 goals and conceding 6.
The third season of the league almost witnessed the end of Arabi monopoly, after fierce competition from Qadsia and other teams. Arabi and Qadsia were equal on points before the decisive match. Arabi managed to maintain the title after defeating Qadsia 2-0, scoring overall 42 goals and conceding nine.
In the fourth season, school teams were removed from participating and league saw participation of 3 new clubs (Salmiya, Fahaheel and Al-Shabab). The Kuwait Club managed to end the Arabi monopoly to achieve its first title, after winning the competition without any defeat.
The 1960s witnessed a sweep of the Arabi club when it won six titles against two titles for Kuwait and a title for Qadsia.
1970s
The 1970 era began with Qadsia's winning the 1971/1970 season, for the second time in its history. Al-Arabi lost its championship in a strange way during ten years. They did not win any title during this period until the end of the 1979/1980 season.
1980s
The eighties witnessed three new league champions, namely Al-Salmiya who won its first title in the 1980/81 season, and Kazma club which won the titles of 1985/86 and 1986/87, as well as Jahra club, which ended the 1980s by winning the title.
1990s
The league championship was not held in the 1990–91 season because of Iraqi invasion of Kuwait. Competition began again in the 1991–92 season, which was held as group system with qualification. Old format returned with participation of 14 teams in the 1994–95 season. Era of the nineties witnessed a parity between clubs, where both Al-Arabi and Al-Salmiya won 3 titles, and Qadsia and Kazma two.
2000s
At the beginning of a new millennium, Kuwait SC achieved the league championship after a long absence of 22 years, followed by victory of Al-Arabi for the sixteenth time in its history in the 2001–02 season. Since then until 2020–21 season, Qadsia has won nine titles while Kuwait Club won five. Al-Arabi was able to break their dominance and win the mentioned season title.
Source:[1]
By season
- 1961–62 : Al-Arabi
- 1962–63 : Al-Arabi
- 1963–64 : Al-Arabi
- 1964–65 : Al-Kuwait
- 1965–66 : Al-Arabi
- 1966–67 : Al-Arabi
- 1967–68 : Al-Kuwait
- 1968–69 : Al-Qadsia SC
- 1969–70 : Al-Arabi
- 1970–71 : Al-Qadsia SC
- 1971–72 : Al-Kuwait
- 1972–73 : Al-Qadsia SC
- 1973–74 : Al-Kuwait
- 1974–75 : Al-Qadsia SC
- 1975–76 : Al-Qadsia SC
- 1976–77 : Al-Kuwait
- 1977–78 : Al-Qadsia SC
- 1978–79 : Al-Kuwait
- 1979–80 : Al-Arabi
- 1980–81 : Al-Salmiya
- 1981–82 : Al-Arabi
- 1982–83 : Al-Arabi
- 1983–84 : Al-Arabi
- 1984–85 : Al-Arabi
- 1985–86 : Kazma
- 1986–87 : Kazma
- 1987–88 : Al-Arabi
- 1988–89 : Al-Arabi
- 1989–90 : Al-Jahra
- 1990–91 : Not held due to Gulf War
- 1991–92 : Al-Qadsia SC
- 1992–93 : Al-Arabi SC
- 1993–94 : Kazma SC
- 1994–95 : Al-Salmiya SC
- 1995–96 : Kazma SC
- 1996–97 : Al-Arabi SC
- 1997–98 : Al-Salmiya SC
- 1998–99 : Al-Qadsia SC
- 1999–2000 : Al-Salmiya SC
- 2000–01 : Kuwait SC
- 2001–02 : Al-Arabi SC
- 2002–03 : Al-Qadsia SC
- 2003–04 : Al-Qadsia SC
- 2004–05 : Al-Qadsia SC
- 2005–06 : Kuwait SC
- 2006–07 : Kuwait SC
- 2007–08 : Kuwait SC
- 2008–09 : Al-Qadsia SC
- 2009–10 : Al-Qadsia SC
- 2010–11 : Al-Qadsia SC
- 2011–12 : Al-Qadsia SC
- 2012–13 : Kuwait SC
- 2013–14 : Al-Qadsia SC
- 2014–15 : Kuwait SC
- 2015–16 : Al-Qadsia SC
- 2016–17 : Kuwait SC
- 2017–18 : Kuwait SC
- 2018–19 : Kuwait SC
- 2019–20 : Kuwait SC
- 2020–21 : Al-Arabi SC
- 2021–22 : Kuwait SC
- 2022–23 : Kuwait SC
- 2023–24
Most titles
| Club | Titles | Seasons |
|---|---|---|
| Kuwait SC | 18 | 1964–65, 1967–68, 1971–72, 1973–74, 1976–77, 1978–79, 2000–01, 2005–06, 2006–07, 2007–08, 2012–13, 2014–15, 2016–17, 2017–18, 2018–19, 2019–20, 2021–22, 2022–23 |
| Al-Arabi | 17 | 1961–62, 1962–63, 1963–64, 1965–66, 1966–67, 1969–70, 1979–80, 1981–82, 1982–83, 1983–84, 1984–85, 1979–88, 1988–89, 1992–93, 1996–97, 2001–02, 2020–21 |
| Qadsia | 17 | 1968–69, 1970–71, 1972–73, 1974–75, 1975–76, 1977–78, 1991–92, 1998–99, 2002–03, 2003–04, 2004–05, 2008–09, 2009–10, 2010–11, 2011–12, 2013–14, 2015–16 |
| Kazma | 4 | 1985–86, 1986–87, 1993–94, 1995–96 |
| Al-Salmiya | 4 | 1980–81, 1994–95, 1997–98, 1999–2000 |
| Al-Jahra | 1 | 1989–90 |
Total titles won by Governorate
All-time top scorers
- As of 6 May 2024
| Rank | Players | Goals | Club(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bader Al-Mutawa | 167 | Qadsia |
| 2 |  Firas Al-Khatib | 162 | Al-Nasr, Al-Arabi, Qadsia, Al-Salmiya, Kuwait |
| 3 | Jasem Yaqoub | 146 | Qadsia |
| 4 | Faisal Al-Dakhil | 141 | Qadsia |
| 5 | Yussef Al-Suwayed | 137 | Kazma |
| 6 |  Patrick Fabiano | 133 | Al-Nasr, Kazma, Al-Salmiya, Kuwait |
| 7 | Ali Marwi | 111 | Al-Salmiya |
| 8 | Abdulrahman Al-Dawla | 105 | Al-Arabi |
| 9 | Bashar Abdullah | 104 | Al-Salmiya, Kuwait |
| 10 | Yousif Naser | 102 | Kazma, Qadsia, Kuwait SC |
Topscorers by season
| Record number of goals | |
|
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Notes:
- 1979–80 to 1984–85: Kuwaiti Division One was Stopped.
- 1991–92: all Clubs participated after the Gulf War
- 1994–95: Kuwaiti Division One was Stopped.
- 1996–97: Qadsia SC Withdrew.
- 2013–14 to 2014–15: Kuwaiti Division One was Stopped.
- 2015–16: Al Tadhamon SC Withdrew.
- Atsushi Fujioka (6 May 2016). "Kuwait – List of Champions". RSSSF. Archived from the original on 28 September 2022. Retrieved 5 August 2016.
- "الاتحاد الكويتي لكرة القدم". Archived from the original on 2016-08-14. Retrieved 2016-07-07.
- "دوري VIVA الكويت". www.kooora.com. Archived from the original on 2016-08-17. Retrieved 2016-07-06.
- "دوري VIVA الكويت". www.kooora.com. Archived from the original on 2016-08-17. Retrieved 2016-07-06.
- "دوري VIVA الكويت". www.kooora.com. Archived from the original on 2016-07-03. Retrieved 2016-07-06.
- "دوري VIVA الكويت". www.kooora.com. Archived from the original on 2017-05-20. Retrieved 2017-05-26.