The Cambodian Premier League (Khmer: លីគកំពូលកម្ពុជា, Lik Kâmpul Kâmpŭchéa) is a top association football division in Cambodia and administered by the Cambodian Football League Company (CFLC).[1] Contested by 11 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with Cambodian League 2.
 | |
| Founded | 1982 |
|---|---|
| Country | Cambodia |
| Confederation | AFC |
| Number of teams | 11 |
| Level on pyramid | 1 |
| Relegation to | Cambodian League 2 |
| Domestic cup(s) | |
| League cup(s) | Cambodian League Cup |
| International cup(s) | |
| Current champions | Preah Khan Reach Svay Rieng (3rd title) (2023–24) |
| Most championships | Phnom Penh Crown (8 titles) |
| Top goalscorer | Chan Vathanaka (106 goals) |
| TV partners | BTV Cambodia |
| Website | cpl-cambodia |
| Current: 2024–25 Cambodian Premier League | |
History
editOrigins
editThe first domestic football national championship in Cambodia was first established in 1982 during the People's Republic of Kampuchea years. The competing clubs were primarily based on the Soviet model of official amateur teams formed by ministries, the police, army and other state owned enterprises.[2]
In the 2000s, the Cambodian League or C-League was brought about and was rebranded as the Metfone Cambodian League or Metfone C-League at the start of the 2005 season, courtesy of corporate sponsorship of the league's name. Over the course of the following years, the standard of professionalism would change with clubs being formed and clubs being sponsored by corporate entities. In 2018, it was announced that all clubs participating in the league would be required to have access to their own stadium before the start of the 2019 season. This was an attempt by the Football Federation of Cambodia to help further modernize football in Cambodia. In past seasons, many of the league's clubs have shared the Phnom Penh Olympic Stadium or the Old Stadium.[3] Since its inception as an official professional league in 2005, a total of 36 clubs have competed. 6 clubs have been crowned champions, with Phnom Penh Crown winning the title a record 8 times.[4]
Cambodian Premier League
editIn October 2021, Satoshi Saito, the former international marketer for FC Barcelona of La Liga, was announced as the CEO of the Cambodian Football League Company (CFLC) which would take over the Metfone C-League's administrative and financial duties and establish the league as Cambodian Premier League starting with the 2022 season.[5]
The Cambodia Classic Match
editThe Cambodia Classic Match is given to the rivalry between Phnom Penh Crown and Boeung Ket. On February 6, 2012, both teams met for the first time.[6]
First invincible
editBoeung Ket won the 2020 league season by head-to-head record against 2019 league season champion, Preah Khan Reach Svay Rieng, despite remaining unbeaten the whole season, setting up a record in the Cambodian League.[7]
Sponsorship
edit| Period | Sponsor | Brand |
|---|---|---|
| 1982–2004 | Cambodian League | |
| 2005–2021 | Metfone | Metfone Cambodian League or Metfone C-League[8][9] |
| 2022– | Metfone[10] | Cambodian Premier League[11] |
The Cambodian Premier League does not have a title sponsor; however, it is sponsored by a group of multinational corporations.
The current tournament is sponsored by:
Clubs
edit2024–25 season
edit
The 2023–24 Cambodian Premier League season has welcomed fresh teams and faces, with Prey Veng Football Club and ISI Dangkor Senchey FC joining the league. These teams met the demanding national club license requirements, joining stalwarts like Phnom Penh Crown and Visakha Football Club. Despite being the 2022 second league champions, EDC Club Premium did not join the top tier this season due to not meeting the comprehensive licensing criteria. Prey Veng FC and ISI Dangkor Senchey FC have expressed their readiness for the league, with ISI Dangkor Senchey FC notably announcing seven new signings.[12]
For the 2024–25 Cambodian Premier League Life FC and Ministry of Interior FA also joining the league too.
| Club | Location | Stadium | Capacity | Previous season | Last Cambodian Premier League title |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Angkor Tiger | Siem Reap Province | Hanuman Stadium | 5,030 | Cambodian Premier League (6th) | - |
| Boeung Ket | Phnom Penh | Olympic National Stadium | 35,000 | Cambodian Premier League (5th) | 2020 |
| ISI Dangkor Senchey | Phnom Penh | AIA Stadium KMH PARK | 3,000 | Cambodian League 2 (2nd) | - |
| Kirivong Sok Sen Chey | Takeo Province | Kirivong Sok Sen Chey Stadium | 350 | Cambodian Premier League (8th) | - |
| Life | Sihanouk | Life Stadium | 3000 | Cambodian League 2
(1st) |
|
| Ministry of Interior FA | Phnom Penh | Old Stadium | 500 | Cambodian League 2 (2nd) | - |
| Nagaworld | Kampong Speu Province | Kampong Speu Stadium | 3,000 | Cambodian Premier League (4th) | 2018 |
| Phnom Penh Crown | Phnom Penh | Smart RSN Stadium | 5,010 | Cambodian Premier League (1st) | 2022 |
| Preah Khan Reach Svay Rieng | Svay Rieng Province | Svay Rieng Stadium | 2,060 | Cambodian Premier League (2nd) | 2019 |
| Tiffy Army | Phnom Penh | RCAF Old Stadium | 14,750 | Cambodian Premier League (7th) | - |
| Visakha | Phnom Penh | Prince Stadium | 15,000 | Cambodian Premier League (3rd) | - |
Former clubs
edit| Club | Location | Latest year in top flight |
|---|---|---|
| Albirex Niigata Phnom Penh | Phnom Penh | 2014 |
| Asia Euro United | Phnom Penh | 2021 |
| Bati Academy | Takeo Province | 2020 |
| Build Bright United | Phnom Penh | 2015 |
| CMAC United | Phnom Penh | 2017 |
| Electricite du Cambodge | Phnom Penh | 2021 |
| Kampong Cham | Kampong Cham Province | 2019 |
| Khemara Keila | Phnom Penh | 2010 |
| National Police Commissary | Phnom Penh | 2021 |
| Prey Veng | Prey Veng | 2024 |
| Soltilo Angkor | Siem Reap Province | 2021 |
| Western Phnom Penh | Phnom Penh | 2018 |
Championship history
editCambodian League (1982–2004)
edit
|
|
Metfone Cambodian League (2005–2021)
editCambodian Premier League (2022–present)
edit| Season | Club |
|---|---|
| 2022 | Phnom Penh Crown |
| 2023–24 | Preah Khan Reach Svay Rieng |
Championships by club
edit| Clubs | Championship 
|
Championship seasons | Runner-up 
|
Runner-up seasons | Third place 
|
Third place seasons | All-time top three finish | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Phnom Penh Crown | 8 | 2002, 2008, 2010, 2011, 2014, 2015, 2021, 2022 | 2 | 2005, 2023-24 | 4 | 2006, 2007, 2013, 2020 | 14 | |
| Nagaworld | 4 | 2004, 2007, 2009, 2018 | 4 | 2006, 2011, 2012, 2015 | 4 | 2006, 2014, 2016, 2019 | 12 | |
| Boeung Ket | 4 | 2012, 2016, 2017, 2020 | 3 | 2013, 2014, 2018 | 1 | 2015 | 8 | |
| Preah Khan Reach Svay Rieng | 3 | 2013, 2019, 2023-24 | 3 | 2010, 2020, 2021 | 5 | 2009, 2011, 2012, 2017, 2022 | 11 | |
| Khemara Keila (defunct) | 2 | 2005, 2006 | 2 | 2007, 2009 | 0 | 4 | ||
| National Police Commissary | 1 | 2000 | 0 | 1 | 2005 | 2 | ||
| Tiffy Army | 0 | 3 | 2008, 2016, 2017 | 0 | 3 | |||
| Visakha | 0 | 2 | 2019, 2022 | 3 | 2018, 2021, 2023-24 | 5 | ||
| Build Bright United (defunct) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2010 | 1 |
Source:[13]
Awards
editPrize money
edit| Champion | 50,000 USD |
| Runner-up | 26,000 USD |
| Third place | 18,000 USD |
| Fourth place | 15,500 USD |
Source:[14]
Coach of the season
edit
Top scorer of the season
edit
Player of the season
edit
Goalkeeper of the season
editRecords
editAll-time hat-tricks
edit| Rank | Country | Player | Hat-tricks |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  |
Privat Mbarga | 6 |
| 2 |  |
Marcus Haber | 5 |
 |
Marcio Marques | ||
 |
Chan Vathanaka | ||
| 5 |  |
George Bisan | 4 |
| 6 |  |
Shane Booysen | 3 |
 |
Takumu Nishihara | ||
| |
Mat Noron | ||
| |
Okereke Thimothy |
All-time clean sheets
edit| Rank | Country | Player | Clean sheets |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | |
Sou Yaty | 37 |
| 2 | |
Keo Soksela | 23 |
| |
Um Vichet | ||
| 3 | |
Um Sereyroth | 20 |
Statistics
editAFC Club Ranking
editThe following data indicates Cambodian coefficient rankings between Asian football leagues.[15]
Graphs are unavailable due to technical issues. There is more info on Phabricator and on MediaWiki.org. |
AFC League Ranking as of 2022:[15]
|
AFC Club Ranking as of 2022:
|
References
edit- ^ "New company formed to develop the C- League". October 18, 2021.
- ^ "New Cambodian Premier League set to revolutionise football in the country". January 27, 2022. Archived from the original on February 12, 2022. Retrieved February 12, 2022.
- ^ "New C-League season details revealed". March 7, 2019.
- ^ "Phnom Penh Crown wins 2021 Metfone Cambodian League title". November 22, 2021.
- ^ "New Cambodian Premier League set to revolutionise football in the country". January 22, 2022. Archived from the original on February 12, 2022. Retrieved February 12, 2022.
- ^ "Phnom Penh Crown beaten at home in the Cambodian Classic Match". March 16, 2019. Archived from the original on July 27, 2021. Retrieved February 4, 2021.
- ^ "Last-minute goal lifts Boeung Ket to Cambodian League title - Khmer Times". October 25, 2020.
- ^ "Cambodian League to resume this weekend - Khmer Times". July 2021.
- ^ "Boeung Ket size up Naga | Phnom Penh Post". Archived from the original on 2021-07-19. Retrieved 2021-07-19.
- ^ "Metfone Extends Sponsorship for Cambodia's top flight football league". 24 June 2022. Archived from the original on 26 June 2022. Retrieved 26 June 2022.
- ^ "CPL CEO: 'We will turn Cambodia into a regional football powerhouse' - Khmer Times". 16 January 2022.
- ^ "Cambodian Premier League welcomes new teams to playing field | Phnom Penh Post".
- ^ "Cambodia - List of Champions". RSSSF. Archived from the original on 2023-02-05. Retrieved 2023-02-02.
- ^ https://cpl.sgp1.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/documents/1723612394CPL_Rules_and_Regulations_2024-25_(ENG).pdf
- ^ a b "AFC Club Competitions Ranking 2022". footyrankings.com. 13 February 2021. Archived from the original on 2022-10-06. Retrieved 2022-06-30.
External links
edit- FFC, Football Federation of Cambodia
- Cambodian Premier League on Facebook
- Reference Archived 2018-12-09 at the Wayback Machine, Reference