Croatia - 1. HNL

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The Croatian First Football League, also known as Prva NHL or Hrvatski Telekom Prva Liga for sponsorship reasons, is the top football league operated by the Croatian Football Federation. It kicked off back in 1992, and it has been renamed numerous times due to changes to its main sponsor. The first commercial name this league had was Prva HNL Ozujsko (from 2003 to 2007); then, it changed its name to T-Com Prva HNL from 2007 to 2011. The league was also named MAXtv Prva Liga from 2011 to 2017, up until this day and its current denomination.

This league is ranked as the 15th best in Europe by UEFA’s coefficient system, mainly due to its pretty straight-forward format. All ten teams face each other four times (two times at home, two away), and the team that wins the most points earns the title and a spot in the preliminary rounds of the UEFA Champions League. The second, third, and fourth-ranked teams enter the preliminary stages of the UEFA Europa League. Up to two teams can be relegated each season, as the club with the fewest points is automatically relegated to the Croatian Second Football League, and the next-to-last team after the 36 games enters a relegation playoff against the aforementioned league’s runners-up.

The 2018-19 season in the 1. HNL concluded with Dinamo Zagreb extending their dominance as the most winning club in Croatian football, as they won their 20th title in history. Dinamo also grabbed the only UEFA Champions League spot available, while Rijeka, Osijek, and Hajduk Split earned a spot in the qualifying rounds of the UEFA Europa League. On the other side of the table, Rudes was the only relegated team, since Istra 1961 managed to beat Sibenik in their relegation playoff.

The 2019-20 season of the 1. HNL is set to start on July 19, 2019, while the last game is scheduled to be played on May 17, 2020. The team that will be taking Rudes’ place in the Croatian top-flight is Varazdin, a team that will make its debut in the top-tier category of the Croatian football system.

Did you know? Four out of the 12 founding members of the Croatian League have played all editions of this tournament: Dinamo Zagreb, Hajduk Split, Osijek, and Rijeka. Out of these four clubs, Osijek is the only one that has never been able to win a title.