Pakistani football league system

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The Pakistan football league system consists of interconnected leagues for football clubs in Pakistan. The two-tier system has a hierarchical format with promotion and relegation between leagues. The top-tier Pakistan Premier League features 12 teams, while the second-tier PFFL B Division comprises 18 teams.

Contents

Men's

System by period

Origins

The National Football Championship served as the highest level football competition from 1948 to 2003. [1] Held on knock-out basis and a closed format competition rather than league system, this tournament brought together regional provincial and division association teams, as well as departmental and armed forces teams representing various government institutions. [1] [2]

Parallel to the championship, many separate amateur regional leagues with promotion and relegation featuring clubs were also held, like Karachi Football League, Lahore Football League, or Quetta Football League. Players frequently took part in these competitions for their local clubs, while also being selected to represent either their provincial/divisional associations or their departmental teams in the National Championship. [3]

Before the independence of Bangladesh in 1971, the Dhaka League was one of the strongest football competitions in the country, and many players affiliated with its clubs, both from West and East Pakistan, were chosen to represent the East Pakistan provincial team or the Dhaka Division team in the National Championship.

National A-Division Football Championship (1992–1994)

Under the tenure of PFF General Secretary Hafiz Salman Butt, the 1992–93 and 1993–94 seasons of National Football Championship were contested in a league-style format rather than as a knockout competition, becoming Pakistan's first ever national league format competition. Sponsored as the National Lifebuoy A-Division Football Championship, the tournament ran across several months and introduced a system of promotion and relegation with the second-tier National Lifebuoy B-Division Football Championship. [4] [5] [6] The A-Division titles were won by Pakistan Airlines (1992–93) and Pakistan Army (1993–94), while the B-Division was won by Crescent Textile Mills (1992), National Bank (1993), and Frontier Scouts (1994). [2]

The experiment lasted only two seasons. Following Butt’s removal from office in 1994 amid political disputes and allegations of abuse of power with PFF president Mian Muhammad Azhar, the competition reverted to its previous knockout format. [4] [5]

Pakistan Premier League (2004–present)

In August 2003, politician Faisal Saleh Hayat assumed control of the Pakistan Football Federation. Under his administration, the National Football Championship was discontinued and replaced in 2004 by the Pakistan Premier League, with the PFF League serving as the second tier. [7] [8]

In 2006, the Pakistan Football Federation introduced the National Club Championship as a third tier beneath the PFF League. [9] [10] The competition brought together amateur and semi-professional clubs, with three teams, PMC Club Athletico Faisalabad, Baloch Nushki, and Bannu Red earning promotion to the 2006 PFF League. [11]

Status evolution

Professional leagues
Amateur/Semi-professional leagues
YearTier 1Tier 2Tier 3Tier 4Tier 5 and belowOther leagues (outside the national pyramid)
1992–1994 National A-Division Football Championship National B-Division Football ChampionshipRegional leagues
2004–2006 Pakistan Premier League PFF League Regional leagues
2006–present Pakistan Premier League PFF League National Club Championship Regional leagues

Current pyramid

Level

League(s)/Division(s)

Tier 1

Pakistan Premier League (PPL)
12 teams
Relegation: PFF League

Tier 2

PFF League
18 teams
Promotion: Pakistan Premier League

Relegation: National Club Championship

Tier 3 National Club Championship

Promotion: PFF League

Other leagues (outside the national pyramid)

-

Regional and city leagues

Franchise leagues

LeagueClubsFormedDissolved
Geo Super Football League 520072010

Women's

System by period

There has never been a national women league in Pakistan. The National Women Football Championship, the first national women tournament in Pakistan, was held in 2005. It is held on knock-out basis and a closed format competition. [9]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 Ahsan, Ali (2010-12-23). "A history of football in Pakistan — Part I". DAWN.COM. Retrieved 2025-05-28.
  2. 1 2 "Pakistan - List of Champions". www.rsssf.org. Archived from the original on 12 April 2023. Retrieved 2023-08-05.
  3. ↑ "Pakistan Observer 1970.05.30 — South Asian Newspapers". gpa.eastview.com. Retrieved 2025-06-06.
  4. 1 2 Ahsan, Ali (December 23, 2010). "A history of football in Pakistan — Part III". DAWN News. DAWN. Retrieved October 8, 2018.
  5. 1 2 "SPORTS WORLD: AFC President's Cup: PFF must cash in on opportunity". Brecorder. 2007-06-16. Retrieved 2025-01-19.
  6. ↑ Sohail, Shahrukh (2020-08-09). "FOOTBALL: A LEAGUE FOR PAKISTAN FOOTBALL". DAWN.COM. Retrieved 2024-06-30.
  7. ↑ "Pakistan 2004". www.rsssf.org. Archived from the original on 3 December 2022. Retrieved 2023-06-28.
  8. ↑ Ahsan, Ali (2011-02-02). "A history of football in Pakistan — Final part". DAWN.COM. Retrieved 2024-07-02.
  9. 1 2 "Managing affairs | Special Report | thenews.com.pk". www.thenews.com.pk. Retrieved 2025-08-30.
  10. ↑ "SPORTS WORLD: Pakistan eyeing 4th win in South Asian Games football". Brecorder. 2006-08-12. Retrieved 2025-08-30.
  11. ↑ "Pakistan 2006/07". www.rsssf.org. Retrieved 2025-08-30.
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