West Bank Premier League

Last updated
West Bank Premier League
West Bank Premier League logo.png
Founded1944;81 years ago (1944)
Country Palestine
Confederation PFA
Number of clubs12
Level on pyramid1
Relegation toWest Bank First League
Domestic cup(s) Palestine Cup
Yasser Arafat Cup
International cup(s) AFC Cup
Arab Champions League
Current champions Jabal Al-Mukaber
(2022–23)
Most championships Shabab Al-Khalil (7)
Top goalscorer Flag of Palestine.svg Sameh Maraaba
(108 goals)
Website pfa.ps
Current: 2025–26 West Bank Premier League

The West Bank Premier League is one of the two top divisions of the Palestinian Football Association (PFA). [1] The other is the Gaza Strip Premier League. Palestinian clubs have a rich history stretching back to the early 1930s, but most teams folded due to the political turmoil, and ensuing reduction of the geographical area of the country. Over the years, the format of the league has taken many different shapes. It was most recently contested in 2022–23.

Contents

History

Pre-Officialization (1970s–2000s)

Emergence of High-Profile Signings (2010s)

The 2010–11 season marked the creation of the first professional league in the territories and saw high-profile signings for many clubs. Most notably Fadi Lafi of the Hilal Al-Quds, and Hernán Madrid of Wadi Al-Nes, and many Palestinians-Israelis who played for teams in the second and third tier of Israeli football.[ citation needed ]

The original format of the WBPL consisted of 12 teams playing each other twice over 22 matchdays, the bottom two clubs are relegated to the second division and the team with the most points are crowned champions. [2]

The 2011–12 included only 10 teams but the PFA announced that four teams will be promoted from the First Division returning the league to its traditional 12-team format. The PFA also altered the rules on player eligibility banning the use of foreign players but letting teams have an unlimited amount of Arab Israeli citizens in their squads[ citation needed ]

Clubs

Season 2022–23 clubs: [3]

ClubCoachCityCaptain2021–22 season [4] Notes
Ahli Al-Khaleel Hebron West Bank First League, 2nd
Hilal Al-Quds Jamal Mahmoud East Jerusalem Fadi Lafi 3rd
Islami Qalqilya Qalqilya 6th
Jabal Al-Mukaber East Jerusalem 2nd
Markaz Balata Nablus 5th
Mosaset Al-Bireh Al-Bireh 9th
Shabab Al-Am'ari Am'ari 10th
Shabab Al-Dhahiriya Ad-Dhahiriya 7th
Shabab Al-Khalil Hebron 1st (Champions)
Shabab Alsamu Al Samu 4th
Taraji Wadi Al-Nes Bethlehem West Bank First League, 1st
Thaqafi Tulkarm Miha Tulkarem Osama Sabah 8th

Past champions

The winners were: [5]

Top goalscorers

SeasonScorerTeamGoals
2020–21 Flag of Palestine.svg Shehab Qumbor Jabal Al-Mukaber15
2021–22 Flag of Palestine.svg Shehab Qumbor Jabal Al-Mukaber24
2022–23 Flag of Palestine.svg Sameh Maraaba Hilal Al-Quds21

Multiple hat-tricks

[ citation needed ]

RankCountryPlayerHat-tricks
1 Flag of Palestine.svg Sameh Maraaba 4
2 Flag of Palestine.svg Shehab Qanbar3
3 Flag of Palestine.svg Mahmoud Abu Warda 1
Flag of Palestine.svg Rashid Adwi
Flag of Jordan.svg Aref Al Haj
Flag of Palestine.svg Mahmoud Al Iwisat
Flag of Palestine.svg Mohammed Al Jaabari
Flag of Palestine.svg Wael Awawdeh
Flag of Palestine.svg Shaher Daoud
Flag of Palestine.svg Oday Mohammad Hamad
Flag of Palestine.svg Hamza Issa
Flag of Palestine.svg Zaid Qunbar
Flag of Palestine.svg Khaled Salem
Flag placeholder.svg Musa Tarabin

References

  1. "West Asia Wrap". Asian Football Confederation. 23 January 2023.
  2. "West Bank Premier League". www.kooora.com. KOOORA. Archived from the original on 26 May 2015. Retrieved 14 September 2017.
  3. "الدوري الفلسطيني للمحترفين 2022/2023". kooora.com (in Arabic). Archived from the original on 28 February 2023. Retrieved 28 February 2023.
  4. "الدوري الفلسطيني للمحترفين 2021/2022". kooora.com (in Arabic). Archived from the original on 28 February 2023. Retrieved 28 February 2023.
  5. "Palestina – List of Champions and Cup Winners". RSSSF . Archived from the original on 25 July 2022. Retrieved 14 September 2017.