Yugoslav Handball Championship

Last updated July 01, 2025

The Yugoslav Handball Championship was the highest level competition in men's team handball in the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, played regularly for almost four decades between 1953 and 1992, before being abandoned due to the breakup of Yugoslavia.

History

The first five editions from 1953 to 1957 were decided via a finals play-off tournament contested by clubs who had qualified in regional competitions, before a regular round-robin league format was introduced for the 1957–58 season. The league featured clubs from all of Yugoslavia's federal subjects, with the most successful being RK Bjelovar with 9 titles, followed by RK Borac Banja Luka and RK Metaloplastika with 7 titles each.

Following the dissolution of Yugoslavia in the early 1990s, the competition was eventually succeeded by the following handball leagues:

Title holders

^[1]

.....1953 Prvomajska
.....1954 Prvomajska
.....1955 Crvena zvezda
.....1956 Crvena zvezda
.....1957 Zagreb
1957–58 Partizan Bjelovar
1958–59 Borac Banja Luka
1959–60 Borac Banja Luka
1960–61 Partizan Bjelovar
1961–62 Zagreb
1962–63 Zagreb
1963–64 Prvomajska/Medveščak
1964–65 Zagreb
1965–66 Medveščak
1966–67 Partizan Bjelovar
1967–68 Partizan Bjelovar
1968–69 Crvenka
1969–70 Partizan Bjelovar
1970–71 Partizan Bjelovar
1971–72 Partizan Bjelovar
1972–73 Borac Banja Luka
1973–74 Borac Banja Luka
1974–75 Borac Banja Luka
1975–76 Borac Banja Luka
1976–77 Partizan Bjelovar
1977–78 Željezničar Sarajevo
1978–79 Partizan Bjelovar
1979–80 Slovan
1980–81 Borac Banja Luka
1981–82 Metaloplastika
1982–83 Metaloplastika
1983–84 Metaloplastika
1984–85 Metaloplastika
1985–86 Metaloplastika
1986–87 Metaloplastika
1987–88 Metaloplastika
1988–89 Zagreb
1989–90 Proleter
1990–91 Zagreb
1991–92 Proleter

Championships by club

Titles	Club	City	Republic
9	Partizan Bjelovar	Bjelovar	CRO
7	Borac Banja Luka	Banja Luka	BIH
7	Metaloplastika	Šabac	SRB
6	Zagreb	Zagreb	CRO
4	Medveščak	Zagreb	CRO
2	Crvena zvezda	Belgrade	SRB
2	Proleter	Zrenjanin	SRB
1	Crvenka	Crvenka	SRB
1	Željezničar	Sarajevo	BIH
1	Slovan	Ljubljana	SLO

European success

Traditionally one of the strongest handball leagues in Europe, several Yugoslav clubs went on to compete with considerable success in the European Cup (present-day EHF Champions League), the premier continental handball competition. Prior to the breakup of Yugoslavia, six Yugoslav clubs had managed to reach the European finals 11 times, winning four titles.

Club	W	RU	SF	Years won	Years runners-up	Years semi-finalists
Metaloplastika	2	1	3	1984–85, 1985–86	1983–84	1982–83, 1986–87, 1987–88
Partizan Bjelovar	1	2	2	1971–72	1961–62, 1972–73	1967–68, 1970–71
Borac Banja Luka	1	1	—	1975–76	1974–75
Medveščak	—	1	—		1964–65
Slovan	—	1	—		1980–81
Proleter	—	1	—		1990–91
Crvenka	—	—	1			1969–70

Notable clubs

(at least 10 top-flight seasons or at least one title)

References

↑ "Historique des championnats de Yougoslavie, de RF Yougoslavie, de Serbie-et-Monténégro et de Serbie (1953-2004)" (PDF) (in Serbian). Serbian Handball Federation . Retrieved 26 October 2024.

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[1] "Historique des championnats de Yougoslavie, de RF Yougoslavie, de Serbie-et-Monténégro et de Serbie (1953-2004)" (PDF) (in Serbian). Serbian Handball Federation . Retrieved 26 October 2024.

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