2021–22 Slovenian First League (men's handball)
Handball league season
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The 2021–22 Slovenian First League (known as the Liga NLB for sponsorship reasons) was the 31st season of the Slovenian First League, the top men's handball league in Slovenia. A total of fourteen teams contested this season's league, which began on 10 September 2021 and concluded on 27 May 2022.[1]
| Season | 2021–22 |
|---|---|
| Dates | 10 September 2021 – 27 May 2022 |
| Champion | Celje 25th title |
| Relegated | Ljubljana Šmartno |
| Champions League | Celje |
| European League | Trimo Trebnje |
| European Cup | Gorenje Riko Ribnica Slovenj Gradec |
| Top goalscorer | Aleksa Tufegdžić (162 goals) |
← 2020–21 2022–23 → | |
Celje won their twenty-fifth title.[2]
Teams
Krka and Izola were relegated in the previous season. Šmartno and SVIŠ were promoted from the second division.
Arenas and locations
The following 14 clubs competed in the Slovenian First League during the 2021–22 season:
| Team | Location | Arena | Capacity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Celje | Celje | Zlatorog Arena | 5,191 |
| Dobova | Dobova | Dobova Sports Hall | 500[3] |
| Gorenje | Velenje | Red Hall | 2,500 |
| Jeruzalem Ormož | Ormož | Hardek Hall | 700[4] |
| Koper | Koper | Arena Bonifika | 3,000 |
| Ljubljana | Ljubljana | Krim Sports Hall | 400[5] |
| Maribor Branik | Maribor | Tabor Hall / Lukna Sports Hall | 3,261 / 2,100[6] |
| Riko Ribnica | Ribnica | Ribnica Sports Centre | 600[7] |
| Slovan | Ljubljana | Kodeljevo Hall | 1,540 |
| Slovenj Gradec | Slovenj Gradec | Slovenj Gradec Sports Hall | 1,200[8] |
| Šmartno | Šmartno pri Litiji | Pungrt Hall | 700[4] |
| SVIŠ | Ivančna Gorica | OŠ Stična Hall | 500[9] |
| Trimo Trebnje | Trebnje | OŠ Trebnje Hall | 800[10] |
| Urbanscape Loka | Škofja Loka | Poden Sports Hall | 800[4] |
League table
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Celje (C) | 26 | 24 | 1 | 1 | 871 | 674 | +197 | 49 | Qualification for Champions League group phase |
| 2 | Trimo Trebnje | 26 | 21 | 3 | 2 | 784 | 677 | +107 | 45 | Qualification for European League first qualifying round |
| 3 | Gorenje | 26 | 18 | 2 | 6 | 830 | 667 | +163 | 38 | Qualification for European Cup second qualifying round |
| 4 | Riko Ribnica | 26 | 14 | 3 | 9 | 767 | 740 | +27 | 31 | |
| 5 | Slovenj Gradec | 26 | 14 | 1 | 11 | 743 | 730 | +13 | 29 | Qualification for European Cup first qualifying round |
| 6 | Koper | 26 | 13 | 2 | 11 | 731 | 703 | +28 | 28 | |
| 7 | Urbanscape Loka | 26 | 14 | 0 | 12 | 711 | 682 | +29 | 28 | |
| 8 | Maribor Branik | 26 | 11 | 2 | 13 | 683 | 721 | −38 | 24 | |
| 9 | Slovan | 26 | 9 | 3 | 14 | 683 | 724 | −41 | 21 | |
| 10 | Jeruzalem Ormož | 26 | 9 | 3 | 14 | 713 | 777 | −64 | 21 | |
| 11 | Dobova | 26 | 9 | 2 | 15 | 691 | 755 | −64 | 20 | |
| 12 | SVIŠ | 26 | 6 | 0 | 20 | 658 | 741 | −83 | 12 | |
| 13 | Ljubljana (R) | 26 | 3 | 3 | 20 | 747 | 856 | −109 | 9 | Relegated to 1. B Liga |
| 14 | Šmartno (R) | 26 | 3 | 3 | 20 | 667 | 832 | −165 | 9 |
Source: Handball Federation of Slovenia (in Slovene), Flashscore
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) goals scored; 4) head-to-head points; 5) head-to-head goal difference; 6) head-to-head number of goals scored.
(C) Champions; (R) Relegated
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) goals scored; 4) head-to-head points; 5) head-to-head goal difference; 6) head-to-head number of goals scored.
(C) Champions; (R) Relegated
Top goalscorers
| Rank | Player | Club | Goals[11] |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Aleksa Tufegdžić |
Slovan | 162 |
| 2 |  Uroš Miličevič |
Riko Ribnica | 143 |
| 3 | Kenan Pajt |
Gorenje | 133 |
| 4 | Uroš Štumpfl |
Slovenj Gradec | 129 |
| 5 | Tine Poklar |
Koper | 127 |
| 6 | Jure Lukman |
Ljubljana | 126 |
| 7 | Matic Verdinek |
Gorenje | 123 |
| Nik Rantah |
Dobova | ||
| 9 |  Rudolf Zvonimir Šafranko |
Dobova | 121 |
| 10 | Rok Cvetko |
Slovenj Gradec | 120 |
