Liberian National County Meet
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 | |
| Organiser(s) | Ministry of Youth and Sport |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1956 |
| Region | Liberia |
| Teams | 15 (2015–Present) |
| Current champions | Nimba County |
| Most championships | Nimba County (7 titles) |
The Liberian National County Sports Meet is the top knockout county tournament of the Liberian football inaugurated in 1956.[1] It is an annual sporting festival organised and hosted by the Ministry of Youth and Sports in collaboration with the Ministry of Internal Affairs. The event is primarily a platform intended to forge national unity and reconciliation in Liberia.
The National County Sport Meet is the most watched football tournament across Liberia, with over 1.5 million football fans tuning in to listen over Radio, watching live from different Liberian online football sources, and also visiting the various stadiums in which the games can be played.
Beginning in December sometimes January, the competition proceeds with a group stage of 15 teams, divided into four groups, with the first three groups carrying four teams and the last group carrying three. Each team plays every member of its group, and the team with the highest point and the runners-up in each group will then proceed to the next round while the other team will be eliminated.
- Quarterfinals (New Format): Beginning from the 2025/2026 tournament, the eight quarterfinalist teams are divided into two groups and play in a round-robin format, rather than the traditional single-game knockout, to increase competition opportunities. These matches are centralized in the capital, Monrovia, specifically at the Samuel Kanyon Doe (SKD) Sports Complex.
- Knockout Stage (Semifinals & Finals): The top teams from the quarterfinal groups advance to the semifinals, which are single-elimination matches. The winners proceed to the grand finale.
List of winners
- 1956 : Maryland County[2]
- 1969 : Grand Cape Mount County[3]
- 1974 : Grand Kru County [4]
- 1977 : Grand Kru County [5]
- 1978 : Nimba County[6]
- 1979 : Nimba County[7]
- 1985 : Grand Kru County[8]
- 1987: Grand Kru County[9]
- 1989: Grand Gedeh County[10]
- 1990: Grand Bassa County
- 2004 : Gbarpolu County[11]
- 2007 : Rivercess County[12]
- 2008 : Bong County[13]
- 2009 : Bomi County[14]
- 2010 : Nimba County[15]
- 2011 : Nimba County
- 2012 : Margibi County[16]
- 2013 : Grand Cape Mount County[17]
- 2014: Grand Bassa County[18]
- 2015: N/A (*was cancelled due to the Ebola epidemic)
- 2016: Grand Bassa County[19]
- 2017: Maryland County[20]
- 2018 : Montserrado County[21]
- 2019 : Bomi County[22]
- 2020 : Grand Kru County [23]
- 2021 : Lofa County[24]
- 2022 : Nimba County[25]
- 2023 : Nimba County[26]
- 2024 : River Gee County[27]
- 2025 : Lofa County[28]
- 2026: Nimba County[29] [citation needed][citation needed]
| Teams | Titles | Runner ups | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nimba County | 7 | 4 |
| 2 | Grand Kru County | 5 | 1 |
| 3 | Grand Bassa County | 3 | 2 |
| 4 | Grand Cape Mount County | 2 | 0 |
| 5 | Bomi County | 2 | 0 |
| 6 | Montserrado County | 2 | 5 |
| 7 | Lofa County | 2 | 3 |
| 8 | Maryland County | 1 | 1 |
| 9 | Grand Gedeh County | 1 | 3 |
| 10 | Gbarpolu County | 1 | 1 |
| 11 | Rivercess County | 1 | 1 |
| 12 | Bong County | 1 | 1 |
| 13 | Margibi County | 1 | 3 |
| 14 | River Gee County | 1 | 1 |
History
In 1970, the Sasstown Territory, which is now part of Grand Kru County, emerged victorious in the county meet, while the Kru Coast Territory claimed the title in 1974. Grand Kru County has won the county meet a total of four times. Notable players from Sasstown during that period included Patrick Arthur, Anthony Wesseh, Tarpeh Roberts, Sylvester Red’ Weah, Michael Tarplah, Anthony Sayon Nagbe, Experience Tony, and Telemu.
