Yemeni League
Association football league in Yemen
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Yemeni League is the top football division of the Yemen Football Association. It was created in 1990 after the unification of North and South Yemen. It was set up in a four-level system with the Premier, First, Second and Third Divisions.[1] 16 northern and southern clubs entered the top level championship in the 1990–91 season.
| Founded | 1990 |
|---|---|
| Country | Yemen |
| Confederation | AFC |
| Number of clubs | 14 |
| Level on pyramid | 1 |
| Relegation to | Yemeni Second Division |
| Domestic cup | President Cup |
| International cup(s) | AFC Challenge League AGCFF Gulf Club Champions League |
| Most championships | Al-Ahli San'a (11 titles) |
| Top scorer | Ali Al-Nono (163 goals) |
| Website | Website |
| Current: 2025–26 Yemeni League | |
Currently,[when?] 14 clubs play at the top level, with four clubs being relegated to the second tier. The season is generally run from early November to late June with the league winners entering the AFC Challenge League and the Arab Champions League. The league was cancelled from 2014 to 2021 due to the Yemeni Civil War, which also stopped all other footballing activities in Yemen.
Clubs
| Club | Location | Stadium | Capacity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Al-Saqr Ta'izz | Ta'izz | Al Shohada Stadium | 32,000 |
| Salam Al-Garfa | Al Garfa | Al Garfa Stadium | |
| Al-Sha'ab Hadramaut | Mukalla | Baradem Mukalla Stadium | 15,000 |
| Al-Ahli San'a | San'a | Ali Muhesen Stadium | 25,000 |
| Al-Tali'aa Taizz | Ta'izz | Al Shohada Stadium | 32,000 |
| Al-Oruba Zabid | Zabid | Ali Muhesen Stadium | 25,000 |
| Al-Yarmuk Al-Rawda | San'a | Ali Muhesen Stadium | 25,000 |
| Al-Wahda San'a | San'a | Ali Muhesen Stadium | 25,000 |
| Al Sha'ab Ibb | Ibb | 22 May Stadium | 40,000 |
| Al-Hilal Hudayda | Al Hudaydah | Al Ulufi Stadium | 2,000 |
| Fahman SCC | Mudiyah | Mudiyah Stadium | |
| Al-Tadamun Hadramaut | Mukalla | Baradem Mukalla Stadium | 15,000 |
| Al-Ittihad Ibb | Ibb | May 22 Stadium | 40,000 |
| Samaon | San'a | Ali Muhesen Stadium | 25,000 |
Champions (pre-unification)
| No. | Season | North Yemen | South Yemen | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1970–71 | Not held | Al-Tilal Aden | |
| 2 | 1971–72 | Not held | ||
| 3 | 1972–73 | Not held | ||
| 4 | 1973–74 | Not held | ||
| 5 | 1974–75 | Not held | ||
| 6 | 1975–76 | Not held | Al-Wahda Aden | |
| 7 | 1976–77 | Not held | Al-Tilal Aden | |
| 8 | 1977–78 | Not held | ||
| 9 | 1978–79 | Al-Wahda San'a | ||
| 10 | 1979–80 | Al-Zuhra | Al-Tilal Aden | |
| 11 | 1980–81 | Al-Ahli San'a | ||
| 12 | 1981–82 | Al-Sha'ab San'a | Al-Tilal Aden | |
| 13 | 1982–83 | Al-Ahli San'a | Al-Tilal Aden | |
| 14 | 1983–84 | Al-Ahli San'a | Al-Shorta Aden | |
| 15 | 1984–85 | Not held | ||
| 16 | 1985–86 | Al-Shorta Sana'a' | ||
| 17 | 1986–87 | Not held | Al Tilal Aden | |
| 18 | 1987–88 | Al-Ahli San'a | Al-Wahda Aden | |
| 19 | 1988–89 | Al-Yarmuk Al-Rawda | Al-Wahda Aden | |
| 20 | 1989–90 | Al-Yarmuk Al-Rawda | Al-Shula Aden |
Yemeni League champions
Top goalscorers
All-time top scorers
- As of 6 July 2013
| Rank | Player | Goals | Years |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Ali Al-Nono |
163 | 1999–2014 |
| 2 | Adel Al-Salimi |
136 | 1997–2011 |
| 3 | Sharaf Mahfood |
121 | 1985–2005 |
| 4 | Fathi Jabir |
108 | 1997–2008 |
| 5 |  Yordanos Abay |
100 | 2003–2012 |
Top scorers by season
| Season | Player | Club | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
1996–97 |
Jameel Al-Maktry | Shamsan Aden | 21 |
2002–03 |
Fikri Al-Habishi | 13 | |
2003–04 |
Yordanos Abay | Al-Saqr | 15 |
2004–05 |
Yordanos Abay | Al-Saqr | 15 |
2005–06 |
Fekri Al-Hubaishi | Shaab Ibb | 26 |
2006–07 |
Berhanu Kaseem | 15 | |
2007–08 |
Ali Al-Nono | Al-Ahli | 11 |
2008–09 |
Lomi Antita | 13 | |
2009–10 |
 Amboio | 15 | |
2010–11 |
Tesfaye Tafese | Al-Tilal | 15 |
2011–12 |
Shaaban Naggar | Al Oruba | 14 |
Total titles won
| Club | Wins | Runners-up | Third places |
|---|---|---|---|
| Al-Ahli Sana'a | 11 | 7 | 4 |
| Al-Tilal Aden | 8 | 5 | 4 |
| Al-Wahda Sana'a | 5 | 2 | 1 |
| Al-Sha'ab Ibb | 3 | 2 | 1 |
| Al-Saqr Ta'izz | 3 | 1 | 3 |
| Al-Wahda Aden | 3 | 1 | 1 |
| Al Yarmuk Al Rawda | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Al-Hilal Al-Sahili | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Al-Sha'ab Hadramaut | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Al-Shula Aden | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| Al-Oruba Zabid | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Al-Zuhra | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Al-Sha'ab San'a | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Al-Shorta Sana'a' | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Al-Shorta Aden | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Fahman SCC | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Al-Ittihad Ibb | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Al-Tadamun Hadramaut | 0 | 1 | 0 |
- Al Yarmuk Al Rawda won championships in 1989 and 1990 as Al Yarmouk San'a'
Total titles won by town or city
Sixteen clubs from a total of seven towns and cities have been champions.
| Town or city | Number of titles | Clubs |
|---|---|---|
| San'a' | 23 | Al-Ahli (11), Al-Wahda (5), Al Yarmouk (3), Al-Oruba (1), Al-Zuhra (1), Al-Sha'ab (1), Al-Shorta Sana'a (1) |
| Aden | 13 | Al-Tilal (8), Al-Wahda (3), Al-Shula (1), Al-Shorta Aden (1) |
| Ta'izz | 3 | Al-Saqr (3) |
| Ibb | 2 | Al-Sha'ab (2) |
| Al Hudaydah | 2 | Al-Hilal (2) |
| Mukalla | 1 | Al-Sha'ab Hadramaut (1) |
| Mudiyah | 1 | Fahman SCC (1) |