The Ghana Premier League is the top professional association football league in Ghana organized by the Ghana Football Association[1] and formed in 1958 to replace a previous league incarnation, the Gold Coast Club Competition which ran from 1933 to 1953–54. As of the first quarter of 2024, the league was ranked as the 8th best league in Africa by TeamForm.com.[2]
 | |
| Founded | 1958 |
|---|---|
| Country |  Ghana |
| Confederation | CAF |
| Number of teams | 18 (from 2019–20) |
| Level on pyramid | 1 |
| Relegation to | Division One League |
| Domestic cup(s) | |
| International cup(s) | |
| Current champions | Samartex (2023–24) |
| Most championships | Asante Kotoko (25 titles) |
| TV partners | StarTimes (live matches) |
| Website | Official website |
| Current: 2024–25 Ghana Premier League | |
On 4 February 2014, defunct bank Capital Bank, at the time known as First Capital Plus Bank, sponsored the league for $10 million for 5 years, thus renaming it until its state-sponsored collapse in 2017 as the First Capital Plus Premier League.[3][4][5][6] Asante Kotoko is the most successful team in the league with 25 titles, followed by Accra Hearts of Oak with 21. The bottom 3 teams are relegated at the end of each season and placed in each zone of the Ghanaian Division One League.
The 2019–20 season was halted and eventually cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Ghana that mirrored the cause of postponement or cancellation of association football leagues and competitions across the globe.
Broadcasting
In September 2013, South African broadcaster SuperSport signed a deal with the Ghana Football Association to broadcast the league on DStv and GOtv.[7] On 23 November 2016, Chinese pay television provider and broadcaster StarTimes secured the official television production and broadcast rights holder for the league, broadcasting live matches per matchday on their branded decoders and equipment.[8]
Previous winners
By club
| Years | Champions |
|---|---|
| 1958 | Hearts of Oak (1) |
| 1959 | Asante Kotoko (1) |
| 1960 | Eleven Wise (1) |
| 1961–62 | Hearts of Oak (2) |
| 1962–63 | Real Republicans (1) |
| 1963–64 | Asante Kotoko (2) |
| 1964–65 | Asante Kotoko (3) |
| 1966 | Mysterious Dwarfs (1) |
| 1967 | Asante Kotoko (4) |
| 1968 | Asante Kotoko (5) |
| 1969 | Asante Kotoko (6) |
| 1970 | Accra Great Olympics (1) |
| 1971 | Hearts of Oak (3) |
| 1972 | Asante Kotoko (7) |
| 1973 | Hearts of Oak (4) |
| 1974 | Accra Great Olympics (2) |
| 1975 | Asante Kotoko (8) |
| 1976 | Hearts of Oak (5) |
| 1977 | Sekondi Hasaacas (1) |
| 1978 | Hearts of Oak (6) |
| 1979 | Hearts of Oak (7) |
| 1980 | Asante Kotoko (9) |
| 1981 | Asante Kotoko (10) |
| 1982 | Asante Kotoko (11) |
| 1983 | Asante Kotoko (12) |
| 1984 | Hearts of Oak (8) |
| 1985 | Hearts of Oak (9) |
| 1986 | Asante Kotoko (13) |
| 1987 | Asante Kotoko (14) |
| 1988–89 | Asante Kotoko (15) |
| 1989–90 | Hearts of Oak (10) |
| 1990–91 | Asante Kotoko (16) |
| 1991–92 | Asante Kotoko (17) |
| 1992–93 | Asante Kotoko (18) |
| 1993–94 | Ashanti Gold (1) |
| 1994–95 | Ashanti Gold (2) |
| 1995–96 | Ashanti Gold (3) |
| 1996–97 | Hearts of Oak (11) |
| 1997–98 | Hearts of Oak (12) |
| 1999 | Hearts of Oak (13) |
| 2000 | Hearts of Oak (14) |
| 2001 | Hearts of Oak (15) |
| 2002 | Hearts of Oak (16) |
| 2003 | Asante Kotoko (19) |
| 2004 | Hearts of Oak (17) |
| 2005 | Asante Kotoko (20) |
| 2006–07 | Hearts of Oak (18) |
| 2007–08 | Asante Kotoko (21) |
| 2008–09 | Hearts of Oak (19) |
| 2009–10 | Aduana Stars (1) |
| 2010–11 | Berekum Chelsea (1) |
| 2011–12 | Asante Kotoko (22) |
| 2012–13 | Asante Kotoko (23) |
| 2013–14 | Asante Kotoko (24) |
| 2015 | Ashanti Gold SC (4) |
| 2016 | Wa All Stars (1) |
| 2017 | Aduana Stars (2) |
| 2018 | Championship canceled and declared null and void |
| 2019 | Asante Kotoko (25) |
| 2020 | Season postponed, then canceled[9] |
| 2020–21 | Hearts of Oak (20) |
| 2021–22 | Asante Kotoko (26) |
| 2022–23 | Medeama (1) |
| 2023–24 | Samartex (1) |
By number of titles
| Clubs | City/Region | Years | Winners | Last title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Asante Kotoko | Kumasi, Ashanti Region | 1959, 1963–64, 1964–65, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1972, 1975, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1986, 1987, 1988–89, 1990–91, 1991–92, 1992–93, 2003, 2005, 2007–08, 2011–12, 2012–13, 2013–14, 2021–22 | 25 | 2021–22 |
| Hearts of Oak | Accra, Greater Accra | 1956, 1958, 1961–62, 1971, 1973, 1976, 1978, 1979, 1984, 1985, 1989–90, 1996–97, 1997–98, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2003, 2004–05, 2006–07, 2008–09, 2020–21 | 21 | 2020–21 |
| Ashanti Gold[lower-alpha 1] | Obuasi, Ashanti Region | 1993–94, 1994–95, 1995–96, 2015 | 4 | 2015 |
| Accra Great Olympics | Accra, Greater Accra | 1970, 1974 | 2 | 1974 |
| Aduana Stars | Dormaa Ahenkro, Bono Region | 2009–10, 2017 | 2 | 2017 |
| Eleven Wise | Sekondi-Takoradi, Western Region | 1960 | 1 | 1960 |
| Real Republicans | Accra, Greater Accra | 1962–63 | 1 | 1962–63 |
| Mysterious Dwarfs | Cape Coast, Central Region | 1967 | 1 | 1967 |
| Sekondi Hasaacas | Sekondi-Takoradi, Western Region | 1977 | 1 | 1977 |
| Berekum Chelsea | Berekum, Bono Region | 2010–11 | 1 | 2010–11 |
| Legon Cities[lower-alpha 2] | Accra, Greater Accra | 2016 | 1 | 2016 |
| Medeama | Tarkwa, Western Region | 2022–23 | 1 | 2023 |
| Samartex | Tarkwa, Western Region | 2023–24 | 1 | 2024 |
Top scorers
Sponsorship
| Period | Title sponsor | Name | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1956–2008 | None | Ghana Premier League | |
| 2009–2013 | Globacom (Glo) | Glo Premier League | [19] |
| 2013–2015 |
|
First Capital Plus (Bank) Premier League | [3][4][5] |
| 2016–2022 | None | Ghana Premier League | |
| 2022–2023 | betPawa | betPawa Premier League | [20] |
| 2023–present | None | Ghana Premier League | [21][22] |
See also
Notes and references
External links
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