New Zealand National League
Football league / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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The New Zealand Men's National League is a men's football league at the top of the New Zealand football league system. Founded in 2021, the New Zealand National League is the successor to the New Zealand Football Championship. The league is contested by ten teams, with teams qualifying from their regional leagues. Four teams qualify from the Northern League, three qualify from the Central League, two qualify from the newly formed Southern League and the Wellington Phoenix Reserves are automatically given a spot each year.[1][2][3]
Founded | 2021; 3 years ago (2021) |
---|---|
Country | New Zealand |
Confederation | OFC |
Number of teams | 10 |
Level on pyramid | 1 |
Domestic cup(s) | Chatham Cup Charity Cup |
International cup(s) | OFC Champions League |
Current champions | Wellington Olympic (1st title) (2023) |
Most championships | Auckland City Wellington Olympic (1 title each) |
Top goalscorer | Gianni Bouzouzkis Garbhan Coughlan (20) |
TV partners | FIFA+ |
Website | nzfootball.co.nz/nzfnl |
Current: 2024 National League |
The regional leagues runs from March through to September, with each league having a varying number of games. The Championship phase runs after the completion of the regional phase with each team playing each other once, followed by a grand final. Each season, two clubs gain qualification to the OFC Champions League, the continental competition for the Oceania region.
The New Zealand National League was Oceania's strongest national league for four consecutive years in 2023 according to IFFHS.[4]