Country | Macau |
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Confederation | AFC |
Founded | 1973 |
Number of teams | 10 |
Level on pyramid | 1 |
Relegation to | Campeonato da 2ª Divisão do Futebol |
International cup(s) | AFC Cup |
Current champions |
Benfica de Macau (3rd title) (2016) |
Most championships | Lam Pak (9 titles) |
Website | Official website |
2016 |
Liga de Elite (Elite League), previously known as Campeonato da 1ª Divisão do Futebol, is the top division of the Macau Football Association, created in 1973. As with the Hong Kong Premier League, it is separate from the mainland Chinese football league system, including the Chinese Super League and leagues below it. The league is generally played between January and June of each calendar year.
In the 2014 edition, Lam Pak, Lam Ieng and Kuan Tai all forfeited from the First Division before the start of the competition. Lam Pak and Lam Ieng withdrew due to the lack of backing from sponsors and Kuan Tai cited budget issues and could no longer afford to pay some of its players. To solve the problem of three sudden vacancies, the Macau Football Association clarified that the two clubs that were relegated in 2013, Kei Lun and MFA Development, were invited to remain, and an additional third team would come from the Second Division. After careful consideration by the MFA, no team from the Second Division was picked, being deemed not competitive enough for the First Division.
Winners were: