Croatian First League
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| Country | Croatia |
|---|---|
| Confederation | UEFA |
| Founded | 1992 |
| Number of teams | 10 |
| Level on pyramid | 1 |
| Relegation to | Croatian Second League |
| Domestic cup(s) |
Croatian Football Cup Croatian Super Cup |
| International cup(s) |
UEFA Champions League UEFA Europa League |
| Current champions |
Dinamo Zagreb (18th title) (2015–16) |
| Most championships |
Dinamo Zagreb (18 titles) |
| TV partners |
T-Hrvatski Telekom (Arenasport) |
| Website | prvahnl.hr |
 2016–17 season
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The Croatian First Football League (Croatian: Prva hrvatska nogometna liga, pronounced [pr̂ːvaː xř̩ʋaːtskaː nôɡomeːtnaː lǐːɡa]), also known as Prva HNL or 1. HNL) or for sponsorship reasons the MAXtv Prva Liga, is the top Croatian professional football league competition, established in 1992. The winners enter the qualifying stages of the UEFA Champions League. Dinamo Zagreb are the current champions, having won their eleventh consecutive title in the 2015-16 season, and are the most successful club with 18 titles overall, followed by Hajduk Split with six titles.
Since 2003, the league has been named after its main sponsor, giving it the following names (Logos see below):
The league was formed in 1991, following the dissolution of the Yugoslav First League, and is operated by the Croatian Football Federation. Since its formation, the league went through many changes in its system and number of participating clubs. In the first three seasons two points were awarded for a win, from 1994–95 season this was changed to three points. Each season starts in late July or early August and ends in May, with a two-month hiatus between December and February. Currently, there are 10 teams participating in the league.
The first season started in February 1992 and ended in June 1992. A total of twelve clubs contested the league and at the end of the season no teams were relegated as it was decided that the league would expand to 16 clubs for the following season. This was followed by another expansion to 18 teams in 1993–94 season, highest number of participating teams in Prva HNL history. The following season, number of teams was reduced again to 16. 1995–96 Prva HNL was the first season to feature separate A- and B- leagues, with a complicated two-stage format to the season. Twelve teams contested the A league, while the B league, formally the second level, consisted of ten teams. In March, the teams were split into three groups: Championship group (consisting of first five teams from A league and the first-placed team of the B league), A play-off group (remaining teams from A league and the second-placed team of the B league) and B play-off group (remaining teams from B league). The first two teams of the B play-off group were placed in the A league for the following season, which featured 16 teams in both A and B league. In the 1997–98 Prva HNL, the league consisted of 12 team and a new format was used. In March, teams were split into two groups of six, Championship and Relegation group, with 50% of their points taken to this phase of the competition. At the end of the season, the last team was directly relegated to the Druga HNL and the second-last team went in the relegation play-off, a two-legged tie against the second-placed team from the Druga HNL. This system was used for two seasons, followed by 1999–2000 Prva HNL where each club playing every other club three times for a total of 33 rounds. Next season featured a return of Championship and Relegation group system but without 50% points cutoff. This system was used until 2005–06 season, with a brief expansion to 16 teams in 2001–02 season. The 2006–07 season brought back a 33 rounds system previously used in 1999–2000 Prva HNL. In the 2009–10 season, the league was expanded to 16 teams. This lasted for three seasons, and in the 2012–13 Prva HNL season, the league was contested by 12 teams playing a total of 33 rounds. From the 2013–14 Prva HNL season, number of teams was reduced to ten.
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