Turkish football

Association football is the most popular sport in Turkey, followed by basketball, tracing its roots to the Ottoman Empire. The first matches were played in Selanik, now Thessaloníki, in 1875. The sport was introduced by English residents. The Turkish football league system comprises five professional leagues, one of which is dedicated to female athletes.

Turkey's first professional league was established as the Istanbul Football League in 1904 by James Fontaine. The league ran until 1959, when it was replaced by the Turkish Super League. Football leagues were found especially in Ankara, İzmir, Adana, Eskişehir, Tokat and Trabzon. Before the introduction of the professional nationwide league (later to be known as the Süper Lig), there were two top level national leagues: the Turkish Football Championship and the National Division. Fenerbahçe dominated Turkish football in those decades, having won three Championship titles and six National Division titles, both of them records. These leagues were replaced by the Süper Lig in 1959.

The Süper Lig (Super League) is the top division in Turkey. The league contains 18 clubs. The champion receives an automatic berth in the group stage of the European Champions League. Galatasaray, Fenerbahçe, Beşiktaş and Trabzonspor are the most successful Turkish clubs that participate in the competition, winning more titles than any other club. Galatasaray has won the highest number of Süper Lig trophies (the club won more Süper Lig and Turkish Cup trophies than any other team). The current Süper Lig champions are Beşiktaş, who won the 2016–17 season.