Liga 1 (Indonesia)

In 1994, PSSI merged teams from Perserikatan, which was a popular league for amateur clubs representing regional football associations, and Galatama, which was a less popular league made up of semi-professional teams, to form Liga Indonesia, integrating the fanaticism in the Perserikatan and the professionalism of the Galatama with the aim of improving the quality of Indonesian football. This effort ushered in a tiered system in the Indonesian competitive football scene.^[3] The group stage format, which was used in Perserikatan, was combined with a full competition system followed by the semi-final and final rounds like Galatama.^[4]

The modern competition era started in 2008 with the 2008–09 Indonesia Super League. The first season began with 18 clubs. The first Indonesia Super League goal was scored by Ernest Jeremiah of Persipura in a 2–2 draw against Sriwijaya F.C.^[5] The 18 inaugural members of the new Indonesia Super League were Persipura, Persiwa, Persib, Persik, Sriwijaya, Persela, Persija, PSM, Pelita Jaya, Arema, Persijap, Persiba, PKT Bontang, Persitara, PSMS, Deltras, Persita, and PSIS. Originally, Persiter and Persmin qualified to register but they failed the verification requirements to be inaugural members of the Indonesia Super League.^[6]

As the football scene in Indonesia was heavily politicized with rival factions upending each other, conflict was the norm prior to 2017. The worst conflict occurred in 2011.^[7] After the inauguration of the new PSSI board in 2011, a member of PSSI's Executive Committee and chairman of its Competition Committee, Sihar Sitorus, appointed PT Liga Prima Indonesia Sportindo as the new league operator replacing PT Liga Indonesia because the latter failed to provide an accountability report to the PSSI. Sitorus, one of many politicians in the PSSI, announced the Indonesia Premier League as the new top-level competition in Indonesia. Upon the emergence of Liga Primer Indonesia (LPI), PSSI did not recognize the validity of ISL. ISL regulars PSM, Persema, and Persibo, which had boycotted the ISL operators due to referee and management decisions, gladly defected to join LPI along with splinters of existing ISL teams.^[8] However, the 2011 LPI season was stopped mid-season, due to continued schism within PSSI; a new league, Indonesian Premier League (Liga Prima Indonesia, IPL) replaced it in late 2011 for the 2011–12 season.^[9][10]

Before the schism of PSSI, Sitorus triggered more controversy when he said the new competition would be divided into two regions and there would be an addition of six clubs in the top division, which angered many association members.^[11] Thus, 14 teams that were supposed to be Indonesia Premier League contestants chose to support the Indonesia Super League that continued to roll under the support of the pro-IPL faction, despite being labeled as an illegal competition.^[12] The official PSSI, supported by FIFA and AFC, did not recognize the ISL for two seasons.^[13][14] In the meantime, the Indonesian Premier League became the top-tier league from 2011 to 2013 with only 11 teams.^[9][15]

In a PSSI extraordinary meeting on 17 March 2013, association members slammed Sitorus and decided that the Indonesia Super League would once again emerge as the top-level competition, following the disbandment of the Indonesian Premier League.^[16] Sitorus and five other PSSI board members were suspended from the sport for their roles in the split (locally referred to as dualisme, lit. 'dualism') that disrupted Indonesian football.^[17]

The new PSSI board also decided that the best seven teams of the 2013 Indonesian Premier League, following verification, would join the unified league.^[18] Semen Padang, Persiba Bantul, Persijap, and PSM passed verification, while Perseman, Persepar, and Pro Duta did not, meaning the 2014 season was contested with 22 teams.^[19][20]

The impact of split haunted Indonesian football years after the reconsolidation. On 18 April 2015, Minister of Youth and Sports Affairs Imam Nahrawi officially banned the activities of PSSI after PSSI refused to recognize the recommendations from the Indonesian Professional Sports Agency (Badan Olahraga Profesional Indonesia; BOPI), an agency under the ministry, that Arema Cronus and Persebaya should not pass ISL verification because there were still other clubs using the same name. Previously, Nachrawi had sent three letters of reprimand. However, PSSI refused to answer his call until a predetermined deadline.^[21][22] As a result, PSSI officially stopped all competitions in 2015 season after PSSI's Executive Committee meeting on 2 May 2015 called the government intervention as a force majeure.^[23]

The government intervention also led FIFA to punish Indonesia with a one-year suspension of all association football activities as the world body considered overbearing state involvement in footballing matters as a violation against its member PSSI.^[24] During the suspension, some tournaments were made to fill the vacuum,^[25] starting with the 2015 Indonesia President's Cup, in which Persib came out as champions,^[26] until the Bhayangkara Cup closed the series of unrecognized tournaments.^[27]

On 13 May 2016, FIFA officially ended the suspension, following the revocation of the Indonesian ministerial decision on 10 May 2016.^[28][29] A long-term tournament with full competition format, Indonesia Soccer Championship, emerged shortly thereafter.^[30][31] The 2016 season saw Persipura take the title.^[32]

In 2017, the top-flight football competition was rebranded under a new official name, Liga 1. The name changes also applied to Premier Division (became Liga 2) and Liga Nusantara (became Liga 3).^[2][3] The operator of the competition was also changed from PT Liga Indonesia (LI) to PT Liga Indonesia Baru (LIB).^[33] Bhayangkara was the first champion of the competition under the new name in the 2017 season. True to the controversial nature of Indonesian football, the crowning triggered flak from fans. Bhayangkara, a team managed by the Indonesian Police that had no fanbase, won due to head-to-head advantage against Bali United, a team with rapidly growing support due to its modern professional management, after both teams had the same points at the end of the season.^[34] Bali United finally won the title in 2019,^[35][36] the year after Persija did so.^[37]

The 2020 season was canceled after the COVID-19 pandemic hit Indonesia.^[38][39] The 2021–22 season used the bubble-to-bubble system so that it would not become a new cluster for the spread of COVID-19.^[40] The 2022–23 season was marred by the Kanjuruhan Stadium disaster^[41] and was finished without relegation.^[42] The 2023–24 season introduced the championship play-off after the regular season.^[43] The 2024–25 season will see at least one team represent each island in the league.^[44]

There are 18 clubs in Liga 1. In the regular series, the teams play each other twice (a double round-robin system), once at their home stadium and once at that of their opponents', for 34 games. Teams receive three points for a win, one point for a draw, and no points for a loss. Teams are ranked by total points, then head-to-head records, then goal difference, and then goals scored. If still equal, the fair play points and then drawing of lots determine the winner.^[45]

In the championship series, the top four clubs in the regular series will have four knockout matches played over two legs.^[45]

A system of promotion and relegation exists between Liga 1 and Liga 2. The three lowest placed teams in Liga 1 are relegated to Liga 2,^[45] and the semi-final and third-place play-off winners from Liga 2 are promoted to Liga 1.^[46] The Indonesian Super League had 22 teams in 2014 due to the merging of the two professional leagues in Indonesia.^[47]

Video assistant referee (VAR) was introduced to Liga 1 at the championship series in the 2023–24 season.^[48]

Forty clubs have played in the top-flight Indonesian football competitions from the start of the modern era in 2008 as Indonesia Super League, up to and including the 2023–24 season.

Italics indicate former champions and runners-up that are currently outside the Liga 1.

The following 18 clubs will compete in the Liga 1 during the 2024–25 season.

• Remark : Top division means the highest football competition in Indonesia which includes the Liga Indonesia Premier Division from its inception in 1994 until 2008 and the Indonesian Premier League during the dualism era.
• Top division began from 1994–95 season when Galatama and Perserikatan merged to form Liga Indonesia.
• RANS Nusantara, Bhayangkara, and Persikabo 1973 were relegated to the Liga 2 for the 2024 season, while PSBS, Semen Padang, and Malut United as winners, runners-up, and third-place play-off winners respectively, were promoted from the 2023 season.

Notes:

Former names:

Leagues:

Semen Padang

Bali United

Barito Putera

Borneo Samarinda

PSM

Malut United

PSBS

class=notpageimage|

Locations of non-Java and Madura-based 2024–25 Liga 1 teams

Arema

Dewa United
Persita

Madura United

Persebaya

Persib

Persija

Persik

Persis

PSIS

PSS

class=notpageimage|

Locations of Java and Madura-based 2024–25 Liga 1 teams

The following clubs competed in the Liga 1 for at least one season, but are not competing in the 2024–25 season.

• Remark : Top division means the highest football competition in Indonesia which includes the Liga Indonesia Premier Division from its inception in 1994 until 2008 and the Indonesian Premier League during the dualism era.
• Top division began from 1994–95 season when Galatama and Perserikatan merged to form Liga Indonesia.

Notes:

Former names:

Leagues:

The All-time Liga 1 table is an overall record of all match results, points, and goals of every team that has played in Liga 1 since its inception in 2008. The table is accurate as of the end of the 2023–24 season. The 2014 season used a two-region format and the 2023–24 season used two phases, therefore as per statistical convention in football, matches decided in extra time are counted as wins and losses, while matches decided by penalty shoot-outs are counted as draws.^[50][51] This all-time table also includes the abandoned 2015 and 2020 season.

Notes:

Point deductions:

League or status at 2024–25:

Liga 1's policy on foreign players has changed multiple times since its inception.

• 2008–2013: 5 foreign players including 2 Asian quota.^[53]
• 2014: 4 foreign players including 1 Asian quota and only 3 can be on the field at a time.^[54]
• 2015: 3 foreign players. All 3 players can be on the field.^[55]
• 2017: 4 foreign players including 1 Asian quota and 1 marquee player quota. All 4 players can be on the field.^[56]
• 2018–2023: 4 foreign players including 1 Asian quota. All 4 players can be on the field.^[57]
• 2023–2024: 6 foreign players including 1 ASEAN quota. All 6 players can be on the field.^[58]
• 2024–present: 8 foreign players and only 6 can be on the field at a time.^[59]

Season	Player	Nationality	Club	Goals	Games	Rate
2008–09	Boaz Solossa	Indonesia	Persipura	28	31	0.90
	Cristian Gonzáles[a]	Uruguay	Persik/Persib		28	1.00
2009–10	Aldo Barreto	Paraguay	Bontang	19	32	0.59
2010–11	Boaz Solossa	Indonesia	Persipura	22	27	0.81
2011–12	Alberto Gonçalves[a]	Brazil	Persipura	25	34	0.74
2013	Boaz Solossa	Indonesia	Persipura	25	32	0.78
2014	Emmanuel Kenmogne	Cameroon	Persebaya ISL	25	25	1.00
2017	Sylvano Comvalius	Netherlands	Bali United	37	34	1.09
2018	Aleksandar Rakić	Serbia	PS TIRA	21	34	0.62
2019	Marko Šimić	Croatia	Persija	28	32	0.88
2021–22	Ilija Spasojević	Indonesia	Bali United	23	34	0.68
2022–23	Matheus Pato	Brazil	Borneo Samarinda	25	32	0.78
2023–24	David da Silva	Brazil	Persib	30	34	0.88

Notes:

Season	Player	Position	Nationality	Club
2008–09	Boaz Solossa	Forward	Indonesia	Persipura
2009–10	Kurnia Meiga	Goalkeeper	Indonesia	Arema
2010–11	Boaz Solossa	Forward	Indonesia	Persipura
2011–12	Keith Gumbs	Forward	Saint Kitts and Nevis	Sriwijaya
2013	Boaz Solossa	Forward	Indonesia	Persipura
2014	Ferdinand Sinaga	Forward	Indonesia	Persib
2017	Paulo Sérgio	Midfielder	Portugal	Bhayangkara
2018	Rohit Chand	Midfielder	Nepal	Persija
2019	Renan Silva	Midfielder	Brazil	Borneo
2021–22	Taisei Marukawa	Midfielder	Japan	Persebaya
2022–23	Wiljan Pluim	Midfielder	Netherlands	PSM
2023–24	Francisco Rivera	Midfielder	Mexico	Madura United

Best goalkeepers

Season	Player	Nationality	Club
2013	Yoo Jae-hoon	South Korea	Persipura
2017	Andritany Ardhiyasa	Indonesia	Persija
2021–22	Teja Paku Alam	Indonesia	Persib
2022–23	Andritany Ardhiyasa	Indonesia	Persija

Season	Coach	Nationality	Club
2013	Jacksen F. Tiago	Brazil	Persipura
2018	Stefano Cugurra	Brazil	Persija
2019	Stefano Cugurra	Brazil	Bali United
2021–22	Aji Santoso	Indonesia	Persebaya
2022–23	Bernardo Tavares	Portugal	PSM
2023–24	Bojan Hodak	Croatia	Persib

Season	Player	Nationality	Club	Opponent	Date
2017	Septian David	Indonesia	Mitra Kukar	Persiba	10 November 2017
2019	David da Silva	Brazil	Persebaya	Arema	12 December 2019
2021–22	Carlos Fortes	Portugal	Arema	Persija	5 February 2022
2022–23	Matheus Pato	Brazil	Borneo Samarinda	Bali United	3 April 2023

Broadcaster	Coverage	Year	Summary	Ref.
Emtek	Free-to-air (FTA)	2018–2027	Up to six matches per week, live on Indosiar. Most big matches only available via digital terrestrial antenna.	[70]
	Streaming		Live on Vidio Premier (pay). Up to five live matches per week (including big matches) must require a subscription (live coverage only available for Indonesia viewers) and non-Vidio Premier live matches (excluding big matches) available for free, with free highlights and free full coverage of 314 matches available in Indonesia and other countries via on demand (through Indosiar and Liga 1 official Vidio channels).
	Pay TV	2021–2027	Matches available for Nex Parabola customers.

Year	Broadcaster
	Free-to-air (FTA)	Pay TV	Streaming
2008–2012[71]	ANTV	—	—
2013[72]	VIVA[a]
2014[77]	MNC Media[b] Kompas TV[c]	K-Vision	Domikado[d]
2015[78][79]	MNC Media[b] NET.	Lippo Group[e] Matrix Garuda
2017[84]	tvOne	Orange TV	iflix SportsFlix
2018[88]	Moji tvOne	Orange TV Matrix Garuda IndiHome	SportsFlix
2019[89][90]	Moji	Matrix Garuda IndiHome	—
2020–2022[91][92]		MVN[f] IndiHome	Vision+
2022–2023		IndiHome	—
2023–2024[93]	—	MVN[g]	Vision+

Notes:

• Elite Pro Academy, the developmental league for Liga 1 clubs.
• List of football clubs in Indonesia
• List of football clubs in Indonesia by major honours won
• List of top-division football clubs in AFC countries
• List of association football competitions
• Football records and statistics in Indonesia

• Official website (in Indonesian)
• Indonesia – List of Champions at the RSSSF (in English)