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Croatian Football League facts for kids

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SuperSport HNL
SuperSport HNL.png
Organising body HNS
Founded 1992; 33 years ago (1992)
Country  Croatia
Confederation UEFA
Number of teams 10
Level on pyramid 1
Relegation to Prva NL
Domestic cup(s) Croatian Cup
Croatian Super Cup
International cup(s) UEFA Champions League
UEFA Europa League
UEFA Europa Conference League
Current champions Dinamo Zagreb (25th title)
(2023–24)
Most championships Dinamo Zagreb
(25 titles)
Most appearances Jakov Surać (453)
Top goalscorer Davor Vugrinec (146)
TV partners T-Hrvatski Telekom
(MAX Sport)
HRT

The Hrvatska nogometna liga (also known as SuperSport HNL) is Croatia's top professional football league. It started in 1992. People often call it HNL for short. Before 2022, it was known as the First Croatian Football League.

About the League

The HNL was created in 1991 when Croatia became independent. This meant Croatian clubs no longer played in the Yugoslav league. The Croatian Football Federation runs the league.

Over the years, the league has changed how it works. At first, teams got two points for a win. Since the 1994–95 season, they get three points. Each season usually starts in late July or early August and finishes in May. There's a break from December to February. Right now, ten teams play in the league.

The very first season was short, from February to June 1992. Twelve clubs played, and no teams were sent down to a lower league. The league grew to 16 teams the next season, and even 18 teams in 1993–94. Later, the number of teams was reduced to 10 for the 2013–14 season, which is how it is today.

The main sponsor of the league is SuperSport.

Teams in the League

Ten clubs are competing in the 2023–24 Croatian Football League season. This is the 33rd season of the league.

Some of these teams, like Dinamo Zagreb and Hajduk Split, used to play in the top Yugoslav league before Croatia's league began. As of 2023, four of the original 12 teams from 1992 have never been sent down to a lower league. These are Dinamo Zagreb, Hajduk Split, Osijek, and Rijeka.

Club
 Position
in 2022–23		 First season in
top division		 Number of seasons
in top division		 Number of seasons
in 1. HNL		 First season of
current spell in
top division		 Best top level
result		 Titles total
(most recent)
Dinamo Zagreb ‡ 0011st 1946–47 78 33 1946–47 1st 28 (2022–23)nb1
Gorica 0099th 2018–19 6 6 2018–19 5th N/A
Hajduk Split ‡ 0022nd 1923 95 33 1923 1st 15 (2004–05)nb2
Istra 1961 0055th 2004–05 18 18 2009–10 5th N/A
Lokomotiva 0077th 1946–47 24 15 2009–10 2nd N/A
Osijek ‡ 0033rd 1953–54 49 33 1981–82 2nd N/A
Rijeka ‡ 0044th 1946–47 62 33 1974–75 1st 1 (2016–17)
Rudeš ZZZ1st in 2. HNL 2017-18 3 3 2023–24 8th N/A
Slaven Belupo 0088th 1997–98 27 27 1997–98 2nd N/A
Varaždin 0066th 2019–20 4 4 2022–23 6th N/A

† – One of the 12 founding members of the league in the first season (1992).
‡ – Has played in all 33 seasons up to and including the current 2023–24 season.
nb1 – Dinamo Zagreb's total includes four Yugoslav and 24 Croatian league titles.
nb2 – Hajduk Split's total includes nine Yugoslav and six Croatian league titles.

Croatian Teams in European Competitions

After Yugoslavia broke up, Croatian football started its own league. This meant Croatian teams could play in European competitions like the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League.

Eight times, HNL teams have reached the group stages of the UEFA Champions League. Hajduk Split made it to the quarterfinals in the 1994–95 season. Dinamo Zagreb has also reached the group stage many times, playing against big clubs like Real Madrid and Arsenal. In the 2019–20 season, Dinamo Zagreb finished fourth in their group after some close games.

League Names Over Time

Since 2003, the league has been named after its main sponsor. Here are its past names:

  • 2003–2007 – Prva HNL Ožujsko
  • 2007–2011 – T-Com Prva HNL
  • 2011–2017 – MAXtv Prva liga
  • 2017–2022 – Hrvatski Telekom Prva liga / HT Prva liga
  • 2022–present – SuperSport Hrvatska nogometna liga / SuperSport HNL

UEFA Rankings

UEFA ranks national football leagues every year. These rankings show how well a country's clubs perform in international competitions. The ranking helps decide how many spots each country gets in European tournaments.

UEFA also ranks individual clubs. This helps decide which teams get easier draws in competitions. As of 2022, Dinamo Zagreb is the top Croatian club, ranked 34th in Europe.

Media Coverage

In the past, only one match per round was shown on TV. Later, a show called "I Love Football" started, showing more games.

Since the 2022–23 season, matches are broadcast on MAX Sport channels by Hrvatski Telekom. One match per round is also shown on Croatian Radiotelevision (HRT), which is a public TV channel. For other countries that used to be part of Yugoslavia, the league is still shown on Arena Sport.

League Champions

Here are the champions of the Croatian Football League, along with the top goal scorers for each season.

Key
0†0 The league champions also won the Croatian Football Cup, meaning they won both major domestic trophies.
0+0 Player received award based on fewer playing minutes than others with the same number of goals.
Season Champions (titles) Runners-up Third place Top league scorer
Player (Club) Nat. Goals
1992 Hajduk Split (1) NK Zagreb Osijek Kozniku, ArdianArdian Kozniku (Hajduk Split)  CRO 12
1992–93 Croatia Zagreb (1) Hajduk Split NK Zagreb Vlaović, GoranGoran Vlaović (Croatia Zagreb)  CRO 23
1993–94 Hajduk Split (2) NK Zagreb Croatia Zagreb Vlaović, GoranGoran Vlaović (Croatia Zagreb)  CRO 29
1994–95 Hajduk Split (3) † Croatia Zagreb Osijek Špehar, RobertRobert Špehar (Osijek)  CRO 23
1995–96 Croatia Zagreb (2) † Hajduk Split Varteks Cvitanović, IgorIgor Cvitanović (Croatia Zagreb)  CRO 19
1996–97 Croatia Zagreb (3) † Hajduk Split Hrvatski Dragovoljac Cvitanović, IgorIgor Cvitanović (Croatia Zagreb)  CRO 20
1997–98 Croatia Zagreb (4) † Hajduk Split Osijek Baturina, MateMate Baturina (NK Zagreb)  CRO 18
1998–99 Croatia Zagreb (5) Rijeka Hajduk Split Popović, JoškoJoško Popović (Šibenik)  CRO 21
1999–2000 Dinamo Zagreb (6) Hajduk Split Osijek Šokota, TomoTomo Šokota (Dinamo Zagreb)  CRO 21
2000–01 Hajduk Split (4) Dinamo Zagreb Osijek Šokota, TomoTomo Šokota (Dinamo Zagreb)  CRO 20
2001–02 NK Zagreb (1) Hajduk Split Dinamo Zagreb Olić, IvicaIvica Olić (NK Zagreb)  CRO 21
2002–03 Dinamo Zagreb (7) Hajduk Split Varteks Olić, IvicaIvica Olić (Dinamo Zagreb)  CRO 16
2003–04 Hajduk Split (5) Dinamo Zagreb Rijeka Špehar, RobertRobert Špehar (Osijek)  CRO 18
2004–05 Hajduk Split (6) Inter Zaprešić NK Zagreb Erceg, TomislavTomislav Erceg (Rijeka)  CRO 17
2005–06 Dinamo Zagreb (8) Rijeka Varteks Bošnjak, IvanIvan Bošnjak (Dinamo Zagreb)  CRO 22
2006–07 Dinamo Zagreb (9) † Hajduk Split NK Zagreb Eduardo (Dinamo Zagreb)  CRO 34
2007–08 Dinamo Zagreb (10) † Slaven Belupo Osijek Terkeš, ŽelimirŽelimir Terkeš (Zadar)  BIH 21
2008–09 Dinamo Zagreb (11) † Hajduk Split Rijeka Mandžukić, MarioMario Mandžukić (Dinamo Zagreb)  CRO 16
2009–10 Dinamo Zagreb (12) Hajduk Split Cibalia Vugrinec, DavorDavor Vugrinec (NK Zagreb)  CRO 18
2010–11 Dinamo Zagreb (13) † Hajduk Split RNK Split Krstanović, IvanIvan Krstanović (NK Zagreb)  BIH 19
2011–12 Dinamo Zagreb (14) † Hajduk Split Slaven Belupo Bećiraj, FatosFatos Bećiraj (Dinamo Zagreb)  MNE 15
2012–13 Dinamo Zagreb (15) Lokomotiva Rijeka Benko, LeonLeon Benko (Rijeka)  CRO 19
2013–14 Dinamo Zagreb (16) Rijeka Hajduk Split Čop, DujeDuje Čop (Dinamo Zagreb)  CRO 22
2014–15 Dinamo Zagreb (17) † Rijeka Hajduk Split Kramarić, AndrejAndrej Kramarić (Rijeka)  CRO 21
2015–16 Dinamo Zagreb (18) † Rijeka Hajduk Split Nestorovski, IlijaIlija Nestorovski (Inter Zaprešić)  MKD 25
2016–17 Rijeka (1) † Dinamo Zagreb Hajduk Split Futács, MárkóMárkó Futács (Hajduk Split)  HUN 18
2017–18 Dinamo Zagreb (19) † Rijeka Hajduk Split Soudani, El Arabi HillelEl Arabi Hillel Soudani (Dinamo Zagreb)  ALG 17
2018–19 Dinamo Zagreb (20) Rijeka Osijek Caktaš, MijoMijo Caktaš (Hajduk Split)  CRO 19
2019–20 Dinamo Zagreb (21) Lokomotiva Rijeka Čolak, AntonioAntonio Čolak + (Rijeka)  CRO 20
2020–21 Dinamo Zagreb (22) † Osijek Rijeka Miérez, RamónRamón Miérez (Osijek)  ARG 22
2021–22 Dinamo Zagreb (23) Hajduk Split Osijek Livaja, MarkoMarko Livaja (Hajduk Split)  CRO 28
2022–23 Dinamo Zagreb (24) Hajduk Split Osijek Livaja, MarkoMarko Livaja (Hajduk Split)  CRO 19
2023–24 Dinamo Zagreb (25) † Rijeka Hajduk Split Miérez, RamónRamón Miérez (Osijek)  ARG 19

Notes on name changes:

  • Dinamo Zagreb was called "HAŠK Građanski" and then "Croatia Zagreb" for a while. They won five league titles as "Croatia Zagreb" before changing back to "Dinamo Zagreb" in 2000.
  • Slaven Belupo was known as "Slaven" and "Slaven Bilokalnik" before their current name. They changed it for sponsorship reasons.

Club Performance

This chart and table show which clubs have won the most titles in the HNL.

Titles won by club (%)      Dinamo Zagreb – 24 (74.1%)     Hajduk Split – 6 (19.3%)     Zagreb – 1 (3.2%)     Rijeka – 1 (3.2%)

Club Champions Runners-up Third place Last best place
Dinamo Zagreb 24 4 2 Champions 2022–23
Hajduk Split 6 14 6 Champions 2004–05
Rijeka 1 7 5 Champions 2016–17
NK Zagreb 1 2 3 Champions 2001–02
Lokomotiva
—
 2
—
 Runner-up 2019–20
Osijek
—
 1 9 Runner-up 2020–21
Slaven Belupo
—
 1 1 Runner-up 2007–08
Inter Zaprešić
—
 1
—
 Runner-up 2004–05
Varteks
—
—
 3 Third place 2005–06
Cibalia
—
—
 1 Third place 2009–10
Hrvatski Dragovoljac
—
—
 1 Third place 1996–97
RNK Split
—
—
 1 Third place 2010–11

Top Scorers and Appearances

Players in the HNL compete to be the top scorer each season. The trophy goes to the player who scores the most goals.

Davor Vugrinec holds the record for the most goals in HNL history with 146 goals. He passed Igor Cvitanović's record in 2012. Only a few other players have scored over 100 goals in the league.

Eduardo holds the record for most goals in a single season with 34 goals in 2006–07. The highest-scoring match in HNL history was when Dinamo Zagreb beat NK Pazinka 10–1 in 1993.

Player Transfers

Many talented players have moved from the HNL to bigger leagues in Europe. Also, some players have joined HNL clubs from other teams.

Transfers from HNL

Here are some of the most expensive transfers of players leaving HNL clubs:

# Player From To Season Fee
1 Croatia Joško Gvardiol Dinamo Zagreb Germany RB Leipzig 2021/2022 36,80 mln €
2 Croatia Marko Pjaca Italy Juventus FC 2016/2017 29,40 mln €
3 Spain Dani Olmo Germany RB Leipzig 2019/2020 29,00 mln €
4 Croatia Luka Modrić England Tottenham Hotspur F.C. 2008/2009 22,50 mln €
5 Croatia Josip Šutalo Netherlands AFC Ajax 2023/2024 20,50 mln €
6 Croatia Filip Benković England Leicester City F.C. 2018/20219 14,50 mln €
7 Croatia Luka Vušković HNK Hajduk Split England Tottenham Hotspur F.C. 2023/2024 13,80 mln €
8 Croatia Marko Rog Dinamo Zagreb Italy SSC Napoli 2017/2018 13,50 mln €
9 Croatia Brazil Eduardo England Arsenal F.C. 2007/2008 13,50 mln €
10 Croatia Vedran Ćorluka England Manchester City F.C. 2007/2008 13,00 mln €

Transfers to HNL

Here are some of the most expensive transfers of players joining HNL clubs:

# Player From To Season Fee
1 Croatia Marko Rog RNK Split Dinamo Zagreb 2015/2016 5,00 mln €
2 Croatia Boško Šutalo Italy Atalanta BC 2022/2023 4,05 mln €
3 Croatia Austria Robert Ljubičić Austria SK Rapid Wien 2022/2023 3,00 mln €
Croatia Luka Ivanušec NK Lokomotiva Zagreb 2019/2020
Croatia Ivan Nevistić HNK Rijeka 2020/2021
6 Croatia Petar Bočkaj NK Osijek 2021/2022 2,70 mln €
7 Nigeria Iyayi Atiemwen HNK Gorica 2018/2019 2,65 mln €
8 Argentina Ramón Miérez Spain Deportivo Alavés NK Osijek 2021/2022 2,50 mln €
Chile Brazil Junior Fernandes Germany Bayer 04 Leverkusen Dinamo Zagreb 2014/2015
Croatia Lovro Majer NK Lokomotiva Zagreb 2018/2019

Awards

There are three main awards for the best players in the Croatian First League:

  • Sportske novosti Yellow Shirt award: Given by the Croatian sports newspaper Sportske novosti. Sports journalists choose the winner.
  • Prva HNL Player of the Year (Tportal): Given by the Croatian website Tportal. The captains of the league clubs choose the winner.
  • Football Oscar: Given by the Croatian union Football syndicate. Players and managers from the league clubs choose the winner.

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Primera Liga de Croacia para niños

  • Sport in Croatia
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