Contents
History
Founded / origins
The roots of organised football in Greece go back to the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with clubs and tournaments forming, especially around Athens, Piraeus, and Thessaloniki. The Panhellenic Championship was first held in 1927-28, which was the earliest national competition that brought together winners of regional leagues to decide a Greek champion.
In 1959, the championship was reorganised into a proper national league called Alpha Ethniki. This was the country’s top division until 2006, when a major structural change happened. On 16 July 2006, the Super League was officially founded as the new body for the top division, formally replacing Alpha Ethniki.
Later, in 2019, another re-structuring took place. The organisation was renamed to Super League 1 (also called the Stoiximan Super League for sponsorship reasons), and the competition format was adjusted, with changes like the introduction of a play-off system and VAR.
Structure & competition format
Number of teams & season duration
The league has 14 clubs, and the season usually runs from August to May.
Regular season
Each club plays every other club twice, once at home and once away. This means each team plays a total of 26 matches in the regular season. After this, the league is split into different play-off and play-out rounds.
Phase two: play-offs & play-outs
– Championship play-offs: The top four teams from the regular season go into this round. They play extra matches to decide who will be the league champion and which teams will qualify for UEFA competitions.
– Europe play-offs: The teams that finish from 5th to 8th place enter this playoff, which helps decide who gets the remaining European spots, especially for the UEFA Conference League.
– Relegation play-outs: The bottom six teams enter a play-out round to fight against being relegated to Super League 2. The exact number of relegated teams may depend on licensing conditions.
Promotion & relegation
From the second division, Super League 2, the top teams are promoted to Super League 1. Usually, two teams are promoted. The number of relegated clubs from Super League 1 is decided by how they perform in the play-outs.
European qualification
The final league positions after the play-offs determine which teams qualify for European competitions: the Champions League, Europa League, and Conference League. The winner of the domestic cup can also affect this. As of the 2025-26 season, Greece has five spots in UEFA competitions.
New technologies & rules
In recent seasons, the league has introduced VAR (Video Assistant Referee). They have also started using semi-automated offside technology and goal-line technology, which were first used in the play-off rounds and are now used more widely.
Other regulatory & licensing criteria
Clubs must meet certain licensing requirements (financial, stadium, and legal) to play in Super League 1. If they fail to meet these, they could be excluded or relegated, regardless of their on-field results.
Recent season highlights (2024-25)
In the 2024-25 season, Olympiacos won the championship. There were a total of 236 matches played, with 578 goals scored. The top scorer was Jefté Betancor, who scored 19 goals.
Clubs, records & historical performance
Current clubs (2025-26 season)
Fourteen clubs are competing in the upcoming 2025-26 Super League 1 season. Among them are:
– Olympiacos, the most successful club in history.
– Panathinaikos.
– AEK Athens.
– PAOK.
– Aris.
– Athlitiki Enosi Larissa (AEL), who have been promoted to the top flight.
– OFI Crete.
– Panetolikos.
– Other clubs include Asteras Tripolis, Atromitos, Levadiakos, Panserraikos, and newcomers such as AE Kifisia.
Historical champions
Champions have been crowned every season since the Panhellenic Championship of 1927-28. The title has also been contested in the Alpha Ethniki era and, since 2006-07, in the Super League format.
– Olympiacos holds the record for the most championship wins with 48 titles as of 2024-25.
– Other clubs that have won the top Greek division are Panathinaikos, AEK Athens, PAOK, Aris, and AEL.
Other record metrics
– Most titles: Olympiacos, with 48, has been dominant over many decades.
– Most appearances: Mimis Domazos holds the record with 535 matches.
– Top goalscorer (all-time): Thomas Mavros scored 260 goals.
Performance by club & region
The six clubs to have ever won the championship are spread across a few major cities. Olympiacos is from Piraeus, Panathinaikos and AEK are from Athens, PAOK and Aris are from Thessaloniki, and AEL is from Larissa. Major clubs like Olympiacos, Panathinaikos, AEK Athens, and PAOK also tend to have stronger participation in European competitions and higher revenue.
Notable historical moments
There have been eras of dominance, for example, by Olympiacos throughout the 20th and 21st centuries. However, there have also been upsets. AEL (Larissa) won the league in 1988, which broke the dominance of the “big four” clubs. The league has evolved in format and competitive balance, especially since the introduction of the Super League in 2006 and further restructuring in 2019.
Governance, media rights & regulation
The Greek Super League 1 is organised by the Super League 1 Greece Limited Liability Company, a cooperative of its member clubs. Clubs are structured as legally incorporated entities called P.A.E. (Professional Football Clubs). The league operates under the regulations of the Hellenic Football Federation (HFF), as well as broader rules from FIFA and UEFA.
Media rights & governance
The league’s domestic broadcast rights are split between Nova Sports and Cosmote Sport. This isn’t a centralised deal; instead, the home matches of major clubs like Olympiacos, Panathinaikos, and AEK Athens are tied to specific broadcasters (Cosmote for some, Nova for others). This has created tension, with clubs debating whether a more centralised model could increase transparency and revenue, particularly for smaller clubs. Most domestic broadcasts are on pay-TV.
European standing & oversight
The performance of Greek clubs in UEFA competitions directly impacts the league’s UEFA coefficient ranking. This ranking determines the number of spots Greece receives in the Champions League, Europa League, and Conference League. As of September 2025, the Greek Super League is ranked 11th among European leagues. The HFF, FIFA, and UEFA all exert regulatory oversight, including licensing procedures to ensure clubs meet financial, infrastructure, and legal requirements.
Sportmonks and its relevance to Super League 1
Sportmonks offers a great Football API (version 3.0) that provides access to live and historical data for over 2,300 football leagues. This includes the Greek Super League, which is one of the national leagues that Sportmonks covers.
Relevant features
– League and team endpoints: You can get information on leagues, teams, squads, player profiles, fixtures, and league tables. This is useful for getting structured and up-to-date details about the clubs taking part.
– Match events & live data: The API supports events like goals, cards, and substitutions. For someone covering a season, these endpoints let you trace how a team performs match by match or highlight specific statistics.
– Historical & seasonal data: You can get data for past seasons, old league tables, and past champions. This allows you to check records, club histories, and how the league has changed over time without having to rely on other sources.
– Developer-friendly: The API is well-structured and easy to use, with clear documentation, tutorials, and examples.
Bring the Greek Super League closer with Sportmonks
The Stoiximan Super League is one of Europe’s most historic and competitive football leagues, and with Sportmonks you can cover it with unmatched detail. Our Football API includes live scores, fixtures, line-ups, player profiles, league tables, in-play events, and historical records, giving you everything you need to bring the Greek top flight to life. Whether you are building a media platform, creating scouting or analytical tools, or developing betting insights, Sportmonks provides the accuracy, speed, and reliability you need. Start exploring the Sportmonks Football API today and transform the way you follow Greek football.
Faqs about the Greek Super League
