The First League of the Republika Srpska ( / ) is a

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

league in

Republika Srpska Republika Srpska ( sr-Cyrl, Република Српска, ; also referred to as the Republic of Srpska or Serb Republic) is one of the two Political divisions of Bosnia and Herzegovina, entities within Bosnia and Herzegovina, the other bein ...

Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina, sometimes known as Bosnia-Herzegovina and informally as Bosnia, is a country in Southeast Europe. Situated on the Balkans, Balkan Peninsula, it borders Serbia to the east, Montenegro to the southeast, and Croatia to th ...

. Together with the

First League of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina The First League of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina ( sh-Latn-Cyrl, Prva liga Federacije Bosne i Hercegovine, Прва лига Федерације Босне и Херцеговине), officially known as the WWin First League of the ...

, it forms the second level of football in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The league champion is promoted to the

Premier League of Bosnia and Herzegovina The Premier League of Bosnia and Herzegovina (; ; sr-Cyrl, Премијер лига Босне и Херцеговине), officially known as the Wwin League of Bosnia and Herzegovina for sponsorship purposes, is the top tier football leagu ...

. Relegated teams fall to the Second League of the Republika Srpska.

History

Separate and second tier league

Since there were three different football championships in the country, organized on ethnic principles, the "First League of the Republika Srpska" was the top flight in the

before 2002. However, the champions of this League were not recognized by

UEFA The Union of European Football Associations (UEFA ; ; ) is one of six continental bodies of governance in association football. It governs football, futsal and beach soccer, beach football in Europe and the List of transcontinental countries#A ...

. In 2002, the top clubs from the Republika Srpska joined the

and the First League was kept as one of two second level divisions. It is still run by the

Football Association of Republika Srpska The Football Association of Republika Srpska ( / ''Fudbalski savez Republike Srpske'', ''FSRS'') is the official football association of the Republika Srpska entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It organizes the national cup, the domestic league ...

, and has ended its boycott of Bosnian football on a federal level.

New format and expansion

The league changed format in the 2014–15 season and was split into two stages, the regular season and the playoffs. Each of the 12 competitors in the First League hosts every other team once in the regular season, for a total of 22 matches. A playoff phase is then played from April to May. The point system in the championship playoff is the same as during the regular season, except that each team starts with half of the points they won in the regular season, rounded up to the nearest integer. The points gained by rounding are deducted in the case of a tie. Similar systems are also used in the

Belgian First Division A The Belgian Pro League (; ; ), officially the Jupiler Pro League () for sponsor Jupiler, is a professional association football league in Belgium and the highest level of the Belgian football league system. Contested by 16 clubs from the 2023– ...

and the Polish

Ekstraklasa (; meaning "Extra Class" in Polish), officially known as PKO Bank Polski Ekstraklasa due to its Sponsor (commercial), sponsorship by PKO Bank Polski, is a professional association football league in Poland and the highest level of the Polish foo ...

. The top six teams from the regular season enter the championship playoff, with the first-placed team winning the First League and teams ranked from 7 to 12 after the regular season enter the relegation playoffs. Each team plays their opponents once. The League champion is promoted to the Premier League at the end of the season, and the bottom clubs are relegated to the Second League of the Republika Srpska (third level). The number of relegated teams depends on how many clubs are entering the league. Those are the winners of the two third level league groups, the winner of the relegation play-off, and Republika Srpska clubs relegated from the Premier League. So, sometimes two clubs get relegated, and sometimes three or even four. On 12 June 2020, it was confirmed that the league will be expanded from 10 to 16 teams in the 2020–21 season. On 13 June 2022, it was confirmed that the league will be expanded from 16 to 18 teams in the 2022–23 season.

Member clubs for 2024–25

League champions

Previous champions and winners of the league are: Since the 2002–03 season, it became a second national level competition. The league champion gets direct promotion to the

Bosnian Premier League The Premier League of Bosnia and Herzegovina (; ; sr-Cyrl, Премијер лига Босне и Херцеговине), officially known as the Wwin League of Bosnia and Herzegovina for sponsorship purposes, is the top tier football leagu ...

Performance by club

References

External links

Football Association of Republika Srpska
{{UEFA second leagues 2 1 Bos Recurring sporting events established in 1995 1995 establishments in Bosnia and Herzegovina