Football in Greece
Encyclopedia
Football
is the national sport
of Greece
.
in 1927. The league ran until 1959, when it was replaced by the Alpha Ethniki which ran until 2006 when it was then replaced by Super League Greece
.
Super League Greece is the top-flight professional football division within Greece. The league contains 16 clubs, with the winners of the league becoming the Champions of Greece. The team with the most national championships is , who have won 37 times - 3 Super League titles, 19 Alpha Ethniki titles and 15 Panhellenic Championships. Two other P.O.K.
clubs also dominate the history of Greek football; Panathinaikos
with 20 titles and AEK Athens
with 15 titles.
At the end of the season the bottom three clubs in Super League are relegated to Beta Ethniki
, to be replaced by teams promoted from that division. Below the Beta Ethniki the league structure becomes regionalised, with a North and South Gamma Ethniki
, 12 regional Delta Ethniki groups, and numerous Local championships
one level lower.
. The Greek Cup includes clubs from every division of football in Greece, while the Super Cup is an annual game held between the winner of the Greek Super League and Greek Cup.
. The champions of Super League qualify for the Group Stage of the following season's UEFA Champions' League. The teams finishing in second to fifth position qualify for a round-robin
playoff
, the winner of which will enter the Champions League at the Third Qualifying Round. The other three teams will qualify for the following season's UEFA Europa League, at the Play-off, Third Qualifying or Second Qualifying Round stage, dependent on their performance in the national level playoff. The winner of the Greek Cup also qualifies for the Europa League. If this club has already qualified for a UEFA competition then the place is given to the runners-up.
The only Greek team to have reached the final of a UEFA competition is Panathinaikos, who were European Cup
runners-up in 1970–71
.
twice, in 1994
and in 2010
. Greece have qualified for the European Championship
three times, their first in 1980, their second in 2004 when they shocked the footballing world by becoming champions, and their third in 2008.
, it was started in 1987 as the Pan-Hellenic Championship. In recent years PAOK FC
have dominated the league.
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
is the national sport
Sport
A Sport is all forms of physical activity which, through casual or organised participation, aim to use, maintain or improve physical fitness and provide entertainment to participants. Sport may be competitive, where a winner or winners can be identified by objective means, and may require a degree...
of Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
.
League system
The first league of professional football in Greece was officially established as the Panhellenic ChampionshipPanhellenic Championship
The Panhellenic Championship was a Greek football competition to determine the nation's champion club, which ran from 1906 to 1959.In the beginning , it was run by the Hellenic Association of Amateur Athletics and it was actually a local tournament among clubs from Athens and Piraeus...
in 1927. The league ran until 1959, when it was replaced by the Alpha Ethniki which ran until 2006 when it was then replaced by Super League Greece
Super League Greece
The Superleague Greece is the highest professional football league in Greece. It was formed on July 16, 2006 and replaced Alpha Ethniki at the top of the Greek football league system. The league consists of 16 teams and runs from August to May, with teams playing 30 games each...
.
Super League Greece is the top-flight professional football division within Greece. The league contains 16 clubs, with the winners of the league becoming the Champions of Greece. The team with the most national championships is , who have won 37 times - 3 Super League titles, 19 Alpha Ethniki titles and 15 Panhellenic Championships. Two other P.O.K.
P.O.K.
P.O.K. stands for Podosfairikes Omades Kentrou , which is Greek for Central Football Teams, meaning the football teams of Athens...
clubs also dominate the history of Greek football; Panathinaikos
Panathinaikos FC
Panathinaikos Football Club is a Greek professional football club based in Athens. Founded in 1908, they play in the Super League Greece and are one of the oldest and most successful clubs in Greek football history. They have won 20 Greek Championships and 17 Greek Cups.Panathinaikos is the most...
with 20 titles and AEK Athens
AEK Athens FC
AEK Athens F.C. , the Athletic Union of Constantinople, is a Greek association football club based in the city of Athens, Greece. Outside Greece, the club is also known as AEK Athens, however, the word Athens is not part of the club's official title.Established in Athens in 1924 by Greek refugees...
with 15 titles.
At the end of the season the bottom three clubs in Super League are relegated to Beta Ethniki
Beta Ethniki
Football League, former Beta Ethniki, is the second highest professional football league in Greece.-History:In its first years, the system of conduct was very intriguing. It began in 1954 as regional championship, separated in two groups, North and South. Then, the participating teams were the...
, to be replaced by teams promoted from that division. Below the Beta Ethniki the league structure becomes regionalised, with a North and South Gamma Ethniki
Gamma Ethniki
Football League 2, formerly known as Gamma Ethniki, is the third highest professional football league in Greece.-History:It began in 1965 as an amateur championship, while in 1983 it was changed to professional...
, 12 regional Delta Ethniki groups, and numerous Local championships
Local football championships of Greece
Local football championships of Greece are lowest leagues of the Greek Football. The participants are only amateur clubs from various Greek cities or villages. Every Football Association has its own league and at the end the winner of each Association Championship plays knock-out matches against...
one level lower.
Cup competitions
There are currently two major cup competitions in Greek football. They are the Greek Cup and Greek Super CupGreek Super Cup
-Official edition:-External links:*...
. The Greek Cup includes clubs from every division of football in Greece, while the Super Cup is an annual game held between the winner of the Greek Super League and Greek Cup.
UEFA competitions
Club sides may qualify to play in European tournaments under the jurisdiction of UEFAUEFA
The Union of European Football Associations , almost always referred to by its acronym UEFA is the administrative and controlling body for European association football, futsal and beach soccer....
. The champions of Super League qualify for the Group Stage of the following season's UEFA Champions' League. The teams finishing in second to fifth position qualify for a round-robin
Round-robin
The term round-robin was originally used to describe a document signed by multiple parties in a circle to make it more difficult to determine the order in which it was signed, thus preventing a ringleader from being identified...
playoff
Playoff
The playoffs, postseason, or finals of a sports league are a game or series of games played after the regular season by the top competitors, usually but not always with a single-elimination system, to determine the league champion or a similar accolade.In the U.S...
, the winner of which will enter the Champions League at the Third Qualifying Round. The other three teams will qualify for the following season's UEFA Europa League, at the Play-off, Third Qualifying or Second Qualifying Round stage, dependent on their performance in the national level playoff. The winner of the Greek Cup also qualifies for the Europa League. If this club has already qualified for a UEFA competition then the place is given to the runners-up.
The only Greek team to have reached the final of a UEFA competition is Panathinaikos, who were European Cup
UEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League, known simply the Champions League and originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup, is an annual international club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It...
runners-up in 1970–71
1971 European Cup Final
The 1971 European Cup Final was a football match held at Wembley Stadium, London, on 2 June 1971, that saw Ajax of the Netherlands defeat Panathinaikos of Greece 2–0. An incredible comeback in the second leg of their semi-final against Red Star Belgrade meant Panathinaikos became the first Greek...
.
The Greek national team
The Greek national team's first match came on April 7, 1929 in a 1-4 loss to the Italian national football team. Greece have qualified for the FIFA World CupFIFA World Cup
The FIFA World Cup, often simply the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of Fédération Internationale de Football Association , the sport's global governing body...
twice, in 1994
1994 FIFA World Cup
The 1994 FIFA World Cup, the 15th staging of the FIFA World Cup, was held in nine cities across the United States from June 17 to July 17, 1994. The United States was chosen as the host by FIFA on July 4, 1988...
and in 2010
2010 FIFA World Cup
The 2010 FIFA World Cup was the 19th FIFA World Cup, the world championship for men's national association football teams. It took place in South Africa from 11 June to 11 July 2010...
. Greece have qualified for the European Championship
UEFA European Football Championship
The UEFA European Football Championship is the main football competition of the men's national football teams governed by UEFA . Held every four years since 1960, in the even-numbered year between World Cup tournaments, it was originally called the UEFA European Nations Cup, changing to the current...
three times, their first in 1980, their second in 2004 when they shocked the footballing world by becoming champions, and their third in 2008.
Women's football
A national league for women exists since 1987. Now known as the Greek football women A DivisionGreek football women A Division
The Pan-Hellenic Women's Football Championship , also known as the Women's Alpha Ethniki, is the highest professional women's football league in Greece....
, it was started in 1987 as the Pan-Hellenic Championship. In recent years PAOK FC
PAOK FC
P.A.O.K. F.C. is a Greek association football club based in Thessaloniki, Greece. It is the largest supported football club in Macedonia.PAOK FC is the football department of Pan-Thessalonian Athletic Club of Constantinopolitans , a multi-sport club. Since its formation in 1926 the football club...
have dominated the league.
Seasons in Greek football
| 1950s: | 1959-60 | |||||||||
| 1960s: | 1960-61 | 1961-62 | 1962-63 | 1963-64 | 1964-65 | 1965-66 | 1966-67 | 1967-68 | 1968-69 | 1969-70 |
| 1970s: | 1970-71 | 1971-72 | 1972-73 | 1973-74 | 1974-75 | 1975-76 | 1976-77 | 1977-78 | 1978-79 | 1979-80 |
| 1980s: | 1980-81 | 1981-82 | 1982-83 | 1983-84 | 1984-85 | 1985-86 | 1986-87 | 1987-88 | 1988-89 | 1989-90 |
| 1990s: | 1990-91 | 1991-92 | 1992-93 | 1993-94 | 1994-95 | 1995-96 | 1996-97 | 1997-98 | 1998-99 | 1999-00 |
| 2000s: | 2000-01 | 2001-02 | 2002-03 | 2003-04 | 2004-05 | 2005-06 2005-06 in Greek football The 2005-06 Greek Football season saw Olympiacos claim its second consecutive and 34th Greek title in the Alpha Ethniki. However, the season was somewhat overshadowed by the suspension of the Greek FA by UEFA, which jeopardized the European places of the Champions League, UEFA Cup, and Intertoto... |
2006-07 | 2007-08 2007-08 in Greek football -Coaches:Below is the list of coaches who left their teams after the start of the season.-Third Qualifying Round:* AEK'-Group Stage:* Olympiacos... |
2008-09 Super League Greece 2008-09 -League table :||rowspan=8 style="background-color:white;"|-Results:... |
2009-10 |