Premier League of Eswatini

Top football division in Eswatini

Football league

Premier League of Eswatini

Founded| 1971; 54 years ago (1971)
Country| Eswatini
Confederation| CAF
Number of clubs| 14 teams (24/25) season
Level on pyramid| 1
Relegation to| National First Division
Domestic cup(s)| Swazibank Cup, MoMo Cup, Ingwenyama Cup
International cup(s)| Champions League
Confederation Cup
Current champions| Nsingizini Hotspurs
(2024–25)
Most championships| Mbabane Highlanders (13)
Website| www.pls.co.sz
Current: 2024–25 Premier League of Eswatini

The Premier League of Eswatini, also known as the MTN Premier League for sponsorship reasons, is the top division of the Eswatini Football Association. It was created in 1971. In 2014, the league adopted "Vision 2022" and planned to be a fully professional entity by 2022.[1] However, the COVID-19 pandemic in Eswatini impacted the 2019–20[2] and 2020–21 seasons.[3]

## 2024–25 MTN Premier League clubs

[edit]

* Green Mamba
* Ezulwini United
* Manzini Sea Birds
* Mbabane Highlanders
* Mbabane Swallows
* Madlenya
* Moneni Pirates
* Rangers
* Royal Leopards
* Illovo
* Nsingizini Hotspurs
* Sidvwashini United
* Sisonkhe
* Young Buffaloes

## Previous winners

[edit]

* 1971 : Milling Hotspurs
* 1972 : Milling Hotspurs
* 1973 : not known
* 1974 : Mbabane Highlanders
* 1976 : Mbabane Highlanders
* 1977 : Juventus Kvaluseni (Mhlume)
* 1980 : Mbabane Highlanders
* 1981 : Mhlume Peacemakers (Mhlume)
* 1982 : Mbabane Highlanders
* 1983 : Manzini Wanderers
* 1984 : Mbabane Highlanders
* 1985 : Manzini Wanderers
* 1986 : Mbabane Highlanders
* 1987 : Manzini Wanderers
* 1988 : Mbabane Highlanders
* 1989 : Denver Sundowns (Manzini)
* 1990 : Denver Sundowns (Manzini)
* 1991 : Mbabane Highlanders
* 1992 : Mbabane Highlanders
* 1993 : Mbabane Swallows
* 1994 : Eleven Men in Flight (Siteki)
* 1995 : Mbabane Highlanders
* 1996 : Eleven Men in Flight (Siteki)
* 1997 : Mbabane Highlanders
* 1998 : no championship
* 1998–99 : Manzini Wanderers
* 1999–00 : Mbabane Highlanders
* 2000–01 : Mbabane Highlanders
* 2001–02 : Manzini Wanderers
* 2002–03 : Manzini Wanderers
* 2003–04 : Mhlambanyatsi Rovers
* 2004–05 : Mbabane Swallows
* 2005–06 : Royal Leopards
* 2006–07 : Royal Leopards
* 2007–08 : Royal Leopards
* 2008–09 : Mbabane Swallows
* 2009–10 : Young Buffaloes
* 2010–11 : Green Mamba
* 2011–12 : Mbabane Swallows
* 2012–13 : Mbabane Swallows
* 2013–14 : Royal Leopards
* 2014–15 : Royal Leopards
* 2015–16 : Royal Leopards
* 2016–17 : Mbabane Swallows
* 2017–18 : Mbabane Swallows
* 2018–19 : Green Mamba
* 2019–20 : Young Buffaloes
* 2020–21 : Royal Leopards[4]
* 2021–22 : Royal Leopards
* 2022–23 : Green Mamba
* 2023–24 : Mbabane Swallows[5]
* 2024–25 : Nsingizini Hotspurs[6]

## Qualification for CAF competitions

[edit]

### Association ranking for the 2025–26 CAF club season

[edit]

The association ranking for the 2025–26 CAF Champions League and the 2025–26 CAF Confederation Cup will be based on results from each CAF club competition from 2020–21 to the 2024–25 season.

Legend

* CL: CAF Champions League
* CC: CAF Confederation Cup
* ≥: Associations points might increase on basis of its clubs performance in 2024–25 CAF club competitions
* Associations ranked 1–12 are eligible to enter two teams in each CAF club competition.

Rank | Association | 2020–21
(× 1) | 2021–22
(× 2) | 2022–23
(× 3) | 2023–24
(× 4) | 2024–25
(× 5) | Total

|
|
|
|
|
|
|

2025 | 2024 | Mvt | CL | CC | CL | CC | CL | CC | CL | CC | CL | CC
1 | 1 |  — |  Egypt | 8 | 3 | 7 | 4 | 8 | 2.5 | 7 | 7 | 10 | 4  | 190.5
2 | 2 |  — |  Morocco | 4 | 6 | 9 | 5 | 8 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 5 | 5  | 142
3 | 4 |  +1 |  South Africa | 8 | 2 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 1.5 | 9 | 3  | 131
4 | 3 |  -1 |  Algeria | 6 | 5 | 7 | 1 | 6 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 5  | 130
5 | 6 |  +1 |  Tanzania | 3 | 0.5 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 4  | 82.5
6 | 5 |  -1 |  Tunisia | 4 | 3 | 5 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 6 | 1 | 3 | 0.5  | 82.5
7 | 8 |  +1 |  Angola | 1 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 1.5 | 2 | 2  | 55
8 | 7 |  -1 |  DR Congo | 4 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0  | 45
9 | 9 |  — |  Sudan | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0  | 41
10 | 11 |  +1 |  Ivory Coast | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2  | 38
11 | 10 |  -1 |  Libya | 0 | 0.5 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0.5 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0  | 24
12 | 12 |  — |  Nigeria | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1  | 21
13 | 15 |  +2 |  Mali | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0.5  | 18.5
14 | 14 |  — |  Ghana | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0  | 16
15 | 13 |  -2 |  Guinea | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 | 0 | 0  | 12
16 | 19 |  +3 |  Botswana | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.5  | 8.5
17 | 21 |  +4 |  Senegal | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1  | 8
18 | 17 |  -1 |  Mauritania | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0  | 8
19 | 18 |  -1 |  Congo | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0.5 | 0 | 0  | 7
20 | 16 |  -4 |  Cameroon | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0.5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0  | 7
21 | 22 |  +1 |  Togo | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0  | 3
22 | 22 |  — |  Uganda | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0  | 3
23 | - |  new |  Mozambique | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.5  | 2.5
24 | 20 |  -4 |  Zambia | 0 | 1.5 | 0 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0  | 2.5
25 | 24 |  -1 |  Eswatini | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0  | 1
25 | 24 |  -1 |  Niger | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0  | 1
27 | 26 |  -1 |  Burkina Faso | 0 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0  | 0.5

## Performance by club

[edit]

Club  | City  | Titles  | Last title

|
|
|

Mbabane Highlanders | Mbabane | 13 | 2000–01
Royal Leopards | Matsapha | 8 | 2021-22
Mbabane Swallows | Mbabane | 8 | 2023–24
Manzini Wanderers | Manzini | 6 | 2002–03
Green Mamba | Matsapha | 3 | 2022–23
Manzini Sundowns (as Denver Sundowns) | Manzini | 2 | 1990
Eleven Men in Flight | Siteki | 2 | 1996
Milling Hotspurs | Manzini | 2 | 1972
Young Buffaloes | Matsapha | 2 | 2019–20
Juventus Kvaluseni | Mhlume | 1 | 1977
Mhlume Peacemakers | Mhlume | 1 | 1981
Mhlambanyatsi Rovers | Mhlambanyatsi | 1 | 2003–04
Nsingizini Hotspurs | Hluti | 1 | 2024–25

## Top goalscorers

[edit]

This section does not cite any sources. Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (February 2025) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

|

Season  | Top scorer  | Team  | Goals

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|
|

2000–01 | Fritz Junior Seilbea | Mbabane Swallows | 13
2002–03 |  Patrick "Nkola" Mkhwanazi | Manzini Wanderers | 13
2003–04 |  Salebona "Salas" Jele | Young Buffaloes | 11
2004–05 |  Mzwandile "Zoo" Mamba | Mbabane Swallows | 12
2005–06 |  Mzwandile "Zoo" Mamba
Mduduzi "Aghahowa" Mdluli | Royal Leopards
Mbabane Highlanders | 11
2011–12 |  Nhlanhla "Mshengu" Kunene | Malanti Chiefs | 17
2012–13 |  Nhlanhla "Mshengu" Kunene | Malanti Chiefs | 14
2013–14 |  Sandile Hlatshwako | Malanti Chiefs | 14
2021-22 |  Sandile Gamedze  | Young Buffaloes | 23
2022-23 |  Felix Badenhorst | Mbabane Swallows | 20
2023-24 |  Sabelo Ndzinisa[7] | Green Mamba | 20

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "TEAMS EMBRACE PLS' VISION 2022". www.times.co.sz. 3 July 2014. Retrieved 2020-05-19.
2. ^ "How has the COVID-19 pandemic affected Premier League matches?". www.premierleague.com. Retrieved 2025-02-11.
3. ^ Richardson, James (2021-03-24). "Eswatini football news: Top two disivions cleared to return to training". The South African. Retrieved 2025-02-11.
4. ^ "Swaziland (Eswatini) 2020/21". RSSSF. Retrieved 2021-09-08.
5. ^ "Swaziland (Eswatini) 2023/24". www.rsssf.org. Retrieved 2024-07-05.
6. ^ "Swaziland (Eswatini) 2024/25". www.rsssf.org. Retrieved 2025-06-02.
7. ^ cfeditoren (2024-05-22). "SIKHALI GUARANTEED E12 000 TOP GOAL SCORER PRIZE MONEY". Eswatini. Retrieved 2025-02-05.

## External links

[edit]

* Official website
* Premier League of Eswatini at FIFA.com
* RSSSF competition history

* v
* t
* e

Football in Eswatini

Eswatini Football Association

National teams|

| Men|

* National team
* Olympic (U-23)
* U-20
* U-17

|

Women|

* National team
* U-20
* U-17

League system|

| Men|

* Premier League
* National First Division
* Regional Super Leagues
* Promotion Leagues
* Zonal Leagues

|

Women|

* Eswatini Women's League

Domestic cups|

| Men|

* Swazi Cup
* Ingwenyama Cup
* Swazi Charity Cup

|

Awards|

* Footballer of the Year
* Top scorers

Lists|

* All-time Table
* Champions
* Clubs
* International footballers
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* Venues

* Men's clubs
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* v
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Top-level football leagues of Africa (CAF)

* Algeria
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† Associated members
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