The historical absence of a continuously operating national league and a multi-division football system has made it difficult to truly determine and recognize the highest level tournament in the Philippines. The Philippine Football Federation, the governing body of football in the Philippines, has held men's national championship tournaments in various forms since 1911. The winners of these tournaments are therefore considered the de factofootball champions of the Philippines. The latest of these national competitions is the Philippines Football League, which began its inaugural season in 2017.
Given the complex history of football in the Philippines, this article takes into account all notable "national" football competitions organized by the Philippine Football Federation. Also included are newer leagues such as the United Football League, the Filipino Premier League, and the current Philippines Football League.
Philippine Football Federation competitions
Men's
National championship (1911–present)
Various tournaments and leagues have been directly organized by the Philippine Football Federation, such as the National Men's Club Championship, the Philippine Football League (P-League), the Manila Premier Football League (MPFL), the Filipino Premier League, and currently the Philippines Football League. These leagues were often short-lived, and thus do not have a champions list readily available. The champions of these tournaments are lumped together in the following tables as "national champions".
The Philippine Football Federation did not hold a national tournament from 1936 to 1966. Only the Manila Football League was organized. This league began in 1930 and was restricted to clubs from the Manila metropolitan area. The winners of the Manila Football League are not considered "national champions". Its final competition was in 1967.
Manila Football League
Season
Champions
From
1930
De la Salle College
Manila
No tournament from 1931 to 1935
1936
De la Salle College
Manila
1937
De la Salle College
Manila
1938
De la Salle Football Club
Manila
1939
YCO Athletic Club
Manila
1940
YCO Athletic Club
Manila
1941
YCO Athletic Club
Manila
No tournament from 1942 to 1946
1947
Turba Salvaje
Manila
1948
Turba Salvaje
Manila
1949
Turba Salvaje
Manila
1950
No tournament
1951
San Miguel Brewery
Manila
1952
Turba Salvaje
Manila
1953
IL-FGU (Insurance Life Fidelity Guaranty Underwriters)
Note: The Filipino Premier League was planned to have three regional tournaments, one each in Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao which was supposed to be followed by the Filipino Premier League National Championships to be held in late 2009. However, the Visayas and Mindanao regional tournaments that was planned for the first half of 2009 was not held, as well as the subsequent national championship. Thus, the Luzon tournament winner, Philippine Army, is not considered a "national champion".[10]
The United Football League Division 1 was established as a premier league in 2009. The League is a round-robin tournament with a First Division and Second Division. The winners listed below do not include the winners of the UFL Cup, a knockout-tournament which allows teams to participate regardless of their division. In a season, the Cup competition is held first from mid-October to mid-December, followed by the League competition from January to June of the following year. The winners of the United Football League are not considered "national champions".
^Schöggl, Hans; Stokkermans, Karel (5 February 2015). "Filipino Premier League 2008/09". Philippines 2008/09. Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved 10 November 2016.
^"UP soccerbelles emerge champions". Times Journal. 28 April 1981. Archived from the original on 2 April 2021. Retrieved 2 April 2021 – via Facebook. Both UP-Diliman and Air Force finished with 11 points from five wins, one draw, and one loss. The Collegians, however ended with the higher goal difference (goals for minus goals against) of 19 goals against PAF's 14.
