Myanmar National League

In the past, professional football competition in Myanmar has only existed in a limited form. All premier leagues up to this point have been made up of Yangon-based football clubs, most of which were affiliated with government Ministries. It was only after 1996, when the Premier League (Burmese: ပထမတန်း) was relaunched as the Myanmar Premier League that non-government clubs were invited to join the league. Still, the league was based only in Yangon, and never caught the imagination of Burmese football fans, who follow European football with near religious fervor.

The Myanmar Football Federation sought approval from the government to launch a nationwide league in February 2008, and finally received permission to set up private clubs in December 2008. Each club was permitted to sign at most five foreign players and one foreign coach. The government granted each club tax exemptions for an initial three-year period, while each club owner must provide a minimum initial investment of K200 million (approximately US$200,000). It was expected that the annual operating cost for each club would be about K500 million (US$500,000).[1] The investment apparently covers costs such as salaries, transportation and equipment, but does not include the club stadiums, which are all nationalized.[7]

Myanmar Derby or The Classic Match of Myanmar is the matchup between Yangon United and Yadanarbon. It is the matchup that presents Myanmar football in the modern era. The name was given to the encounter of two teams due to the hype and massive atmosphere around the match. The first encounter between them happened in the 2009 MNL Cup season. On 18 June 2009, Yadanarbon and Yangon United met at Thuwunna Stadium, Yangon. Before the match, Yadanarbon was the leader in the table after 3 matches of the season while Yangon followed in second with one less point. Yadanarbon made the lead by 2–1 in the first forty-five minutes but Yangon bounced back to draw by the 2–2 result at the end. The match was full of the exciting and dramatic moments. Then, it was considered as one of the most classic matches in Myanmar League history. The Yangon United versus Yadanarbon matchup was dubbed as "Myanmar Derby" ever since then.

The Yangon Utd Dominance refers to the 2011 to 2013 season, which Yangon United won Myanmar National League in three consecutive seasons as the first club in the league history.

In 2019 season, Shan United under Mr. Aung Naing head coach Myanmar, had become the first club in the league history that completed the season with an unbeaten record. Shan United finished at the top of the final standing with 12 wins and 10 draws.

Unbeaten champions:

• Shan United in 2019

Delta United changed their name to Ayeyawady United to represent the Ayeyawady Division. Okkathar United changed their name to Hantharwaddy United to represent the Bago Division. Mahar United changed their name to Sagaing United to represent the Sagaing Division.

As of 27 December 2018

Myanmar League

Rank	Player	Period	Goals	Apps
1	Cézar	2012–2015, 2017	124	108
2	Keith Nah	2014, 2015–2016, 2019–	66	94

Figures for active players (in bold).

As of December 2019

Rank	Player	Position	Apps	Goals
1	Yan Aung Kyaw	2009–2020	298	18
2	Kyi Lin	2009–2019	185	19
3	Thiha Sithu	2009–2019
4	David Htan	2009–2019

Figures for active players (in bold) .

• Youngest player: Myat Kaung Khant (Yadanarbon) — 17 years, 6 months and 0 days (15 January 2018, Yadanarbon 5–2 Ayeyawady United, 2018 Myanmar National League)
• Oldest player: Phoe Chit (Sagaing United) — 38 years,(17 August 2019, Dagon 5-2 Sagaing United, 2019 Myanmar National League)
• Youngest scorer: Myat Kaung Khant (Yadanarbon) — 17 years, 6 months and 0 days (15 January 2018, Yadanarbon 5–2 Ayeyawady United, 2018 Myanmar National League)
• Oldest scorer: Phoe Chit (Sagaing United) — 38 years,(17 August 2019, Dagon 5-2 Sagaing United, 2019 Myanmar National League)
• Fastest scorer: Nyi Nyi Min (Dagon) - 2 minutes (17 August 2019, Dagon 5-2 Sagaing United)
• Most consecutive matches scored: Yadanarbon - 21 Matches
• Most consecutive unconceded matches: 7 matches
  • Kyaw Zin Htet (Yangon United, 2019)
• All time most clean sheets: 630 minutes — Kyaw Zin Htet
• Most goals in a season: 28 goals — Cezar Augusto (Yangon United, 2015)
• Most assists in a season: 9 goals — Hein Htet Aung, Lwin Moe Aung (2020)
• Most titles won: 6 times — David Htan (Yangon United - 4 times, Shan United - 2 times)
• Most seasons appeared: 11 seasons — Kyi Lin, Thiha Sithu, David Htan, Yan Aung Kyaw (2009-2020)
• All-time record for highest football transfer fee Myanmar players: 15 millions kyats— Zaw Min Tun (2014)

• Champion: 100,000,000 Kyats
• Runner-up: 75,000,000 Kyats
• Third Place: 50,000,000 Kyats

There are 12 clubs in the Myanmar League. During the course of a season, which lasts from January to October, each club plays the others twice, once at their home stadium and once at that of their opponents, for a total of 22 games. Teams receive three points for a win and one point for a draw. No points are awarded for a loss. Teams are ranked by total points, then head-to-head, then goal difference, and then goals scored. At the end of each season, the club with the most points is crowned champion. If points are equal, the head-to-head, the goal difference and then goals scored determine the winner. If still equal, teams are deemed to occupy the same position. If there is a tie for the championship, for relegation, or for qualification to other competitions, a play-off match at a neutral venue decides rank. The two lowest placed teams are relegated into the MNL-2 and the top two teams from the MNL-2 are promoted in their place.

In the past the champions will play in AFC Champions League playoffs and AFC Cup for the champions of General Aung San Shield. Due to reforms from the AFC for the AFC Champions League and AFC Cup format, there will be no more a direct qualification spot for the AFC Champions League for that Myanmar Champion, for the time being.

The Myanmar League has been sponsored since 2009 until 2010 and has been sponsored again since 2015. The sponsor has been able to determine the league's sponsorship name. The list below details who the sponsors have been and what they called the competition:

Since 2013, 100PLUS has been the sponsor of Myanmar Football Federation and MNL. The sponsorship is extended to 2020 to support major football events in the country, the various football teams within the national setup, football tournaments for youth development and the local professional competitions.[11]

As of 21.12.2020[12]