2025–26 Maltese Premier League

Maltese Premier League
Season2025–26
Dates16 August 2025 – May 2026
Matches126 matches
Top goalscorerLucas Villela Iapert
(9 goals)
Biggest home winBirkirkara1-6 Hamrun Spartans (21 December 2025), Birkirkara 5-0 Tarxien Rainbows (3 February 2026), Naxxar Lions 5-0 Mosta (4 February 2026)
Biggest away winMosta 0-5 Valletta (16 January 2026)
Highest scoringHibernians 5–3 Gzira United (18 August 2025)
Longest winning runFloriana (5 games)
Longest unbeaten runFloriana (11 games)
Longest winless runNaxxar Lions and Mosta (both 10 games)
Longest losing runMosta (5 games)
2026–27 →
All statistics correct as of 1 March 2026.

The 2025–26 Maltese Premier League (referred to as the YoHealth Malta Premier for sponsorship reasons)[1] is the 111st season of top-flight league football in Malta. The season began on 16 August 2025 and will end in May 2026.[2] Ħamrun Spartans entered the season as defending champions having won their eleventh Premier League title in the previous season, their third consecutive one.

Teams

Twelve teams are competing in the league: the top ten teams from the previous season and two teams promoted from the Challenge League.

Changes from the previous season

Promoted to the Premier League
Relegated to the Challenge League

Locations

Location of teams in the 2025–26 Maltese Premier League
Team In league since City
Birkirkara 1990 Birkirkara
Floriana 1986 Floriana
Gżira United 2016 Gżira
Ħamrun Spartans 2016 Ħamrun
Hibernians 1945 Paola
Marsaxlokk 2022 Marsaxlokk
Mosta 2011 Mosta
Naxxar Lions 2023 Naxxar
Sliema Wanderers 2023 Sliema
Tarxien Rainbows 2025 Tarxien
Valletta 2025 Valletta
Żabbar St. Patrick 2024 Żabbar


Personnel and kits

Team Manager Kit manufacturer Shirt sponsor (front) Shirt sponsor (back) Shirt sponsor (sleeve)
Birkirkara Gianluca Festa Nike McDonald's Inter Sport (bottom)
Floriana Daniel Portela[3] Errea Boggi Go & Fun (right)
Gżira United Darren Abdilla Errea Miracles Food (left)
Ħamrun Spartans Giacomo Modica[4] Puma
  • JP (home kit)
  • Mercury (away kit)
  • Meridianbet
  • Besteam Audio
  • Visit Malta (bottom)
Hibernians Branko Nišević[5] Joma Bezzina
Marsaxlokk Enzo Potenza[6] Errea 1padel Mr. Fitz Restaurant Marsaxlokk (left)
Mosta Joseph Grech[7] Macron Simply Clean
  • Highbet (top)
  • Teamsport (bottom)
Naxxar Lions Winston Muscat Joma VC Service Station
  • Zarb Coaches
  • Haier Air Conditioner (top)
  • McQueen
  • Sammut Concrete Supplies (bottom)
  • Fastdrop (right)
  • Hi Koki
  • Würth
  • Falcotra (left)
Sliema Wanderers Pablo Doffo Adidas
  • NMGroup
  • Inter Wetter
  • Visit Malta (top)
  • Thomas Smith
  • Zarb Coaches (bottom)
  • Fonicom (left)
  • Domnic Sciberras Roof Repair (right)
Tarxien Rainbows Jacques Scerri[8] Errea Cassar
Valletta Thane Micallef[9] Nike Iniala Intersport
Żabbar St. Patrick Aniello Parisi[10] Adidas The Shoreline


Managerial changes

Team Outgoing manager Manner of departure Date of vacancy Position in the table Incoming manager Date of appointment
Birkirkara Stefano De Angelis Sacked 29 August 2025[12] 8th Gianluca Festa 14 September 2025[13]
Gżira United Clive Mizzi Resigned 28 September 2025[14] 12th Darren Abdilla 29 September 2025[15]
Naxxar Lions George Vella Resigned 14 December 2025[16] 12th Winston Muscat 15 December 2025[17]
Sliema Wanderers Paul Zammit Mutual Consent 5 January 2026[18] 3rd Pablo Doffo 7 January 2026[19]

Venues

The matches will be played mainly at the Ta' Qali National Stadium and the Tony Bezzina Stadium. However, the Centenary Stadium, the Gozo Stadium and the Victor Tedesco Stadium will be used for other matches.

Ta' Qali
Ta' Qali National Stadium Centenary Stadium
Capacity: 16,997 Capacity: 3,000
Paola Ħamrun Xewkija
Tony Bezzina Stadium Victor Tedesco Stadium Gozo Stadium
Capacity: 2,968 Capacity: 1,962 Capacity: 1,644

Format

The new league format, which came into being from the 2024–25 season, the Maltese Premier League will be made up of 12 teams and be split into an Opening Round and Closing Round.[20][21] The Opening Round will see each of the 12 teams play each other once before the league is then split between a Top 6 and a Bottom 6, allowing for the teams in each of those splits to play each other another time.[22] Once the ranking is set, each team will go back down to 0 points and start from scratch in the Closing Round, where the same process will be repeated.

The league champions and the teams for UEFA competitions are determined as follow:[20]

  • If both the Opening Round and the Closing Round are won by the same team:
    • The winners of the Opening and the Closing Rounds are declared the league champions and qualify for the UEFA Champions League;
    • Second placed teams in the Opening Round and the Closing Round qualify for the UEFA Conference League;
    • If the same team finishes second in both the Opening and the Closing Rounds, a playoff match between third placed teams in the Opening Round and the Closing Round is played for the remaining spot in the UEFA Conference League;
  • If the champions of the Opening Round are placed second in the Closing Round, and the champions of the Closing Round are placed second in the Opening Round:
    • A playoff match between the champions of the Opening and the Closing Round is played to determine the league champions;
    • A playoff match between third placed teams in the Opening Round and the Closing Round is played for the remaining spot in the UEFA Conference League;
  • Otherwise, a Final Four tournament between winners and runners-up of the Opening and the Closing Rounds is played (if the same team finishes second in both the Opening and the Closing Rounds, the third placed team with the best aggregate points is included in the Final Four tournament), with the teams seeded based on the aggregate points.

Opening round

First phase

League table

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1 Floriana 11 7 2 2 17 11 +6 23 Qualification for the Top Six
2 Ħamrun Spartans 11 6 4 1 15 6 +9 22[a]
3 Valletta 11 6 4 1 16 8 +8 22[a]
4 Sliema Wanderers 11 5 4 2 16 14 +2 19
5 Marsaxlokk 11 5 3 3 14 11 +3 18
6 Birkirkara 11 4 4 3 12 8 +4 16
7 Hibernians 11 4 3 4 20 18 +2 15 Qualification for the Play-Out
8 Gżira United 11 3 4 4 14 18 −4 13
9 Mosta 11 3 2 6 13 19 −6 11
10 Żabbar St. Patrick 11 2 4 5 11 14 −3 10
11 Tarxien Rainbows 11 1 2 8 8 21 −13 5[b]
12 Naxxar Lions 11 1 2 8 10 18 −8 5[b]
Source: Malta Football Association
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Head-to-head points; 3) Head-to-head goal difference; 4) Head-to-head goals scored; 5) Goal difference; 6) Goals scored; 7) Play-offs (only if needed to decide champions, teams for relegation or teams for UEFA competitions).
Notes:
  1. ^ a b Head-to-head points: Ħamrun Spartans 1; Valletta 1. Head-to-head goals scored: Ħamrun Spartans 1; Valletta 1.
  2. ^ a b Head-to-head points: Tarxien Rainbows 3; Naxxar Lions 0.

Results

Home \ Away BIR FLO GŻI ĦAM HIB MAR MOS NXR SLI TAR VAL ZAB
Birkirkara — — 0–0 0–2 — — 2–0 1–0 — — — —
Floriana 2–0 — 1–1 1–3 — — — — 2–2 — 0–2 3–1
Gżira United — — — — — — — 2–1 — 3–1 — —
Ħamrun Spartans — — 0–0 — 2–0 — 2–0 — — — 1–1 —
Hibernians 2–1 0–1 5–3 — — 2–2 — 2–0 2–3 — — —
Marsaxlokk 0–0 1–2 2–0 0–2 — — 3–1 — — — — 1–0
Mosta — 0–1 3–4 — 2–2 — — 3–0 — — — 1–1
Naxxar Lions — 1–3 — 1–1 — 0–1 — — — 2–3 0–1 —
Sliema Wanderers 2–2 — 2–0 2–0 — 1–1 0–1 0–4 — 1–0 1–1 —
Tarxien Rainbows 0–4 0–1 — 1–1 1–3 0–2 0–1 — — — 1–2 1–1
Valletta 0–0 — 1–1 — 1–0 3–1 4–1 — — — — 0–2
Żabbar St. Patrick 0–2 — 2–0 0–1 2–2 — — 1–1 1–2 — — —
Source: Malta Football Association
Legend: Blue = home team win; Yellow = draw; Red = away team win.

Second phase

Top Six

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification ĦAM FLO VAL SLI MAR BIR
1 Ħamrun Spartans (W) 16 10 4 2 26 10 +16 34 Opening Round Winners — — 1–0 1–0 1–3 6–1
2 Floriana 16 10 3 3 23 15 +8 33 0–2 — 0–0 2–1 2–1 2–0
3 Valletta 16 8 5 3 20 11 +9 29 — — — 1–2 1–0 2–0
4 Sliema Wanderers 16 7 5 4 21 19 +2 26 — — — — 0–0 2–1
5 Marsaxlokk 16 7 4 5 20 16 +4 25 — — — — — 2–1
6 Birkirkara 16 4 4 8 15 22 −7 16 — — — — — —
Source: Malta Football Association
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Head-to-head points; 3) Head-to-head goal difference; 4) Head-to-head goals scored; 5) Goal difference; 6) Goals scored; 7) Play-offs (only if needed to decide champions, teams for relegation or teams for UEFA competitions).
(W) Opening Round Winners

Play-Out

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Relegation HIB GŻI ZAB MOS NXR TAR
7 Hibernians 16 6 5 5 29 25 +4 23 — 4–1 3–3 0–2 1–1 1–0
8 Gżira United 16 6 4 6 21 26 −5 22 — — 0–2 1–0 3–1 2–1
9 Żabbar St. Patrick 16 3 7 6 20 22 −2 16[a] — — — — 1–2 2–2
10 Mosta 16 4 4 8 20 26 −6 16[a] — — 1–1 — 2–3 2–2
11 Naxxar Lions 16 4 3 9 18 25 −7 15 Opening Round Relegation — — — — — 1–0
12 Tarxien Rainbows 16 1 4 11 13 29 −16 7 — — — — — —
Source: Malta Football Association
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Head-to-head points; 3) Head-to-head goal difference; 4) Head-to-head goals scored; 5) Goal difference; 6) Goals scored; 7) Play-offs (only if needed to decide champions, teams for relegation or teams for UEFA competitions).
Notes:
  1. ^ a b Head-to-head points: Żabbar St. Patrick 2; Mosta 2. Head-to-head goals: Żabbar St. Patrick 2; Mosta 2.

Closing round

First phase

League table

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1 Floriana 11 7 4 0 20 7 +13 25 Qualification for the Top Six
2 Ħamrun Spartans 11 6 4 1 16 4 +12 22
3 Marsaxlokk 11 5 4 2 12 12 0 19
4 Naxxar Lions 11 5 3 3 20 18 +2 18
5 Valletta 11 4 5 2 16 7 +9 17[a]
6 Gżira United 11 5 2 4 14 12 +2 17[a]
7 Sliema Wanderers 11 4 4 3 10 11 −1 16 Qualification for the Play-Out
8 Birkirkara 11 3 4 4 12 12 0 13
9 Hibernians 11 3 2 6 11 17 −6 11
10 Żabbar St. Patrick 11 2 4 5 13 15 −2 10
11 Tarxien Rainbows 11 1 3 7 9 21 −12 6
12 Mosta 11 1 1 9 7 24 −17 4
Source: Malta Football Association
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Head-to-head points; 3) Head-to-head goal difference; 4) Head-to-head goals scored; 5) Goal difference; 6) Goals scored; 7) Play-offs (only if needed to decide champions, teams for relegation or teams for UEFA competitions).
Notes:
  1. ^ a b Head-to-head points: Valletta 3; Gżira United 0.

Results

Home \ Away BIR FLO GŻI ĦAM HIB MAR MOS NXR SLI TAR VAL ZAB
Birkirkara — 2–2 — — 3–0 0–1 — — 1–1 5–0 1–0 0–3
Floriana — — — — 4–1 0–0 2–1 3–1 — 2–0 — —
Gżira United 2–0 1–2 — 0–0 1–0 3–0 1–0 — — — 0–2 1–1
Ħamrun Spartans 3–0 1–1 — — — 2–0 — 4–0 2–0 2–1 — 0–0
Hibernians — — — 0–1 — — 1–0 — — 1–1 1–1 2–1
Marsaxlokk — — — — 2–1 — — 1–1 1–1 2–1 1–1 —
Mosta 0–0 — — 2–1 — 1–2 — — 0–1 0–1 0–5 —
Naxxar Lions 0–0 — 4–2 — 2–1 — 5–0 — 1–1 — — 2–1
Sliema Wanderers — 0–1 2–1 — 1–3 — — — — — — 1–0
Tarxien Rainbows — — 1–2 — — — — 1–2 1–1 — — 1–1
Valletta — 0–0 — 0–0 — — — 4–2 0–1 3–1 — —
Żabbar St. Patrick — 0–3 — — — 1–2 5–3 — — — 0–0 —
Source: Malta Football Association
Legend: Blue = home team win; Yellow = draw; Red = away team win.

Second phase

Top Six

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts FLO ĦAM MAR NXR VAL GŻI
1 Floriana 11 7 4 0 20 7 +13 25 Closing Round Winners — 25 Apr — — 18 Apr —
2 Ħamrun Spartans 11 6 4 1 16 4 +12 22 — — — 19 Apr — 15 Apr
3 Marsaxlokk 11 5 4 2 12 12 0 19 15 Apr 11 Apr — 2 May 26 Apr 19 Apr
4 Naxxar Lions 11 5 3 3 20 18 +2 18 11 Apr — — — 15 Apr —
5 Valletta 11 4 5 2 16 7 +9 17 — 2 May — — — 12 Apr
6 Gżira United 11 5 2 4 14 12 +2 17 2 May — — 26 Apr — —
Updated to match(es) played on 14 March 2026. Source: Malta Football Association
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Points in regular season; 3) Head-to-head points in regular season; 4) Head-to-head goal difference in regular season; 5) Head-to-head goals scored in regular season; 6) Head-to-head away goals scored in regular season (if two teams tied); 7) Goal difference; 8) Goals scored; 9) Fair play ranking; 10) Drawing of lots.

Play-Out

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Relegation TBD TBD TBD TBD TBD TBD
7 TBD 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 — — — — — —
8 TBD 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 — — — — — —
9 TBD 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 — — — — — —
10 TBD 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 — — — — — —
11 TBD 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 closing Round Relegation — — — — — —
12 TBD 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 — — — — — —
Updated to match(es) played on TBD 2026. Source: Malta Football Association
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Head-to-head points; 3) Head-to-head goal difference; 4) Head-to-head goals scored; 5) Goal difference; 6) Goals scored; 7) Play-offs (only if needed to decide champions, teams for relegation or teams for UEFA competitions).

Aggregate table

League table

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
1 Floriana 27 17 7 3 43 22 +21 58
2 Ħamrun Spartans 27 16 8 3 42 14 +28 56
3 Valletta 27 12 10 5 36 18 +18 46
4 Marsaxlokk 27 12 8 7 32 28 +4 44
5 Sliema Wanderers 27 11 9 7 31 30 +1 42
6 Gżira United 27 11 6 10 35 39 −4 39
7 Hibernians 27 9 7 11 40 42 −2 34
8 Naxxar Lions 27 9 6 12 38 43 −5 33
9 Birkirkara 27 7 8 12 27 34 −7 29
10 Żabbar St. Patrick 27 5 11 11 33 39 −6 26
11 Mosta 27 5 5 17 27 48 −21 20
12 Tarxien Rainbows 27 2 7 18 22 50 −28 13
Updated to match(es) played on 15 March 2026. Source: Malta Football Association
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Head-to-head points; 3) Head-to-head goal difference; 4) Head-to-head goals scored; 5) Goal difference; 6) Goals scored; 7) Play-offs (only if needed to decide champions, teams for relegation or teams for UEFA competitions).

Season statistics

Scoring

Top scorers

As of 25 November 2025[23]
Rank Player Club Goals
1 Lucas Villela Hibernians 8
2 Yuri Valletta 7
3 Mamadu Bah Sliema Wanderers 6
Mustapha Jah Floriana
4 Andre Costa Gżira United 5
Prince Emmanuel Gżira United
Roko Prša Sliema Wanderers

Hat-Ricks

Rank Player Club Played Against
1 Asumah Abukabar Birkirkara vs Tarxien Ranbows
2 Andrea Zammit Valletta vs Mosta

Discipline

Hibernians has been the most disciplined in the league, with only 55 yellow cards, compared to Birkirkara, who have 56 yellow cards.

Rank Team Red Cards Players
1 Birkirkara 6 Donovan Mankoma (vs Gżira United, 23 August 2025), Kurt Zammit (vs Sliema Wanderers, 16 September 2025), Kurt Zammit (vs Hamrun Spartans, 1 November 2025), Miguel Ángel Martínez (vs Sliema Wanderers, 23 November 2025)
2 Floriana 4 Zachary Scerri (vs Tarxien, 23 August 2025), Charles M'Mombwa (vs Valletta, 16 September 2025 and vs Valletta, 10 January 2026), Matteja Veselji (vs Valletta, 16 September 2025)
2 Gżira United 4 Clayton Failla (vs Naxxar Lions, 3 November 2025), David Xuereb (vs Naxxar Lions, 3 November 2025), Mihajlo Stojanović (vs Tarxien Ranbows, 31 January 2026), Kante (vs Tarxien Ranbows, 31 January 2026)
2 Sliema Wanderers 4 Rashed Al-Tumi (vs Naxxar Lions, 28 September 2025), Murilo Henrique (vs Valletta, 14 December 2025), Gustavo Alcino (vs Floriana, 20 December 2025), Dejan Đurić (vs Hibernians, 15 January 2026), Francisco Lopez (vs Gżira United, 25 January 2026)
3 Hamrun Spartans 3 Semir Smajlagič (vs Sliema Wanderers, 5 October 2025), Edeson (vs Floriana, 29 October 2025)
3 Valletta 3 Jefferson De Assis (vs Sliema Wanderers, 14 December 2025), Sava Radić (vs Marsaxlokk, 20 December 2025), Diego Taraves (vs Floriana, 10 January 2026)
3 Zabbar St Patrick's 3 Youngwon Im (vs Hibernians, 24 August 2025), Brian Gambarte (vs Tarxien Rainbows, 24 November 2025), Mayron Marques (vs Hibernians, 18 December 2025)
3 Mosta 3 Giancarlo (vs Marsaxlokk, 17 August 2025), Chunkwuemeka Eka (vs Sliema Wanderers, 22 August 2025), Quelmer Hurtado (vs Birkirkara, 21 September 2025)

See also

References

  1. ^ "YoHealth Malta Premier". MFA.com.mt.
  2. ^ "Malta Premier Fixtures 2025/26 – Malta Fixtures, Results, Tables & Scorers". MaltaFootball.com.
  3. ^ "Floriana - UEFA Conference League 2025-26 - UEFA.com". UEFA. 29 July 2025.
  4. ^ "Hamrun Spartans - UEFA Champions League 2025-26 - UEFA.com". UEFA. 29 July 2025.
  5. ^ "Hibernians - UEFA Conference League 2025-26 - UEFA.com". UEFA. 29 July 2025.
  6. ^ "Enzo Potenza konfermat bħala kowċ ta' Marsaxlokk FC għal staġun ieħor" [Enzo Potenza confirmed as Marsaxlokk FC coach for another season]. talk.mt (in Maltese). 8 June 2025. Archived from the original on 23 June 2025.
  7. ^ Muscat, Cristian (13 February 2025). "It-tragwardi tagħna bħala Mosta FC huma dejjem l-istess – li nimmiraw li nitilgħu kemm jista' jkun ʼil fuq fil-klassifika – Joseph Grech" [Our milestones as Mosta FC are always the same – to aim to climb as high as possible in the standings – Joseph Grech]. talk.mt (in Maltese). Archived from the original on 22 March 2025.
  8. ^ "Jacques Scerri confirmed as Tarxien Rainbows coach - maltafootball.com". MaltaFootball.com. 3 June 2025.
  9. ^ "Hemm dik iċ-ċerta pożittivitá li qed tgħinna ħafna sabiex nirnexxu – Thane Micallef (coach ta' Valletta)" [There is that certain positivity that is helping us a lot to succeed – Thane Micallef (Valletta coach)]. talk.mt (in Maltese). 7 February 2025. Archived from the original on 15 March 2025.
  10. ^ "Zabbar SP jestendu l-kuntratt tal-kowċ Aniello Parisi għal sena oħra" [Zabbar SP extend coach Aniello Parisi's contract for another year]. talk.mt (in Maltese). 26 May 2025. Archived from the original on 21 June 2025.
  11. ^ "Malta FA and Würth Ink 2-Year Agreement for Referee Kits". Malta FA. 12 October 2023.
  12. ^ Camilleri, Valhmor (29 August 2025). "Birkirkara sack coach Stefano De Angelis". SportsDesk.
  13. ^ Camilleri, Valhmor (14 September 2025). "Birkirkara name Gianluca Festa as their new head coach". SportsDesk.
  14. ^ Camilleri, Valhmor (28 September 2025). "Clive Mizzi resigns as Gżira United coach". SportsDesk.
  15. ^ Camilleri, Valhmor (29 September 2025). "Darren Abdilla returns as coach of Gżira United". SportsDesk.
  16. ^ Camilleri, Valhmor (14 December 2025). "George Vella steps down as Naxxar Lions coach". SportsDesk.
  17. ^ Camilleri, Valhmor (15 December 2025). "Winston Muscat takes over at Naxxar Lions". SportsDesk.
  18. ^ Camilleri, Valhmor (5 January 2026). "Sliema Wanderers part ways with coach Paul Zammit". SportsDesk.
  19. ^ Camilleri, Valhmor (7 January 2026). "Updated: Pablo Doffo takes over at Sliema Wanderers until the end of the season". SportsDesk.
  20. ^ a b Galea, Albert (24 April 2024). "New Premier League explained: 'New format will not be damnation or salvation of Maltese football". Malta Independent.
  21. ^ Camilleri, Valhmor (13 April 2023). "Number of Premier League teams down to 12 from 2024-25". SportsDesk. Retrieved 22 May 2024.
  22. ^ "Draws held for 2025/26 BOV National Leagues". MFA.com.mt. 18 July 2025.
  23. ^ "Tables & Statistics". maltafootball.com. 20 September 2020.
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