Myanmar National League

History

Origins

In the past, professional football competition in Myanmar has only existed in a limited form. Premier leagues have been made up of Yangon-based clubs, most of which were affiliated with government ministries. It was only after 1996 when the Premier League () was relaunched as the Myanmar Premier League that non-government clubs were invited. Still, the league was based only in Yangon.

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 of the same year. Each club was permitted to sign at most five foreign players and one foreign coach. The government granted tax exemptions for an initial three-year period, while each club owner must provide a minimum initial investment of Ks 200 million. The investment covered costs such as salaries, transportation, and equipment, but does not include the club stadiums, which are all nationalized.

Myanmar League

In 2009, the league replaced the Myanmar Premier League with eight professional clubs representing different regions across the nation. On 16 May 2009, the league launched its inaugural two-month tournament, the Myanmar National League Cup 2009, in preparation for the first full season. Despite its national ambitions, the league held the MNL Cup 2009 matches in the country's two main stadiums in Yangon due to the lack of adequate facilities elsewhere. On 5 July 2009, Yadanabon FC defeated Yangon United FC in the MNL Cup final to become the first-ever MNL champion.

The league added three clubs for the 2010 season, and one more club joined for the 2011 season, bringing the total to twelve clubs. Two more clubs representing Chin and Shan states participated in the MNL season starting in January 2012.

Champions

(For Burmese champions before 2009, see Myanmar Premier League)

Wins by club

The Invincibles

Undefeated champions:

• Shan United in 2019, 2022, 2023 and 2024-2025

Clubs

2025

• Shan United
• Yangon United
• Hantharwady United
• Dagon Star
• Mahar United
• Yadanarbon
• ISPE
• ThitSar Arman FC
• Ayeyawady United
• Dagon Port
• Rakhine United
• Yarmanya United

Personnel and sponsoring

Note: Flags indicate national team as has been defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

Records

All-time top scorers

Figures for active players (in bold).

All-time appearances

Figures for active players (in bold).

Player statistics

• Youngest player: Myat Kaung Khant (Yadanarbon) — 17 years, 6 months (15 January 2018, Yadanarbon 5–2 Ayeyawady United, 2018 Myanmar National League)
• Oldest player: Chit Myo Hteik (Mahar United) — 41 years (14 December 2023, Mahar United 3—1 GFA, 2023 Myanmar National League)
• Youngest scorer: Myat Kaung Khant (Yadanarbon) — 17 years, 6 months (15 January 2018, Yadanarbon 5–2 Ayeyawady United, 2018 Myanmar National League)
• Oldest scorer: Chit Myo Hteik (Sagaing United) — 38 years (17 August 2019, Dagon 5—2 Sagaing United, 2019 Myanmar National League)
• Fastest scorer: Myat Kaung Khant (Shan United) - 32 seconds (3 August 2023, Shan United FC 5-1 Ayeyawady United FC)
• Most consecutive matches scored: Yadanarbon - 21
• Longest clean sheet: 630 minutes — Kyaw Zin Htet
• Most goals in a season: 28 — Cezar Augusto (Yangon United, 2015)
• Most titles won: 8 — David Htan (Yangon United, Shan United
• Most seasons appeared: 17 — David Htan (2009–2025)

All-time multiple hat-tricks

All-time clean sheets

Prize money

• Champion: Ks. 100,000,000
• Runner-up: Ks. 75,000,000
• Third place: Ks. 50,000,000

Awards

Top scorers

Coach of the year

Player of the Year

Titles won

Winning coaches

Sponsorship

AFC club ranking

References

1. (7 May 2011). "MNL TO INTRODUCE PROMOTION-RELEGATION SYSTEM BY 2014". ASEAN Football.
2. Han Oo Khin. (March 9–15, 2009). "New era for football". [[The Myanmar Times]].
3. Min Lwin. (2009-04-20). "Burmese Soccer League an Election Ploy?". [[The Irrawaddy]].
4. Han Oo Khin. (March 30 – April 5, 2009). "MFF announces May domestic cup competition". [[The Myanmar Times]].
5. (2010). "MNL season opens in style". Myanmar Times.
6. (January 2011). "MNL expands ahead of 2011 season launch". Myanmar Times.
7. "၂၀၁၂ ပြိုင်ပွဲတွင် ချင်းကိုယ်စားပြု အသင်းတစ်သင်း ပါဝင် ယှဉ်ပြိုင်မည်". Soccer Myanmar.
8. (7 May 2011). "MNL TO INTRODUCE PROMOTION-RELEGATION SYSTEM BY 2014". ASEAN Football.
9. (2020). "2020 MNL Title won". themnl.com.
10. (2020). "2020 Top Scorer". themnl.com.
11. "AFC Football / Soccer Clubs Ranking".