Established 1921

Tunisia

Tunisian Ligue Professionnelle 1

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Reigning Champion

Club Africain

2025–26 Winners · Title #14

Sealed on 10 May 2026 with a final-minute goal against Espérance de Tunis, ending a decade-long title drought.

CAF Champions League

Competition Format

Historical Legacy

34 Record Titles (Espérance de Tunis)

105 Years Active

16 Clubs

Most Titled Clubs

ESP

Espérance de Tunis

Last: 2024–25

Titles

CLU

Club Africain

Last: 2025–26

Titles

ÉTO

Étoile du Sahel

Last: 2022–23

Titles

CS Sfaxien

Last:

Titles

Ligue Professionnelle 1 Format: 16 Clubs, 30 Matchdays

The Tunisian Ligue Professionnelle 1 is the country's top division, contested by 16 clubs over 30 matchdays in a double round-robin from August to May.

The champion and runner-up enter the CAF Champions League, while third place and the Tunisian Cup winner go into the CAF Confederation Cup. The bottom three clubs are relegated to Ligue Professionnelle 2, with three promoted in their place.

The league expanded from 14 to 16 teams in 2024 and has been fully professional since 1994–95, when the National Professional Football League took over what had been an amateur national championship since independence.

Espérance de Tunis: 34 Titles and a Modern Dynasty

Espérance de Tunis have won 34 Tunisian league titles, around 40% of every championship since independence, the deepest grip any club holds on a North African league outside Al Ahly in Egypt.

Their recent run is the clearest sign of that dominance: eight titles in nine seasons between 2016–17 and 2024–25, with only Étoile du Sahel's 2022–23 win breaking the sequence. The club's strength at home is matched abroad, with four CAF Champions League titles in 1994, 2011, 2018 and 2019, and qualification for the expanded FIFA Club World Cup.

Espérance play their biggest matches at Stade Hammadi Agrebi in Radès, the national stadium they share with Club Africain.

Club Africain and the Tunis Derby

Club Africain ended a decade-long drought by winning their 14th title in 2025–26, beating Espérance de Tunis with a final-minute goal on 10 May 2026.

The two Tunis clubs are the emotional centre of Tunisian football, and the derby between them shapes every season. Club Africain's 2025–26 campaign was built on a 23-match unbeaten run; they finished on 66 points, three clear of Espérance, who had taken the previous two titles.

Both clubs draw their largest crowds to Stade Hammadi Agrebi, where the derby is staged for the capacity rather than at their smaller home grounds.

Étoile du Sahel, CS Sfaxien and Tunisia's Regional Game

Beyond the capital, Étoile du Sahel of Sousse hold 11 titles and CS Sfaxien of Sfax hold 8, giving Tunisian football real depth outside Tunis.

Étoile du Sahel won the CAF Champions League in 2007 and remain a regular continental presence. CS Sfaxien have built their reputation in the CAF Confederation Cup. Together with the two Tunis giants they make up a clear big four, and their regional bases keep the league competitive across the country rather than concentrated in the capital.

All-Time Champions and the Colonial-Era Record

Only a handful of clubs have shaped the Tunisian title race across more than a century, from colonial-era sides to the modern big four.

In the colonial decades, clubs such as Racing Club de Tunis (seven titles), Italia de Tunis (four) and Union Sportive Tunisienne competed under French associations before being dissolved after independence. Since 1956 the championship has been won almost entirely by Espérance, Club Africain, Étoile du Sahel and CS Sfaxien, with occasional winners including CA Bizertin, Stade Tunisien and CS Hammam-Lif.

All-Time Records: Chakroun, Dhiab and Benzarti

Ezzedine Chakroun scored 116 league goals for Sfax Railways Sports, the most in Tunisian league history.

Hédi Bayari of Club Africain (110 goals) and Tarak Dhiab of Espérance de Tunis (107) follow. Dhiab also holds the appearance record with 353 matches. Among players, Khalil Chemmam won the most titles, 12, all with Espérance. On the touchline, Faouzi Benzarti is the most successful manager with 11 championships split across Espérance, Étoile du Sahel and Club Africain.

Ezzedine Chakroun: 116 goals (Sfax Railways Sports)
Hédi Bayari: 110 goals (Club Africain)
Tarak Dhiab: 107 goals (Espérance de Tunis), also a record 353 appearances
Habib Mougou: 99 goals (Étoile du Sahel)
Mohamed Salah Jedidi: 98 goals (Club Africain)
Adel Sellimi: 90 goals (Club Africain)

From the 1907 Championship to the Professional Era

Tunisian championship football dates to around 1907, but the competition only turned professional in 1994–95.

The earliest seasons ran under the USFSA from about 1907, then the LTFA from 1921 as a branch of the French federation. After independence in 1956 and the founding of the Tunisian Football Federation in 1957, the colonial clubs were dissolved and the modern competition took shape as an amateur national championship. The professional Ligue Professionnelle 1, run by the National Professional Football League, began in 1994–95.

Tunisia's All-Time League Table

Across more than six decades, Espérance de Tunis top the all-time Ligue Professionnelle 1 table, a measure of consistency that runs deeper than titles alone.

The all-time points standing, counted through the 2019–20 season, tracks every club's cumulative record since independence. It confirms the same big four at the top, but with Étoile du Sahel edging Club Africain on raw points despite winning fewer titles, a reflection of decades of steady top-half finishes from Sousse.

Espérance de Tunis: 3,227 points across 64 seasons
Étoile du Sahel: 2,947 points
Club Africain: 2,924 points
CS Sfaxien: 2,567 points
Stade Tunisien: 2,293 points
CA Bizertin: 2,109 points
CS Hammam-Lif: 1,756 points

Continental Honours of the Tunisian Clubs

Tunisian clubs have won the CAF Champions League five times, four for Espérance de Tunis and one for Étoile du Sahel.

Espérance won Africa's top club competition in 1994, 2011, 2018 and 2019, a record that puts them among the continent's elite and earned a place at the expanded FIFA Club World Cup. Étoile du Sahel took the title in 2007 and have collected a fuller set of CAF trophies than almost any African club, including the Confederation Cup and the now-defunct Cup Winners' Cup. CS Sfaxien built their continental name in the Confederation Cup. This depth of continental success is what keeps the Tunisian league ranked among Africa's strongest.

The 2025–26 Season and How to Follow It

Club Africain won the 2025–26 Ligue Professionnelle 1 with 66 points, ahead of Espérance de Tunis and CS Sfaxien, while JS Kairouan, AS Soliman and AS Gabès were relegated.

The season produced 415 goals across 240 matches, and Firas Chaouat finished as top scorer with 15. Domestically the league is shown on the national channels El Watania 1 and 2 and on Diwan Sport, with regional coverage through Al-Kass in the Gulf. Its international media footprint is smaller than the Egyptian or Moroccan leagues, though its continental record keeps it firmly among Africa's strongest.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many clubs play in the Tunisian Ligue Professionnelle 1?

16 clubs as of 2025–26, after the league expanded from 14 in 2024. Each plays 30 matches in a double round-robin.

Which club has won the most Tunisian league titles?

Espérance de Tunis, with 34, including eight in nine seasons between 2016–17 and 2024–25. Club Africain are second on 14, then Étoile du Sahel (11) and CS Sfaxien (8).

Who won the 2025–26 Tunisian league?

Club Africain, their 14th title, sealed on 10 May 2026 with a final-minute goal against Espérance de Tunis. They finished on 66 points from 30 matches.

Is the Tunisian league professional?

Yes, since the 1994–95 season, when the National Professional Football League was established. Before that it ran as an amateur national championship from independence in 1956.

Who is the all-time top scorer in the Tunisian league?

Ezzedine Chakroun, with 116 goals for Sfax Railways Sports. Hédi Bayari (110, Club Africain) and Tarak Dhiab (107, Espérance de Tunis) are next; Dhiab also holds the appearance record at 353 matches.

How does relegation work in Tunisian football?

The bottom three clubs are relegated to Ligue Professionnelle 2 each season, with three promoted in their place. In 2025–26 JS Kairouan, AS Soliman and AS Gabès went down.

When was the Tunisian league founded?

Organised championship football dates to around 1907 under French colonial associations. The Tunisian Football Federation was founded in 1957, and the league became professional in 1994–95.

Last updated 2026-06-26.