The world’s oldest football league competition, England’s Football League, kicked off in 1888; gradually, other nations followed suit.
Scotland held its first championship in the 1890/91 season, and there was marked British involvement in the infancy of league football as far away as South America.
Here, we tell the stories of the first national champions of various nations – including each of those to have won the World Cup.
Argentina: St. Andrew’s and Old Caledonians (shared)
Both founded by Scottish immigrants in Argentina, St. Andrew’s Athletic Club and Old Caledonians Football Club shared the inaugural official Argentine title in 1891 (although St. Andrew’s won a subsequent play-off to decide who actually got the medals).
Within a matter of years, either club existed anymore, but their names will be etched forever into the history of one of the world’s most football-mad nations.
Australia: Maccabi Hakoah Sydney City East
Established by members of the city’s Jewish community in 1939, Maccabi Hakoah Sydney City East won the first edition of the NSL (National Soccer League) in 1977, as Australia transitioned from state-based leagues to a countrywide competition.
Known as Eastern Suburbs until 1979 and then Sydney City until 1987, they also claimed three titles on the spin from 1980 to 1982.
Belgium: RFC Liege
The club who once had a cycling track running around their pitch (pretty cool, right?), RFC Liege won the first-ever Belgian championship in the 1895/96 season, triumphing in a seven-team round-robin tournament under the guise of FC Liegeois.
By the 1950s, they had taken their tally of titles to five, enjoying back-to-back successes in 1952 and 1953 under their current name.
Brazil: Atletico Mineiro
In 1937, Brazil’s various state champions took part in a ‘champions of champions’ tournament to determine an outright national champion.
Representing the state of Minas Gerais, Atletico Mineiro emerged victorious, and their status as the country’s inaugural champions was finally made official in 2023 by the Brazilian FA – who recognised the 1937 competition as the precursor to today’s Brazilian top flight, the Brasileiro.
England: Preston North End
The oldest professional football league competition in the world, the Football League started out as a single division in 1888 – and Preston North End were its first champions, completing the 1888/89 campaign unbeaten.
Preston made more history that season by winning the FA Cup, becoming the first English club to do the double. They retained their league title in 1889/90.
France: Standard Athletic Club
A British social club in Paris, Standard Athletic Club started out in 1890, making them France’s fourth-oldest football club.
They won the first two French national championships in 1894 and 1895 – beating fellow Parisian outfit White Rovers in the final on both occasions – before adding a further three crowns over the course of the next six years.
Germany: VfB Leipzig
The very first German football championship took place in 1903 and was won by VfB Leipzig, who thrashed DFC Prag (an ethnically German club based in Prague) 7-2 in the final.
In 2021, financially embattled VfB completed a merger with Lokomotive Leipzig, who are entitled to have a star above the badge on their shirts to signify VfB’s three titles (1903, 1906 and 1913).
Italy: Genoa
They may be Italy’s oldest football club, Genoa didn’t even play football as their main sport when they were founded by Brits in 1893 – as Genoa Cricket & Athletic Club (today, their official name is Genoa Cricket and Football Club).
But that clearly didn’t hinder them – just five years later, Genoa won the inaugural Italian Football Championship, securing their first of nine titles within just over a quarter of a century.
Mexico: Asturias
Mexico’s Liga MX top flight began life as the Liga Mayor in 1943 – and Asturias were its first champions, clinching the title in fairly dramatic fashion.
The Mexico City outfit had finished the season behind RC Espana on goal difference – but goal difference wasn’t used as a tiebreaker, so it came down to a play-off, which Asturias won 4-1.
Netherlands: HVV
Hailing from the Hague, HVV (Haagse Voetbal Vereniging, Dutch for The Hague Football Club) were crowned the Netherlands’ first official national champions at the end of the 1890/91 season.
Leagues of sorts had been staged in 1888/89 and 1889/90 – topped by VV Concordia and Koninklijke HFC respectively – but teams did not play an equal number of games.
Portugal: Porto
Almost every Portuguese top-flight title has gone to one of the country’s traditional ‘Big Three’: Benfica, Sporting Lisbon and Porto.
The latter won 10 of their 14 games – scoring 43 goals in the process – to take the inaugural crown in 1934/35, topping the table two points ahead of Sporting and three ahead of Benfica.
Scotland: Dumbarton and Rangers (shared)
The very first Scottish Football League took place in 1890/91, with Dumbarton pipping Rangers on goal difference.
Goal difference wasn’t used to separate level-pegging teams back then, though, so a play-off was held – which finished 2-2, meaning the clubs shared the title. Dumbarton became Scotland’s first outright champions the following campaign.
Spain: Barcelona
Real Madrid have won a fair amount more Spanish titles than their arch-rivals, but it was Barcelona who were crowned national champions before anyone.
The 1929 title race went down to the wire, with Barca entering the final round of fixtures a point behind Madrid – but they defeated Real Union to overhaul Los Blancos, who went down to Athletic Bilbao.
Turkey: Harp Okulu
The sports club of the Turkish Military Academy in the capital, Ankara, Harp Okulu won Turkey’s first nationwide football championship in 1924 – going by Harbiye, the popular name of the Military Academy.
They beat Bahriye 3-0 in the final to secure their first of three Turkish titles, the others coming in 1942 and 1945.
Uruguay: CURCC
Set up by British railway workers in Uruguay, CURCC actually stood for Central Uruguay Railway Cricket Club.
Nonetheless, they made a notable contribution to football in the South American nation – who won two of the first four World Cups – topping the very first Primera Division table in 1900 by winning six games out of six. CURCC secured four more titles between 1901 and 1911.
CURCC were succeeded by Penarol, today Uruguay’s most successful club, in 1914, although controversy remains regarding the continuity between the two outfits.
USA: Atlanta Chiefs
Formed by the 1967 merger of the United Soccer Association and National Professional Soccer League, the NASL (North American Soccer League) was the first proper nationwide top-flight league in the USA.
The NASL’s unique points system meant that the Atlanta Chiefs finished the inaugural 1968 regular season with an outrageous-looking total of 174 – before they beat Cleveland Stokers then San Diego Toros to win the play-offs and seal the title.
