In 1961, a league championship of Rhodesia and Nyasaland (corresponding to current Malawi, Zambia and Zimbabwe) was organised but aborted.
NB: called Royle League for sponsorhip reasons starting from the second (1948/49)
season; after the NFA and NAFA merged into the Malawi FA in October 1964, it
was replaced by the (Blantyre) City and Suburban League (CSL).
Season Champions Runners-Up
1948 Blantyre SC Mlanje
1948/49 Mlanje Blantyre SC
1949/50 Mlanje Athletics
1950/51 Blantyre SC Zomba GC
1951/52 Blantyre SC Zomba GC
1952/53 Zomba GC Limbe Wanderers
1953/54 Corona Blantyre SC
1954/55 Corona Blantyre SC
1955/56 Blantyre SC Sunnyside Rovers
1956/57 Limbe CC Blantyre SC
1957/58 Zomba GC Cholo
1958/59 Blantyre SC Limbe CC
1959/60 Blantyre SC Olympia
1960/61 Olympia Callies
1961/62 Limbe CC Blantyre SC
1962/63 Limbe CC Olympia
1963/64 Limbe CC not determined
Number of Wins (17; runners-up finishes (16) between square brackets)
6 [ 5] Blantyre Sports Club
4 [ 1] Limbe Country Club
2 [ 2] Zomba Gymkhana Club
2 [ 1] Mlanje
2 Corona
1 [ 2] Olympia
[ 1] Athletics
[ 1] Callies
[ 1] Cholo
[ 1] Limbe Wanderers
[ 1] Sunnyside Rovers
NB: only Blantyre SC, Limbe CC and Zomba GC entered all 17 competitions;
Indian SC withdrew in 1961 after having played 14 seasons, while the
fifth founding member, Mlanje, withdrew after six seasons;
Cholo played for 12 seasons, withdrawing for 1952/53 but reapplying
for the next season;
Athletics only entered in 1949/50 (when they finished second);
Limbe Wanderers played 3 seasons, from 1950/51 to 1952/53, withdrawing
after their first ever runners-up finish;
Sunnyside Rovers played 5 seasons, from 1951/52 to 1955/56, withdrawing
after their first ever runners-up finish;
Nyasaland Railways withdrew after first entering in 1950/51 but were
readmitted in 1958;
in 1954/55 Blantyre SC were allowed to enter a reserve ("B") side;
Goans Social Club (1949/50 and 1950/51) and Callies (1960/61 and 1961/62)
both entered in two seasons only;
Olympia first entered in 1959/60, playing the last five seasons;
Rovers, one of the first mixed-race teams, first entered in 1962/63,
playing the last two seasons;
in both 1950/51 and 1960/61 the league comprised 9 teams (the highest
ever number) while in 11 other seasons there were 7 or 8 teams;
Limbe Wanderers not connected to later Limbe Leaf Wanderers (which
arose out of Portuguese Wanderers, the first champions (1964/65)
of the (Blantyre) City and Suburban League which succeeded the NFA
League).
Season Champions 1942 not known 1952 not known 1953 not known 1954 not known
1964/65 Portuguese Wanderers 1965/66 Zomba Town 1966/67 Wanderers
1967/68 Yamaha Wanderers
1968/69 Yamaha Wanderers
NB: for the period between 1970 and 1982 the format (if any) is not clear;
possibly the champions below were those of Blantyre & District:
1970 Bata Bullets (Blantyre)
1971 Bata Bullets (Blantyre)
1972 Bata Bullets (Blantyre)
1973 Yamaha Wanderers (Blantyre)
1974 Bata Bullets (Blantyre)
1975 Bata Bullets (Blantyre)
1976 Yamaha Wanderers (Blantyre)
1977 Hardware Stars (Blantyre)
1978 Bata Bullets (Blantyre)
1979 Bata Bullets (Blantyre)
1980 Limbe Leaf Wanderers (Blantyre)
1981 Bata Bullets (Blantyre)
1982 Admarc Tigers (Blantyre)
National Playoff Winners
NB: between top-2 of Blantyre and Lilongwe leagues; in 1985 also the
Northern region was represented by 2 clubs
1983 Berec Power Pack (Blantyre)
1984 Limbe Leaf Wanderers (Blantyre)
1985 Silver Strikers (Lilongwe)
Super League Champions
NB: first edition 1986 with 8 clubs, as Gillette Nacet Super League
1986 Bata Bullets (Blantyre)
1987 CIVO United (Lilongwe)
1988 MDC United (Lilongwe)
1989 Admarc Tigers (Blantyre)
1990 Limbe Leaf Wanderers (Blantyre)
1991 Bata Bullets (Blantyre)
1992 Bata Bullets (Blantyre)
1993 Silver Strikers (Lilongwe)
1994 Silver Strikers (Lilongwe)
1995 Limbe Leaf Wanderers (Blantyre)
1995/96 Silver Strikers (Lilongwe)
1996/97 Telecom Wanderers (Blantyre)
1997/98 Telecom Wanderers (Blantyre)
1998/99 Bata Bullets (Blantyre)
1999/00 Bata Bullets (Blantyre)
2000/01 Total Big Bullets (Blantyre)
2001/02 Total Big Bullets (Blantyre)
2002/03 Bakili Bullets (Blantyre)
2004 Bakili Bullets (Blantyre)
2005/06 Big Bullets (Blantyre)
2006 MTL Wanderers (Blantyre)
2007 ESCOM United (Blantyre)
2008 Silver Strikers (Lilongwe)
2009/10 Silver Strikers (Lilongwe)
2010/11 ESCOM United (Blantyre)
2011/12 Silver Strikers (Lilongwe)
2012/13 Silver Strikers (Lilongwe)
2013/14 Silver Strikers (Lilongwe)
2014 Big Bullets (Blantyre)
2015 Big Bullets (Blantyre)
2016 Kamuzu Barracks (Zomba)
2017 Be Forward Wanderers (Blantyre)
2018 Nyasa Big Bullets (Blantyre)
2019 Nyasa Big Bullets (Blantyre)
2020/21 Nyasa Big Bullets (Blantyre)
2022 Nyasa Big Bullets (Blantyre)
2023 Nyasa Big Bullets (Blantyre)
2024 Silver Strikers (Lilongwe)
Number of Titles (since 1983) (41):
17 Bullets (Blantyre) [includes Bata/Total Big/Bakili/Nyasa Big Bullets]
10 Silver Strikers (Lilongwe)
7 Wanderers (Blantyre) [includes Limbe Leaf/Telecom/MTL/Be Forward Wanderers] [*]
2 ESCOM United (Blantyre)
1 Admarc Tigers (Blantyre)
Berec Power Pack (Blantyre)
Civo United (Lilongwe)
Kamuzu Barracks (Zomba)
MDC United (Lilongwe)
[*] also won two national league titles in 1968 and 1969 as Yamaha Wanderers
Thanks to Mario Antoine and Barry Baker
Sources included: [Ant 22], [Tra 02], FA of Malawi
Prepared and maintained by Hans Schöggl for the Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation
Author: Hans Schöggl
Last updated: 13 Feb 2025
(C) Copyright Hans Schöggl and RSSSF 1998/2025
You are free to copy this document in whole or part provided that proper
acknowledgement is given to the author. All rights reserved.