Sudan - List of Champions

In the early 20th century, football was played at Khartoum's elite Gordon Memorial College (opened in 1902), which played annual matches against the Khartoum Military School (founded in 1905).
Sudan's oldest football stadium was the Parker Stadium, built in Atbara in 1927, where the Railway Department held "regular football tournaments". The Omdurman Stadium was opened on Nov 1, 1935 with a match between Khartoum and Khartoum North (who drew 2-2).
The Khartoum State League was founded in the 1920s as the oldest provincial league (other sources state a Khartoum league was founded 1936; a first Sudanese championship was played in 1934 with Al-Merreikh as winners) and comprised 14 clubs.
In the 1936/37 season 36 clubs were active, in 1945/46 already 103. Already then, Al-Hilal and Al-Merreikh were the "uncrowned kings" of local football. Other active clubs included some with names out of the Koran (e.g. Kawther (Khartoum North), Abbassia (Omdurman), Abu Rouf (Omdurman), Abu Anga (Omdurman)) or with a historical reference (e.g. Kitchener, Slattin, Wingate).
The Khartoum Premier League was founded in 1951. and was reportedly won by Al-Tahrir (1951), Al-Hilal (1952, 1954, 1957, 1958, 1959 and 1960) and Al-Merreikh (1953, 1955 and 1961) prior to the establishment of a national championship. Initially that was held as a playoff between provincial championship for the "Shield" until a national premier league was founded in the early 1990s.

Year   Champions                               Runners-Up
1962   Al-Hilal (Omdurman) 
1963     not held
1964   Al-Hilal (Omdurman)                     Al-Merreikh (Omdurman)
1965   Al-Hilal (Omdurman)                     Al-Shati (Atbara)
1966   Al-Hilal (Omdurman)
1967   Al-Hilal (Omdurman)                     Al-Merreikh (Omdurman)
1968   Al-Mawrada (Omdurman)                   Al-Hilal (Omdurman)    
1969   Burri (Khartoum)                        Al-Merreikh (Omdurman)
1970   Al-Merreikh (Omdurman)
1971   Al-Merreikh (Omdurman)                  Al-Hilal (Omdurman)    
1972   Al-Merreikh (Omdurman)                  Al-Hilal (Omdurman)    
1973   Al-Merreikh (Omdurman)
1974,1 Al-Hilal (Omdurman)
1974,2 Al-Merreikh (Omdurman)                  Al-Hilal (Omdurman)    
1975   Al-Merreikh (Omdurman)
1976     no competition
1977   Al-Merreikh (Omdurman)                  Al-Hilal (Omdurman)    
1978   Al-Merreikh (Omdurman)
1979     no competition
1980     no competition
1981   Al-Hilal (Omdurman)                     Hay al-Arab (Port Sudan)
1982   Al-Merreikh (Omdurman)                  Al-Ahli (Wad Medani)
1983   Al-Hilal (Omdurman)                     Al-Merreikh (Omdurman)
1984   Al-Hilal (Omdurman)                     Al-Merreikh (Omdurman)
1985   Al-Merreikh (Omdurman)                  Al-Merreikh (Obayed)
1986   Al-Hilal (Omdurman)                     Al-Merreikh (Omdurman)
1987   Al-Hilal (Omdurman)                     Al-Mawrada (Omdurman)
1988   Al-Hilal (Omdurman)                     Al-Merreikh (Omdurman)
1989   Al-Hilal (Omdurman)
1990   Al-Merreikh (Omdurman)                  Al-Mawrada (Omdurman)
1991   Al-Hilal (Omdurman)                     Al-Merreikh (Omdurman)
1992   Al-Hilal (Port Sudan)                   Al-Merreikh (Omdurman)
1993   Al-Merreikh (Omdurman)                  Al-Mawrada (Omdurman)
1994   Al-Hilal (Omdurman)                     Al-Merreikh (Omdurman)
1995   Al-Hilal (Omdurman)                     Al-Mawrada (Omdurman)
1996   Al-Hilal (Omdurman)                     Al-Mawrada (Omdurman)
1997   Al-Merreikh (Omdurman)                  Al-Mawrada (Omdurman)
1998   Al-Hilal (Omdurman)                     Al-Merreikh (Omdurman)
1999   Al-Hilal (Omdurman)                     Hay al-Arab (Port Sudan)
2000   Al-Merreikh (Omdurman)                  Al-Hilal (Omdurman)    
2001   Al-Merreikh (Omdurman)                  Al-Hilal (Omdurman)    
2002   Al-Merreikh (Omdurman)                  Al-Hilal (Omdurman)    
2003   Al-Hilal (Omdurman)                     Al-Merreikh (Omdurman)
2004   Al-Hilal (Omdurman)                     Al-Merreikh (Omdurman)
2005   Al-Hilal (Omdurman)                     Al-Merreikh (Omdurman)
2006   Al-Hilal (Omdurman)                     Al-Merreikh (Omdurman)
2007   Al-Hilal (Omdurman)                     Al-Merreikh (Omdurman)
2008   Al-Merreikh (Omdurman)                  Al-Hilal (Omdurman) 
2009   Al-Hilal (Omdurman)                     Al-Merreikh (Omdurman)
2010   Al-Hilal (Omdurman)                     Al-Merreikh (Omdurman)
2011   Al-Merreikh (Omdurman)                  Al-Hilal (Omdurman) 
2012   Al-Hilal (Omdurman)                     Al-Merreikh (Omdurman)
2013   Al-Merreikh (Omdurman)                  Al-Hilal (Omdurman) 
2014   Al-Hilal (Omdurman)                     Al-Merreikh (Omdurman)
2015   Al-Merreikh (Omdurman)                  Al-Hilal (Omdurman) 
2016   Al-Hilal (Omdurman)                     Al-Merreikh (Omdurman)
2017   Al-Hilal (Omdurman)                     Al-Merreikh (Omdurman)
2018   Al-Merreikh (Omdurman)                  Al-Hilal (Omdurman) 
2019   Al-Merreikh (Omdurman)                  Al-Hilal (Omdurman) 
2020   Al-Merreikh (Omdurman)                  Al-Hilal (Omdurman) 
2021   Al-Hilal (Omdurman)                     Al-Merreikh (Omdurman)
2022   Al-Hilal (Omdurman)                     Al-Merreikh (Omdurman)
2023     abandoned
2024   Al-Hilal (Omdurman)                     Al-Merreikh (Omdurman)
2025   Al-Hilal (Omdurman)                     Al-Merreikh (Omdurman)

Notes: there were two championships in 1974;
       the 2024 "Super league" was a 3-team and 2-match farce played in Dar-es-Salaam, 
       Tanzania, and not an official championship (although it was used to "determine"
       the 3 Sudanese entrants in the CAF club competitions 2024/25);
       Al-Hilal and Al-Merreikh played in the Mauritanian league 2024/25

Number of Titles (59; without 2024)

 33 Al-Hilal (Omdurman)

 23 Al-Merreikh (Omdurman)

  1 Burri (Khartoum) 
    Al-Hilal (Port Sudan) 
    Al-Mawrada (Omdurman)

About this document

Sources for introduction: [Tou 18], https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Khartoum_League

With thanks to Mikael Jönsson and Ian King

Prepared and maintained by Hans Schöggl and Karel Stokkermans for the Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation

Authors: Hans Schöggl and Karel Stokkermans
Last updated: 24 Jul 2025

(C) Copyright Hans Schöggl, Karel Stokkermans and RSSSF 1999/2025
You are free to copy this document in whole or part provided that proper acknowledgement is given to the authors. All rights reserved.