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The 2023–24 Maltese Challenge League (referred to as the BOV Challenge League for sponsorship reasons) is the second-level league football in Malta. It is the fourth season that the competition has been running in its present form.
| Season | 2023–24 |
|---|---|
| Dates | 16 September 2023 – 5 May 2024 |
| Champions | Melita |
| Promoted | Melita Żabbar St. Patrick |
| Relegated | Attard Luqa St. Andrew's Msida Saint-Joseph Żejtun Corinthians |
| Matches played | 195 |
| Goals scored | 501 (2.57 per match) |
| Top goalscorer | Andre Carlos Penha Da Costa (17 Goals) |
| Biggest home win | Żebbuġ Rangers 6-0 Msida Saint-Joseph (17 March 2024) Melita 5-1 Pietà Hotspurs (27 April 2024) |
| Biggest away win | Attard 0-6 Żebbuġ Rangers (7 April 2024) |
| Highest scoring | Fgura United 4-4 Melita (17 December 2023) |
| Longest winning run | Melita (7 Games) |
| Longest unbeaten run | Senglea Athletic (12 Games) |
| Longest winless run | Msida Saint-Joseph (13 Games) |
| Longest losing run | Msida Saint-Joseph (11 Games) |
← 2022–23 2024–25 →
All statistics correct as of 5 May 2024. | |
The top two teams (Melita and Żabbar St. Patrick) were promoted to the 2024–25 Maltese Premier League. The bottom four teams (Msida Saint-Joseph and three others) will be relegated to the 2024–25 Maltese National Amateur League.
The league consisted of sixteen teams; ten teams remaining from the previous season, four teams promoted from the 2022-23 Maltese National Amateur League, and two teams relegated from the 2022-23 Maltese Premier League.
Team changes
The following teams have changed divisions since the 2022–23 season:
To Maltese Challenge LeaguePromoted from Maltese National Amateur League Relegated from the Maltese Premier League |
From Maltese Challenge LeaguePromoted to the Maltese Premier League Relegated to Maltese National Amateur League
|
Location of teams in 2023–24 Maltese Challenge League
| Team | Location | Manager |
|---|---|---|
| Attard | Attard |  Robert Magro |
| Fgura United | Fgura | Kevin Vella |
| Lija Athletic | Lija | Joseph Galea |
| Luqa St. Andrew's | Luqa | Edmond Lufi |
| Marsa | Marsa |  Orosco Anonam |
| Melita | San Ġiljan | Clive Mizzi |
| Msida Saint-Joseph | Msida | Neville Galea |
| Pietà Hotspurs | Pietà | Manuel Caruana |
| Senglea Athletic | Senglea | Liam Mangion |
| St. Andrews | St. Andrew's, Malta |  Vesko Petrovic |
| Swieqi United | Swieqi |  Pablo Doffo |
| Tarxien Rainbows | Tarxien | Jacques Scerri |
| Żabbar St. Patrick | Zabbar | Emilio Cornago San Pedro |
| Żebbuġ Rangers | Żebbuġ | Rodney Bugeja |
| Żejtun Corinthians | Zejtun | Ivan Casha |
| Żurrieq | Żurrieq | Saviour Debono Grech |
Kits
| Team | Kit manufacturer | Shirt sponsor (front) | Shirt sponsor (back) | Shirt sponsor (sleeve) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Attard | Givova | Bilven Ltd, Searched | A to Z Electronics (Both) | |
| Fgura United | Adidas | Fundazzjoni Sebħ, Trust Stamp, Euro Bridge, Iveco (Top Left) | EuroSport (Top), Rad Auto Dealer (Bottom) | Fundazzjoni Sebħ (Right), Hair Haven (Left) |
| Lija Athletic | Macron | Falzon Group Of Companies | TeamSport (Top), La Crema (Bottom) | |
| Luqa St. Andrew's | Macron | Seduta Construction | Bilon Service (Right) | |
| Marsa | Legea | F Schembri | ||
| Melita | Hummel | Atlas Insurance | Hub88 (Top), Burger King (Middle) Eurosport (Bottom) | I nouv (Right), VIBE (Left) |
| Msida Saint-Joseph | Legea | C.A.M.C. Security, MTZ Group (Top Left) | Sports Locker (Top), The Tub (Bottom) | Cuschieri Group (Left), KF Kebab (Right) |
| Pietà Hotspurs | Jartazi | Famalco.net, A1 Supplies, Xuereb Installation | Farstone Construction (Top) | |
| Senglea Athletic | Givova | Palumbo, AUM, JCJuc Ltd | ||
| St. Andrews | Macron | Fiat, Frank Salt | atg (Left), Marsali (Right) | |
| Swieqi United | Erima | Platin P Casino, BEHR | Eight Four Capital (Top) | |
| Tarxien Rainbows | Erreà | Cassar, Dee Spas | Cargo Nigel (Bottom) | AEN (Right) |
| Żabbar St. Patrick | Erreà | The Shoreline | DL Group (Top), Kristal (Bottom) | |
| Żebbuġ Rangers | Joma | The Convenience Shop, Coop Italia | ||
| Żejtun Corinthians | Erreà | Inno-hit | Magic Castle (Right) | |
| Żurrieq | Erima | Trust Payment | Xace (Top), Corendion, D£, B.home (Bottom) | Tax ORB (Left), Firetech (Right) |
Managerial changes
| Team | Outgoing manager | Manner of departure |
Date of vacancy | Position in table | Incoming manager | Date of appointment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Melita | Saviour Debono Grech |
End of Contract | 24 April 2023 | Pre-season | Clive Mizzi |
25 May 2023 |
| Marsa | Ryan Fenech |
End of Caretaker | Orosco Anonam |
15 May 2023 | ||
| Żurrieq | George Magri |
Resign | 29 April 2023 | Saviour Debono Grech |
10 May 2023 | |
| Żabbar St. Patrick | Emilio Cornago |
End of Caretaker | 2 May 2023 | Joseph Spiteri |
20 May 2023 | |
| Żebbuġ Rangers | Brian Spiteri |
End of Contract | 3 May 2023 | Rodney Bugeja |
19 May 2023 | |
| Pietà Hotspurs | Rodney Bugeja |
6 May 2023 | Manuel Caruana |
26 May 2023 | ||
| St. Andrews | Brian Said |
7 May 2023 | Ramon Zammit |
13 May 2023 | ||
| Żejtun Corinthians | Orosco Anonam |
15 May 2023 | Ivan Casha |
29 May 2023 | ||
| Swieqi United | Stephen Damato |
Signed by Sirens | 24 May 2023 | Pablo Doffo |
26 May 2023 | |
| St. Andrews | Ramon Zammit |
Sacked | 21 October 2023 | 13th | Charles Muscat (Caretaker) |
21 October 2023 |
| Senglea Athletic | Edgar Degabriele |
21 November 2023 | 10th | Liam Mangion |
30 November 2023 | |
| St. Andrews | Charles Muscat |
End of Caretaker | 21 January 2024 | 15th | Vesko Petrovic |
21 January 2024 |
On 29 January 2024. The Malta Football Association introduced another three stadiums Charles Abela Stadium, Luxol Stadium and Sirens Stadium due to the final fixture of the first round that played five matches at the same time.[1]
| Pembroke | Mosta | San Pawl il-Baħar | Ta' Qali | Hamrun | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Luxol Stadium | Charles Abela Stadium | Sirens Stadium | Centenary Stadium | Victor Tedesco Stadium | |
| Capacity: 600 | Capacity: 700 | Capacity: 800 | Capacity: 3,000 | Capacity: 1,962 | |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
During the regular season, each team plays each other once (either at home or at away). The top six teams qualify for the Top Six, while the bottom ten teams qualify for the Play-Out.
League table
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Żabbar St. Patrick | 15 | 10 | 3 | 2 | 21 | 9 | +12 | 33 | Qualification for the Top Six |
| 2 | Melita | 15 | 9 | 4 | 2 | 32 | 21 | +11 | 31 | |
| 3 | Senglea Athletic | 15 | 8 | 5 | 2 | 20 | 9 | +11 | 29 | |
| 4 | Marsa | 15 | 8 | 4 | 3 | 32 | 17 | +15 | 28 | |
| 5 | Pietà Hotspurs | 15 | 8 | 3 | 4 | 23 | 13 | +10 | 27 | |
| 6 | Żurrieq | 15 | 8 | 3 | 4 | 18 | 17 | +1 | 27 | |
| 7 | Fgura United | 15 | 8 | 2 | 5 | 32 | 25 | +7 | 26 | Qualification for the Play-Out |
| 8 | Lija Athletic | 15 | 6 | 4 | 5 | 26 | 24 | +2 | 22 | |
| 9 | Swieqi United | 15 | 5 | 6 | 4 | 18 | 16 | +2 | 21 | |
| 10 | Tarxien Rainbows | 15 | 3 | 8 | 4 | 16 | 14 | +2 | 17 | |
| 11 | Żejtun Corinthians | 15 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 17 | 18 | −1 | 17 | |
| 12 | Luqa St. Andrew's | 15 | 4 | 4 | 7 | 21 | 24 | −3 | 16 | |
| 13 | St. Andrews | 15 | 3 | 2 | 10 | 14 | 28 | −14 | 11 | |
| 14 | Żebbuġ Rangers | 15 | 2 | 4 | 9 | 11 | 27 | −16 | 10 | |
| 15 | Attard | 15 | 1 | 5 | 9 | 14 | 33 | −19 | 8 | |
| 16 | Msida Saint-Joseph | 15 | 2 | 0 | 13 | 9 | 29 | −20 | 6 |
Source: Malta Football Association
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Play-offs (only if needed to decide champions or teams for relegation).
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Play-offs (only if needed to decide champions or teams for relegation).
Results
| Home \ Away | ATT | FGU | LJA | LQA | MSA | MEL | MSI | PIE | SEN | STA | SWQ | TAR | ZAB | ZEB | ZEJ | ZUR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Attard | — | 1–2 | 2–3 | — | 0–6 | — | — | 2–1 | — | 1–1 | — | — | 0–3 | — | 1–1 | — |
| Fgura United | — | — | 3–0 | — | 1–2 | 4–4 | — | 0–4 | — | 2–0 | 1–3 | — | 2–3 | — | — | — |
| Lija Athletic | — | — | — | 3–1 | — | 2–3 | 3–2 | — | 0–2 | — | 2–2 | 0–0 | — | — | 4–1 | 4–0 |
| Luqa St. Andrew's | 4–1 | 0–3 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 2–2 | 2–2 | 4–2 | 1–3 | — | 2–0 | — |
| Marsa | — | — | 3–0 | 1–0 | — | 3–3 | — | 1–3 | 2–1 | — | — | — | 4–1 | 2–0 | — | 1–2 |
| Melita | 1–0 | — | — | 2–1 | — | — | 4–0 | — | — | — | 4–1 | 2–1 | — | 2–1 | 0–0 | 2–0 |
| Msida Saint-Joseph | 2–1 | 0–1 | — | 0–1 | 2–0 | — | — | — | — | — | 1–3 | 0–2 | — | — | 0–4 | — |
| Pietà Hotspurs | — | — | 2–2 | 1–0 | — | 2–2 | 1–0 | — | 0–1 | 0–1 | — | — | — | 2–0 | — | 2–0 |
| Senglea Athletic | 2–0 | 3–3 | — | 2–2 | — | 2–0 | 1–0 | — | — | — | — | 0–0 | — | — | 2–0 | 0–1 |
| St. Andrews | — | — | 1–2 | — | 1–4 | 0–3 | 3–2 | — | 0–1 | — | — | 0–3 | — | 3–1 | — | 2–3 |
| Swieqi United | 1–1 | — | — | — | 0–0 | — | — | 1–2 | 1–1 | 2–0 | — | — | 1–0 | 0–1 | — | — |
| Tarxien Rainbows | 4–2 | 0–1 | — | — | 3–3 | — | — | 0–1 | — | — | 0–0 | — | — | — | 0–0 | 0–0 |
| Żabbar St. Patrick | — | — | 1–0 | — | — | 4–0 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 0–0 | 1–0 | — | 1–1 | — | 1–0 | — | — |
| Żebbuġ Rangers | 1–1 | 1–3 | 1–1 | 1–1 | — | — | 3–0 | — | 0–2 | — | — | 0–0 | — | — | — | 0–5 |
| Żejtun Corinthians | — | 3–2 | — | — | 0–0 | — | — | 2–2 | — | 1–0 | 0–1 | — | 0–1 | 4–1 | — | — |
| Żurrieq | 1–1 | 1–4 | — | 1–0 | — | — | 1–0 | — | — | — | 1–0 | — | 0–0 | — | 2–1 | — |
Top Six
The top six teams from the regular season face each other twice more (once at home and once away), with the top two teams earning promotion to the 2024–25 Maltese Premier League. Results from the regular season were carried over into this round.
League table
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Melita (C) | 25 | 18 | 5 | 2 | 56 | 24 | +32 | 59 | Promotion to the 2024–25 Maltese Premier League |
| 2 | Żabbar St. Patrick (P) | 25 | 15 | 6 | 4 | 38 | 20 | +18 | 51 | |
| 3 | Marsa | 25 | 11 | 7 | 7 | 44 | 30 | +14 | 40 | |
| 4 | Pietà Hotspurs | 25 | 11 | 5 | 9 | 35 | 31 | +4 | 38 | |
| 5 | Senglea Athletic | 25 | 9 | 8 | 8 | 28 | 27 | +1 | 35 | |
| 6 | Żurrieq | 25 | 10 | 5 | 10 | 27 | 36 | −9 | 35 |
Updated to match(es) played on 28 April 2024. Source: Malta Football Association
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Play-offs (only if needed to decide champions).
(C) Champions; (P) Promoted
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Play-offs (only if needed to decide champions).
(C) Champions; (P) Promoted
Results
| Home \ Away | MSA | MEL | PIE | SEN | ZAB | ZUR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Marsa | — | 0–4 | 3–0 | 4–1 | 1–3 | 0–0 |
| Melita | 1–0 | — | 5–1 | 2–1 | 1–1 | 5–0 |
| Pietà Hotspurs | 1–1 | 0–1 | — | 4–2 | 3–1 | 2–0 |
| Senglea Athletic | 0–0 | 0–1 | 1–0 | — | 0–0 | 0–3 |
| Żabbar St. Patrick | 2–0 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 3–2 | — | 2–0 |
| Żurrieq | 1–3 | 0–2 | 3–0 | 1–1 | 1–4 | — |
Play-Out
The bottom ten teams from the regular season face each other for the second time (either at home or away), with the bottom four teams being relegated to the 2024–25 Maltese National Amateur League. Results from the regular season were carried over into this round.
League table
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Swieqi United | 24 | 10 | 8 | 6 | 34 | 23 | +11 | 38 | |
| 2 | Fgura United | 24 | 10 | 7 | 7 | 39 | 32 | +7 | 37 | |
| 3 | Lija Athletic | 24 | 9 | 5 | 10 | 31 | 44 | −13 | 32 | |
| 4 | Tarxien Rainbows | 24 | 7 | 10 | 7 | 30 | 15 | +15 | 31 | |
| 5 | Żebbuġ Rangers | 24 | 8 | 5 | 11 | 36 | 34 | +2 | 29 | |
| 6 | St. Andrews[lower-alpha 1] | 24 | 7 | 7 | 10 | 29 | 34 | −5 | 28 | |
| 7 | Luqa St. Andrew's[lower-alpha 1] (R) | 24 | 7 | 7 | 10 | 32 | 40 | −8 | 28 | Relegation to the 2024–25 Maltese National Amateur League |
| 8 | Żejtun Corinthians (R) | 24 | 6 | 9 | 9 | 23 | 24 | −1 | 27 | |
| 9 | Attard (R) | 24 | 4 | 6 | 14 | 25 | 46 | −21 | 18 | |
| 10 | Msida Saint-Joseph (R) | 24 | 2 | 2 | 20 | 16 | 53 | −37 | 8 |
Updated to match(es) played on 28 April 2024. Source: Malta Football Association
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Play-offs (only if needed to decide teams for relegation).
(R) Relegated
Notes:
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Play-offs (only if needed to decide teams for relegation).
(R) Relegated
Notes:
Results
| Home \ Away | ATT | FGU | LJA | LQA | MSI | STA | SWQ | TAR | ZEB | ZEJ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Attard | — | — | — | 1–2 | — | — | — | 1–0 | 0–6 | 0–1 |
| Fgura United | 1–0 | — | 1–1 | 0–1 | — | — | 1–1 | — | — | 1–1 |
| Lija Athletic | 0–2 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 0–4 | 0–4 | 1–0 |
| Luqa St. Andrew's | — | — | 0–1 | — | 2–0 | 2–2 | 0–4 | — | — | — |
| Msida Saint-Joseph | 1–1 | 2–2 | 0–2 | — | — | 1–3 | 2–3 | — | — | — |
| St. Andrews | 2–1 | 0–0 | 5–0 | — | — | — | 0–0 | 1–0 | — | — |
| Swieqi United | 0–2 | — | 4–0 | — | — | — | — | 0–1 | 3–1 | — |
| Tarxien Rainbows | — | 0–1 | — | 3–3 | 3–1 | — | — | — | 3–1 | 0–0 |
| Żebbuġ Rangers | — | 1–0 | — | 4–0 | 6–0 | 1–1 | — | — | — | 1–0 |
| Żejtun Corinthians | — | — | — | 1–1 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 0–1 | — | — | — |
Relegation tie-breaker
With both St. Andrews and Luqa St. Andrew's level on 28 points, a play-off match was conducted to the looser will be Relegation to the 2024–25 Maltese National Amateur League.
| 5 May 2024 | St. Andrews | 1–0 (a.e.t.) | Luqa St. Andrew's | Ta' Qali |
| 15:00 CEST |
|
|
Stadium: Centenary Stadium Referee: Daniel Portelli |
Scoring
Top scorers
- As of 28 April 2024[2]
| Rank | Player | Club | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Andre Carlos Penha Da Costa |
Melita | 17 |
| 2 | Augusto Rene' Caseres |
Marsa | 13 |
 Duvan Mosquera Torres |
Zebbug Rangers | ||
| 4 |  Bledi Alla |
Attard | 12 |
| Ofufu Ibeh |
Fgura United | ||
| 6 | Camilo Andres Sanchez Gonzales |
Luqa St. Andrews | 11 |
| 7 | Erjon Beu |
Lija Athletic | 10 |
| Alan Abdel Rahman |
Luqa St. Andrews | ||
| David Oliveira Souza |
Zabbar St.Patrick | ||
| 10 | Johan Alberto Castano |
Fgura United | 9 |
| Pavlidis Claudio Antunes |
Pieta Hotspurs | ||
 Ivan Sousa Flora Francisco |
Zurrieq | ||
Hat-tricks
| Player | For | Against | Result | Stadium | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Andre Carlos Penha Da Costa |
Melita | Msida Saint-Joseph | 4-0 (H) | Victor Tedesco Stadium, Hamrun | 1 October 2023 |
| Santiago Fabian Moracci |
Tarxien Rainbows | Attard | 4-2 (H) | Centenary Stadium, Ta' Qali | 22 October 2023 |
| Augusto Rene' Caseres |
Marsa | 6-0 (A) | Victor Tedesco Stadium, Hamrun | 4 November 2023 | |
| Ivan Sousa Flora Francisco |
Żurrieq | St. Andrews | 3-2 (A) | Centenary Stadium, Ta' Qali | 2 December 2023 |
| Pavlidis Claudio Antunes |
Pieta Hotspurs | Marsa | 3-1 (A) | 10 December 2023 | |
| Andre Carlos Penha Da Costa4 |
Melita | Fgura United | 4-4 (A) | 17 December 2023 | |
| Augusto Rene' Caseres |
Marsa | St. Andrews | 4-1 (A) | Victor Tedesco Stadium, Hamrun | 27 January 2024 |
 Rundell Winchester |
Tarxien Rainbows | Lija Athletic | 4-0 (A) | 11 February 2024 | |
 Donys Aldair Quintero Maldonado |
Marsa | Senglea Athletic | 4-1 (H) | Centenary Stadium, Ta' Qali | 6 April 2024 |
| Johann Bezzina |
Żebbuġ Rangers | Attard | 6-0 (A) | Victor Tedesco Stadium, Hamrun | 7 April 2024 |
| David Oliveira Souza |
Żabbar St. Patrick | Żurrieq | 4-1 (A) | Centenary Stadium, Ta' Qali | 21 April 2024 |
| William James England |
St. Andrews | Lija Athletic | 5-0 (H) | Sirens Stadium, San Pawl il-Baħar | 28 April 2024 |
- Notes
4 Player scored 4 goals
Clean sheets
| Rank | Player | Club | Clean sheets |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Matthew Grech |
Żabbar St. Patrick | 13 |
| 2 | Gosef Mizzi |
Melita | 12 |
| Glenn Zammit |
Senglea Athletic | ||
| 4 | Andreas Vella |
Tarxien Rainbows | 11 |
| 5 | Jamie Azzopardi |
Zebbug Rangers | 9 |
| 6 | Christopher Farrugia |
Marsa | 8 |
| Frederick Tabone |
Zejtun Corinthians | ||
| 8 | Reeves Cini |
Pieta Hotspurs | 7 |
| Jean Claude Debattista |
Swieqi United | ||
| Ryan Caruana |
Zurrieq | ||
Discipline
Player
- Most yellow cards: 12
Camilo Del Castillo Escobar (Attard)
- Most red cards: 2
Lucas Vinicius Viana Prati (Lija Athletic)
Josmar Galea (Żejtun Corinthians)
Club
- Most yellow cards: 63
- Most red cards: 6
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