Football in Myanmar
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Football is the most popular sport in Myanmar.[1] The Myanmar Football Federation (MFF) is the governing body of football in Myanmar. It was formed in 1947 as the Burmese Football Federation. The MFF joined FIFA in 1952 and AFC in 1954.
.jpg){kind=logo}
Early history
Football was introduced to Myanmar, then named Burma, by the British colonialists in the 1880s, when explorer James George Scott organised a match between the British and the Burmese in Lanmadaw Township.[2] Football quickly became extremely popular across the country. So much so, that by the 1920s, Burmese started to spread the sport across East Asia. U Kyaw Din, a Burmese born in 1900, wrote one of the earliest books about the sport and promoted it so successfully in Japan that he became a member of the Japanese Football hall of fame posthumously in 2007.[2]
In September 1926, the reportedly first women's football match was organised to raise funds for a charity.[3]
League system
The highest men's football league is the Myanmar National League. The second division is called the MNL-2. The highest women's football league in the country is the Myanmar Women League.
Pyramid
| Level | League(s) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Myanmar National League 12 clubs – ↓ 2 relegation | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2 | MNL-2 8 clubs (2024 season ) 2 promotion ↑ - 2 relegation↓ | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 3 |  MNL-2 MNL-2 Pro Amateur Club Tour 8 clubs( 2024 season ) 2 promotion ↑ | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Regional and state leagues
- Kyaukse Premier League
- Manaw League
- Minbu League
- Yangon Premier League
- Pyinmana League
Men's national team
The Myanmar national team used to be among the top teams in Asia until the early 1970s. They won five consecutive editions of the Southeast Asian Games between 1965 and 1973 and the Asian Games in 1966 and 1970.[4] In 1968, the team finished runners-up at the AFC Asian Cup, only losing to Iran in the final.[5] Most notably, the Burmese national team, as it was called at the time, finished 9th at the 1972 Olympics in Munich after beating Sudan 2:0 and losing just 0:1 to later Bronze medalist Soviet Union. They did win the Fair Play Award at the Games.[6] The national team never qualified for a FIFA World Cup.
Women's national team
The national team is one of the most successful in South East Asia, sitting in the third place of the All-Time Table of the AFF Women's Championship, which they won twice (2004 and 2007). They qualified for the AFC Women's Asian Cup on five occasions, missing only three tournaments, but never made it past the group stages.
Football clubs in Myanmar
There are many football clubs in Myanmar, including a few professional clubs and a large number of amateur ones. Each state and division also has its own team organized by the respective local governments. In addition, several football teams were operated under various ministries of the Myanmar government. The state and division teams are still active, while the ministry teams competed from 1996 to 2009 in the Myanmar Premier League—also known as the Myanmar League—before it transitioned to a professional competition, now known as the Myanmar National League.
Football stadiums in Myanmar
| # | Stadium | City | Capacity | Tenants | Image | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bogyoke Aung San Stadium | Yangon | 40,000 |  | ||
| 2 | Thuwunna Stadium | Yangon | 32,000 | National Team's Home Stadium |  | |
| 3 | Mandalar Thiri Stadium | Mandalay | 30,000 |  | ||
| 4 | Wunna Theikdi Stadium | Naypyidaw | 30,000 |  | ||
| 5 | Bahtoo Stadium | Mandalay | 17,000 |  | ||
| 6 | Paung Laung Stadium | Naypyidaw | 15,000 |  | ||
| 7 | Zayyarthiri Stadium | Naypyidaw | 35,000 | Myanmar Military |  | |
| 8 | Dhanyawaddy Stadium | Sittwe | 7,000 |  | ||
| 9 | Hpa-An Stadium | Hpa-An | 3,000 |  | ||
| 10 | Magway Stadium | Magway | 7,000 |  | ||
| 11 | Monywa Stadium | Monywa | 5,000 |  | ||
| 12 | Padonmar Stadium | Sanchaung,Yangon | 3,000 |  | ||
| 13 | Pathein Stadium | Pathein | 6,000 | Ayeyawady United |  | |
| 14 | Salin Stadium | Kamayut,Yangon | 8,000 |  | ||
| 15 | Taunggyi Stadium | Taunggyi | 7,000 | Shan United |  | |
| 16 | Wai Thar Li Stadium | Sittwe | 7,000 |  |
||
| 17 | Yamanya Stadium | Mawlamyine | 20,000 |  | ||
| 18 | YUSC Stadium | Hlaing,Yangon | 3,500 | Yangon United |  |
See also
References
External links
Wikiwand - on
Seamless Wikipedia browsing. On steroids.