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Football in Malta
Although Malta is a small island in the middle of the Mediterranean, it has a very large rich history of football.
Indeed, football in Malta has evolved considerably over the years, with the introduction of the Maltese First Division and the participation of local clubs in European competitions.
Today, football in Malta is very popular with the Maltese and attracts fans from all over the country.
If you are a football player and you are looking to launch your career, Malta is a perfect destination. Due to its small population, the level remains fairly low but it is very popular.
Clubs in all divisions offer very good salaries compared with other European countries.
The history of football in Malta
The first accounts date back to the end of the 19th century under English colonisation, when British officers began organising football matches between soldiers.
Over time, football gained in popularity, with the creation of the Malta Football Association in 1900.
Since then, football in Malta has seen many highlights, including Floriana FC's victory in the European Cup against Norway's Valerengens in 1971.
Today, clubs such as Hamrun FC, Gzira United, Balzan FC and Hibernians FC often manage to qualify for European competitions such as the Conference League, the Europa League and even the Champions League!
Parmi ces clubs, seul Hamrun FC a réussi à se qualifier en phase de groupe de Conference League.
En dehors de Hamrun FC en 2025, aucun de ces clubs n’a encore jamais réussi à atteindre la phase de groupe de ces compétitions mais ils s’en rapprochent d’année en année dû aux huge budgets of some of these clubs.
A number of French-speaking players from Ligue 2 and Ligue National have already noticed the possibility of playing in Europe. with music from our continent's most famous cups in addition to very pleasant weather conditions all year round for equivalent pay.
Nous pouvons prendre l’exemple de Ivan Inzoudine, Kléri Serber et Delvin Ndinga dont vous pourrez retrouver le parcours here.
Football and Maltese Culture
Football is by far the island's most popular sport and, as the years went by, its popularity grew steadily as sporting performance improved across Europe.
With local values that vary from town to town, and despite its 500,000 inhabitants, it's not unusual to find a great popular fervour in the stadiums.
Indeed, with a very small surface area, all league matches become, in a way, derbies and it is not unusual to find 1000 supporters waving large flags in the lowest division of the official MFA championship.
The different football leagues in Malta
Malta has 2 different football leagues:
- The official MFA championship
- Les championnats annexes MAFA et SWAN
1. The MFA championship in detail (levels, salaries, etc.)
The MFA championship is the official championship of the Maltese Football Association.
In this championship, the Maltese Football Association (MFA) has introduced a foreign player limit which varies from division to division (see diagram above). By definition, a foreign player is a player who does not have Maltese nationality.
Il est composé de seulement 4 divisions :
- The Maltese BOV Premiere League (1st professional division)
- The BOV Challenge League (1st semi-professional division)
- La BOV Amateur League I (1ère division amateur)
- La BOV Amateur League II (2ème division amateur)
The BOV Premier League
This division is the only professional division in the country and is made up of 12 teams (2025/26) et les meilleures équipes peuvent se qualifier pour les barrages des 3 principales compétitions Européennes.
By way of comparison, some teams in this championship have a level comparable to French Ligue 2 and National 1 clubs.
It is possible to estimate a range of salaires allant entre 1000€ et 15 000€ per month. It depends on the club, because there are big financial disparities.
The Maltese players, often paid less than foreigners, some of them have a second job on the side.
A club in this division can have up to 14 joueurs non-maltais in its professional group.
The BOV Challenge League
This division represents the the country's only semi-professional division, it consists of 16 teams (2025/26) et les deux premières ont la possibilité de monter en division professionnelle.
By way of comparison, some of the teams in this league are at a level comparable to the French National 2 and National 3 clubs.
It is also possible to estimate a salary range between 500€ et 3000€. All the Maltese players playing at this level have a second job.
On the other hand, the majority of foreign players make their living from football.
A club in this division can have up to 4 joueurs non maltais in his semi-professional group.
La BOV Amateur League I
Cette division est constituée de 14 teams. Les 2 premières équipes sont promues en division semi-professionnelle à la fin de saison.
By way of comparison, some teams in this championship have a level comparable to French regional clubs.
Although the majority of Maltese players are not paid, foreign players can earn salaries ranging from 200€ à 1500€.
A club in this division can have up to 3 non-Maltese players in his amateur group.
La BOV Amateur League II
Cette division est constituée de 12 teams. Les 2 premières équipes sont promues en BOV Amateur League I à la fin de saison.
By way of comparison, some teams in this championship have a niveau comparable aux clubs de niveau régional / district français.
Although the majority of Maltese players are not paid, foreign players can earn salaries ranging from 200€ à 800€.
A club in this division can have up to 2 joueurs non maltais in his amateur group.
2. Le Championnat U21 de Foot à Malte
Each club taking part in the official MFA championship must have a U21 team playing in one of the 4 youth championship divisions:
- Section A
- Section B
- Section C
- Section D
At this age, each team can have 2 foreign players under 21 on the match sheet.
This can be very interesting for young players looking for a career abroad because most professional and semi-professional teams include the best players from the youth teams in their training groups.
This gives us an incredible opportunity to train with top-level professional players.
What's more, by putting in a string of good performances, players can earn themselves be offered pro and/or semi-pro contracts with the senior teams for the following season.
3. Le championnat MAFA en détails (niveau, salaires etc...)
The Maltese Amateur Football Association (MAFA) is the most famous of Malta's subsidiary leagues. Unlike the official MFA football championship, it is entirely amateur and There is no limit on the number of foreign players.
Il est composé de 2 divisions :
- La MAFA First Division
- MAFA Second Division
Each division is made up of 8 teamsThe first two go up and the last two go down.
Dû à nombre de joueurs étrangers illimités, certaines équipes de ce championnat ont un meilleur niveau que certaines équipes de la BOV Amateur League du championnat officiel. Cependant, players cannot claim any salary.
This championship has the particularity of being closely followed by the clubs of the official MFA championship in order to selecting the best players and integrate them into their teams during the season.
4. La SWAN Amateur League Association
Le championnat appelé SWAN Amateur League Association est un des championnats annexes de Malte. Contrairement au championnat de foot officiel MFA, tout comme le championnat MAFA, il est entièrement amateur et n’a aucune limite de joueurs étrangers.
Il est composé de 2 divisions :
- La SWANN First Division
- La SWANN Second Division
Each division is made up of 8 teams.
Ce championnat a aussi la particularité d’être suivi par certains clubs du championnat officiel MFA afin de selecting the best players and integrate them into their teams during the season.
The Place and Role of ProEvolution Academy in the Maltese Football Championship
Dû à une équipe composée uniquement de joueurs étrangers (français, belges, suisse etc..), les équipe de notre centre de formation de foot privé évoluent au sein des championnat annexes MAFA et SWAN League.
The goal of our academy is to help players progress personally, which is why we place little emphasis on championship results.
These matches are useful for our technical staff to spot performing players and then offer them trials in the official MFA championship.
Football Trials open!
Sign up and participate in our selections.
Toi aussi tente ta chance afin d’intégrer notre centre de formation de football pour les rentrées de JUILLET, AOÛT et SEPTEMBRE 2026.
