Cyta Championship

Founded	1934; 90 years ago (1934)
Country	Cyprus
Confederation	UEFA
Number of teams	14
Level on pyramid	1
Relegation to	Cypriot Second Division
Domestic cup(s)	Cypriot Cup Cypriot Super Cup
International cup(s)	UEFA Champions League UEFA Europa League UEFA Conference League
Current champions	APOEL (29th title) (2023–24)
Most championships	APOEL (29 titles)
Top goalscorer	Sotiris Kaiafas (1967–1984) (261 goals)
TV partners	Cytavision PrimeTel Cablenet
Website	www.cfa.com.cy
Current: 2023–24 Cypriot First Division

The Cypriot First Division (Greek: Πρωτάθλημα Α΄ Κατηγορίας), known as the Cyta Championship for sponsorship reasons, is the top-tier football league competition in Cyprus, run by the Cyprus Football Association.^[1]

The league is contested by 14 teams and runs from August to May, with the three lowest-placed teams being relegated to the Cypriot Second Division, and replaced by the top three teams in that division.

History

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Football was introduced to Cyprus early in the 20th century by the British. Initially played in the island's schools, it proved hugely popular and a number of clubs were duly formed.

Anorthosis Famagusta FC was founded in 1911, after which many other clubs were established. In 1932, the annual Cypriot Championship began, at first unofficially. Every season, the championship was organised by a different football club, which caused conflict among some of the teams.

As football became more established, the clubs were united in agreeing that an official body was needed to regulate the sport. In September 1934, the Cyprus Football Association (CFA) was formed and the Cypriot Championship and Cup began to take place annually.^[2] The first Champions of Cyprus were Trust in 1935, but the club folded three years later. The 1930s were dominated by APOEL, who won five championships in a row until 1940. Like other championships throughout the world, the Cypriot Championship was interrupted due to World War II from 1941 until 1945.^{[citation needed]}

In 1955, Çetinkaya Türk S.K., who had been the only Turkish Cypriot team playing in the Cypriot First Division since 1934–35, withdrew from the Championship and, along with other Turkish Cypriot teams, established the Cyprus Turkish Football Association, with its own competitions. The reason behind this was political, as the Turkish Cypriots were opposed to the anticolonial struggle of EOKA and union with Greece (enosis). However, this federation was never recognised, and none of its teams was permitted to play in international competitions.

Cypriot independence in 1960 was followed by full UEFA membership for the Cyprus Football Association in 1962. From 1963, the champions of Cyprus could compete in the European Cup and the Cup winners in the European Cup Winners Cup. The runners-up in the Greek Cypriot First Division began to compete in the UEFA Cup in 1971. From 1967 until 1974, the Greek Cypriot Champions were promoted to the Greek First National Division. Greek Cypriot teams were relegated every season from the Alpha Ethniki, apart from 1973–74, when APOEL managed to remain in the Greek Championship, which meant that Cyprus would have two teams in Greek top tier. However, due to the Turkish invasion of Cyprus that year, APOEL and Omonia (the 1973–74 Cypriot champions) withdrew from the League.^{[citation needed]}

Format

Current format

As of the 2022-23 season, 14 clubs compete in the league, and are ranked based on the point system described below. Each club plays the other sides twice, home and away, for a total of 26 games for each club. This is referred to as the first round of the league. In the second round, the teams are divided into two groups; the teams ranked 1st to 6th play off for the title and European spots in Group A, while the bottom eight teams battle to avoid relegation in Group B. Group A is often referred to as the Championship Play-offs, while Group B is referred to as the Relegation Play-offs. Each team's points and criteria, such as goal difference, goals scored, etc. are retained during the transition from first to second round. Similarly to the first round, every club plays the other sides twice, for a total of 10 or 14 games for each club, in Group A and Group B respectively.

At the end of the second round, the club ranked 1st in Group A is declared the winner of the league. The champion qualifies for the UEFA Champions League, while the second and third placed teams enter the UEFA Europa Conference League. If the cup winners finish in third or above, the fourth placed team also enters the UEFA Europa Conference League. Meanwhile, the bottom three teams in Group B are relegated to the Second Division.

Previous formats

From 2007–08 until 2012–13 season, in the second round, the first 12 (out of 14) teams were separated into three groups of four teams according to their position at the end of the first round. For the 2013–14 season, in the second round, the first 12 (out of 14) teams were separated into two groups of six teams according to their position at the end of the first round. The last two teams of the first round were relegated directly to the B1 Division and the bottom two teams of the relegation group also. The points from the first round were carried to the second round and the teams played each other twice.^{[citation needed]}

Point system

The point system of the Cypriot First Division has changed throughout the years:

1. From 1934–35 until 1959–60, teams were awarded two points for a win, one point for a draw and zero points for a defeat.^[3]
2. From 1960–61 until 1969–70, teams were awarded three points for a win, two points for a draw and one point for a defeat.^[3]
3. From 1970–71 until 1990–91, teams were awarded two points for a win, one point for a draw and zero points for a defeat.^[4]
4. Since the 1991–92 season, teams are awarded three points for a win, one point for a draw and zero points for a defeat.^[5]

In the event that two or more teams have the same amount of points, they are ranked based on:

1. Points gained in games between the teams, in both rounds.
2. Goal difference in games between the teams, in both rounds.
3. Most away goals scored in games between the teams, in both rounds.
4. Goal difference across all games, in both rounds.
5. Most goals scored across all games, in both rounds.

2023–24 Clubs

Champions