The 2018–19 Football Superleague of Kosovo season, also known as the IPKO Superleague of Kosovo (Albanian: IPKO Superliga e Kosovës) for sponsorship reasons with IPKO is the 20th season of top-tier football in Kosovo. The season began on 18 August 2018 and will end on 19 May 2019. A total of 12 teams are competing in the league: nine teams from the 2017–18 season and three teams from the 2017–18 First Football League of Kosovo. Drita are the defending champions from the previous season.
| Season | 2018–19 |
|---|---|
| Dates | 18 August 2018 – 19 May 2019 |
| Champions | Feronikeli |
| Relegated | KEK Liria |
| Champions League | Feronikeli |
| Europa League | Prishtina |
| Matches played | 195 |
| Goals scored | 481 (2.47 per match) |
| Top goalscorer | Kastriot Rexha (21 goals)[1] |
| Biggest home win | Liria 6–2 KEK (16 September 2018) |
| Biggest away win | KEK 1–5 Trepça'89 (12 September 2018) |
| Highest scoring | Liria 6–2 KEK (16 September 2018) |
| Longest winning run | 22 matches[2] Prishtina |
| Longest unbeaten run | 22 matches[2] Prishtina |
| Longest winless run | 32 matches KEK |
| Longest losing run | 32 matches KEK |
← 2017–18 2019–20 →
All statistics correct as of 19 May 2019. | |
Teams and stadiums edit
Besa Pejë and Vllaznia Pozheran were relegated after finishing the previous season in eleventh and twelfth-place respectively. They will be replaced by the champions and runners-up of the 2017–18 First League, Ballkani and KEK respectively. Ferizaj defeated Vëllaznimi in play-off to claim their top-flight spot.
- Note: Table lists in alphabetical order.
| Club | Town | Stadium and capacity[3] | UEFA license[4] | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ballkani | Suva Reka | Suva Reka City Stadium | 1,500 | 
|
| Drenica | Skenderaj | Bajram Aliu Stadium | 3,000 |
|
| Drita | Gjilan | Gjilan City Stadium[a] | 15,000 | 
|
| Ferizaj | Ferizaj | Ferizaj Synthetic Grass Stadium | 1,500 |
|
| Feronikeli | Glogovac | Rexhep Rexhepi Stadium | 2,000 |
|
| Flamurtari | Pristina | Xhemail Ibishi Stadium | 5,000 |
|
| Gjilani | Gjilan | Gjilan City Stadium[a] | 15,000 |
|
| KEK | Obilić | Agron Rama Stadium | 5,000 |
|
| Liria | Prizren | Përparim Thaçi Stadium | 15,000 |
|
| Llapi | Podujevo | Zahir Pajaziti Stadium | 10,000 |
|
| Prishtina | Pristina | Fadil Vokrri Stadium | 13,000 |
|
| Trepça'89 | Mitrovica | Riza Lushta Stadium | 12,000 |
|
League table edit
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Feronikeli (C) | 33 | 25 | 5 | 3 | 64 | 14 | +50 | 80 | Qualification for the Champions League preliminary round |
| 2 | Prishtina | 33 | 23 | 6 | 4 | 49 | 12 | +37 | 75 | Qualification for the Europa League preliminary round[a] |
| 3 | Llapi | 33 | 22 | 3 | 8 | 54 | 24 | +30 | 69 | |
| 4 | Drita | 33 | 14 | 6 | 13 | 47 | 39 | +8 | 48 | |
| 5 | Ferizaj | 33 | 14 | 4 | 15 | 39 | 41 | −2 | 46 | |
| 6 | Flamurtari | 33 | 12 | 9 | 12 | 33 | 39 | −6 | 45 | |
| 7 | Drenica | 33 | 11 | 10 | 12 | 41 | 34 | +7 | 43 | |
| 8 | Ballkani | 33 | 12 | 7 | 14 | 35 | 36 | −1 | 43 | |
| 9 | Trepça'89 (O) | 33 | 11 | 9 | 13 | 40 | 45 | −5 | 42 | Qualification for the relegation play-offs |
| 10 | Gjilani (O) | 33 | 10 | 8 | 15 | 28 | 37 | −9 | 38 | |
| 11 | Liria (R) | 33 | 8 | 4 | 21 | 31 | 60 | −29 | 28 | Relegation to First Football League of Kosovo |
| 12 | KEK (R) | 33 | 0 | 1 | 32 | 24 | 104 | −80 | 1 |
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Goals scored; 4) Draw; 5) Head-to-head points; 6) Head-to-head goal difference; 7) Head-to-head away goals scored (only if between two teams); 8) Head-to-head goals scored; 9) Play-off (tie-breakers 2, 3 and 4 only used for ties that do not involve deciding the champion, play-offs participation or relegation).
(C) Champions; (O) Play-off winners; (R) Relegated
Notes:
- ^ Since the winners of the Kosovar Cup, Feronikeli, qualified for the Champions League, the spot given to the Cup winners was passed to the second-placed team.
Results edit
Each team plays three times against every opponent (either twice at home and once away or once at home and twice away) for a total of 33 games played each.
Relegation play-offs edit
The ninth and tenth-placed teams, Trepça'89 and Gjilani respectively, each paired off against the third and fourth-placed teams from the 2018–19 First Football League of Kosovo season, Vëllaznimi and Besa Pejë respectively; the two winners will play in the top-flight next season. As with previous seasons, both play-offs will be played on neutral ground.
| Trepça'89 | 4–2 | Vëllaznimi |
|---|---|---|
R. Asare  14'A. Manaj 54'H. Hyseni 65'E. Hoti 86' |
Report | T. Bardhoku 26' A. Murati 42' |
Trepça'89 retained their spot in 2019–20 Football Superleague of Kosovo; Vëllaznimi remained in 2019–20 First Football League of Kosovo.
Gjilani retained their spot in 2019–20 Football Superleague of Kosovo; Besa Pejë remained in 2019–20 First Football League of Kosovo.
Season statistics edit
Scoring edit
Top scorers edit
- As of matches played on 19 May 2019.[1]
| Rank | Player | Club | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Kastriot Rexha
|
Feronikeli | 21 |
| 2 |  Ahmed Januzi
|
Llapi | 12 |
| Festim Alidema
|
Llapi | ||
| 4 | Meriton Korenica
|
Prishtina | 11 |
| 5 | Mendurim Hoti
|
Feronikeli | 10 |
| Alban Shillova
|
Flamurtari | ||
| Jetmir Topalli
|
Ballkani | ||
| 8 | Betim Haxhimusa
|
Drita | 9 |
 Jean Carioca
|
Feronikeli | ||
| 10 | Kreshnik Uka
|
Drenica | 8 |
| Liridon Fetahaj
|
Liria | ||
| Mario Morina
|
Prishtina |
Notes and references edit
Notes edit
- ^ The two teams, Drita and Gjilan, which use this stadium together with their fans, have named the stadium with different names. Drita and their fans call the stadium as Selami Osmani-Bezi Stadium, while Gjilan and their fans call the stadium as Agim Ramadani Stadium, but officially the stadium is called Gjilan City Stadium.[5]
References edit
- ^ a b "Top golashënuesit" [Top scorers]. TopSporti (in Albanian). Retrieved 18 August 2018.
- ^ a b "Portat FFK Superliga". Topsporti. Retrieved 2 September 2018.
- ^ "2018/19 Kosovo Superliga (venues)". Soccerway.
- ^ "6 klube e kaluan me sukses procesin e licencimit, Drita e Prishtina e përfaqësojnë Kosovën në garat e UEFA-s" [6 clubs successfully passed the licensing process, Drita and Prishtina represent Kosovo in UEFA competitions] (in Albanian). Football Federation of Kosovo. 11 May 2018.
- ^ "Çfarë emri duhet të ketë stadiumi i qytetit në Gjilan" [What should be the name of the city stadium in Gjilan]. RajoniPress (in Albanian). 31 January 2017. Retrieved 18 August 2018.