Origins The first domestic
football national championship in Cambodia was first established in 1982 during the
People's Republic of Kampuchea years. The competing clubs were primarily based on the
Soviet model of official amateur teams formed by ministries, the police, army and other state owned enterprises. In the 2000s, the
Cambodian League or
C-League was brought about and was rebranded as the
Metfone Cambodian League or
Metfone C-League at the start of the
2005 season, courtesy of corporate sponsorship of the league's name. Over the course of the following years, the standard of professionalism would change with clubs being formed and clubs being sponsored by corporate entities. In 2018, it was announced that all clubs participating in the league would be required to have access to their own stadium before the start of the
2019 season. This was an attempt by the
Football Federation of Cambodia to help further modernize football in Cambodia. In past seasons, many of the league's clubs have shared the
Phnom Penh Olympic Stadium or the
Old Stadium. Since its inception as an official professional league in 2005, a total of 36 clubs have competed. 6 clubs have been crowned champions, with
Phnom Penh Crown winning the title a record 8 times.
Cambodian Premier League In October 2021, Satoshi Saito, the former international marketer for
FC Barcelona of
La Liga, was announced as the CEO of the Cambodian Football League Company (CFLC) which would take over the Metfone C-League's administrative and financial duties and establish the league as Cambodian Premier League starting with the 2022 season.
The Cambodia Classic Match The
Cambodia Classic Match is given to the rivalry between
Phnom Penh Crown and
Boeung Ket. On February 6, 2012, both teams met for the first time.
First invincible Boeung Ket won the
2020 league season by head-to-head record against
2019 league season champion,
Preah Khan Reach Svay Rieng, despite remaining unbeaten the whole season, setting up a record in the Cambodian League. ==Sponsorship==