Myanmar National League: History, Teams, Players and Records
A Brief History of the Myanmar National League - Teams, Players, Records and More!
The Myanmar National League (MNL) is Myanmar’s top professional competition. Since its launch, it has reshaped domestic football by expanding beyond Yangon’s ministry-affiliated clubs into a true nationwide structure.
But when did the league first start? Who are its star players? Read on for everything you need to know about Myanmar’s football league.
Yangon United’s fifth MNL crown. Image credits: ASEAN Football Federation
According to the Myanmar Football Federation, Myanmar’s professional league started on 16 May 2009, with eight regional clubs staging an inaugural cup as a bridge to the first full league season.
Today, the MNL typically features 12 participants and a developing pyramid, while player movement and youth pathways feed Myanmar’s national teams and club entries into AFC competitions.
Transfermarkt identifies a current combined squad market value of around €17.23 million, which illustrates the league’s modern scale. Let’s take a closer look.
A Short History of the Myanmar National League
The MNL was born from reform. The federation secured government approval in 2008 to create private clubs with limited tax exemptions and caps on foreign players and coaches. It officially kicked off in 2009 with a preparatory cup before the first league campaign.
In the first final of the new era, Yadanabon defeated Yangon United to lift the MNL Cup on 5 July 2009. Expansion came quickly - the league added teams for 2010 and 2011, moving towards a dozen clubs and laying groundwork for a promotion and relegation concept.
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Main Teams and Recent Titles
Two names define the MNL’s modern competitive axis: Yangon and Shan. Yangon United has five league titles and a long record of podium finishes, a tally confirmed on their honours list.
Shan United is the contemporary benchmark. ASEAN Football reported on 2 March 2025 that Shan United completed an unbeaten season to win the 2024-25 crown, their fifth consecutive title, finishing 11 points clear of Yangon United.
The report for the same weekend noted a 4-0 win over Hantharwady United on the final day. This was Shan’s sixth MNL title overall in the past seven seasons, further underlining the team’s dominance.
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Yadanabon also shaped the league’s early years, with multiple championships from 2009 to 2016, while Ayeyawady United emerged as the country’s leading cup team. Ayeyawady won big in the MFF Charity Cup and the national cup competitions throughout the 2010s.
Beyond the top two, Hantharwady United remain a traditional club and founding member, rebranded from Okktha United. Hantharwady has a range of runners-up finishes under its belt, as well as strong youth development.
How the Myanmar National League Looks Today
The MNL only started in 2009, but it has made strides in youth development and cup structures. The league is popular with domestic fans - and it runs with 12 top-flight teams and a second tier below that.
The MNL’s Continental Footprint
MNL clubs regularly compete in AFC club competitions. Yangon United reached the ASEAN Zonal semi-finals of the AFC Cup in 2018, a run covered by the Asian Football Confederation’s own match report from the first leg in Bacolod.
Ayeyawady United advanced from the group stage to the Round of 16 in the 2015 AFC Cup. Results at this level remain a useful proxy for measuring Myanmar’s club progress against ASEAN standards.
Myanmar’s Star Players and Award Winners
Several players have defined the Myanmar National League’s domestic and continental success, providing nail-biting games and pure entertainment value.
Kyaw Ko Ko
The attacker became one of Yangon United’s modern icons and a consistent international for Myanmar. ASEAN Football’s 2011 feature even labelled him the nation’s standout.
His national team record of 53 caps and 16 goals is compiled by National-Football-Teams.
Aung Thu
Aung Thu rose from the Yadanabon and national youth teams to become the league’s marquee playmaker of the late 2010s before moving to Thailand.
His profile and career chronology, including MNL accolades and subsequent Thai League spells, are captured in Thu’s Transfermarkt profile.
Hein Htet Aung
Hein Htet Aung broke through at 18 during Hantharwady United’s runners-up season in 2020, with 6 goals and 9 assists. He was named the league’s Best Young Player.
Raphael Success
In 2020, Nigerian footballer Raphael Success won the league Golden Boot with 16 goals, a race tracked week-to-week by the MNL.
He played for Ayeyawady United between 2018-2020, and Shan United in 2021.
Rivalries, Records and Streaks
Recent MNL seasons have produced notable streaks. The Global New Light of Myanmar reported in November 2024 that Shan United reached 70 consecutive unbeaten league matches during the 2024–25 campaign.
That run underpins their five-in-a-row stretch, also noted by the ASEAN Football Federation, and it explains the current competitive gap.
Yangon United stay close by, accumulating cup wins and near-miss title races. Their honours list confirms five league crowns, two General Aung San Shields in 2018 and 2019, and an MNL League Cup title in July 2025 after a 1-0 win over Shan United.
Myanmar National League - What’s Next?
The MNL’s first decade and a half shows steady professionalisation, a clear title narrative and tangible steps in continental competition.
The league’s launch in 2009 created a national platform. The first chapter belonged to Yadanabon and Yangon United, and the current chapter is defined by Shan United’s multi-title stretch.
The league has meaningful youth and cup structures, a growing transfer market and regular entries into AFC competitions. If youth development stays aligned to the senior calendar and clubs keep testing themselves regionally, the MNL can convert domestic dominance into deeper ASEAN runs.
Hopefully, the league can continue to elevate players like Aung Thu, Kyaw Ko Ko and the next wave coming through Hantharwady, Ayeyawady, Yangon and Shan United.
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