The wait is finally over for football enthusiasts as the Turkish Süper Lig’s 2024-2025 season kicks off on Friday after a 74-day hiatus.
The 67th season of the Süper Lig will commence with a match between the reigning champions Galatasaray and Hatayspor.
The league will feature 38 weeks of action, with each team taking a bye week.
The first half of the season will wrap up with the 17th round of matches on Dec. 20.
The second half will begin on Jan. 3 with the 18th round and conclude on June 1, 2025.
This season will see 17 matches in the first half and 21 in the second.
Nineteen teams from 12 Turkish cities will compete in 342 matches this season.
At the end of the season, the bottom four teams will be relegated to the Trendyol 1. Lig.
Teams by city
The Süper Lig’s 67th season will feature teams from 12 cities.
Istanbul will be represented by six teams: Beşiktaş, Fenerbahçe, Galatasaray, Başakşehir, Kasımpaşa and Ikhlas Eyüpspor.
Teams from other cities include:
- Antalya: Antalyaspor, Alanyaspor
- Adana: Adana Demirspor
- Hatay: Hatayspor
- Sivas: Sivasspor
- Gaziantep: Gaziantep FC
- Konya: Konyaspor
- Rize: Rizespor
- Trabzon: Trabzonspor
- Kayseri: Kayserispor
- Samsun: Samsunspor
- İzmir: Göztepe
- Muğla: Bodrum FC
Key fixtures
The first major clash of the season will be between Trabzonspor and Beşiktaş in the fifth week.
The first derby match will be between Fenerbahçe and Galatasaray in the sixth week.
Key fixtures also include:
- 10th Week: Galatasaray vs. Beşiktaş
- 11th Week: Trabzonspor vs. Fenerbahçe
- 15th Week: Beşiktaş vs. Fenerbahçe
- 16th Week: Galatasaray vs. Trabzonspor
Foreign player regulations
For the 2024-2025 season, the Süper Lig has updated its foreign player regulations.
Each club’s first team can now include up to 14 foreign players, with 12 allowed in match squads.
On the field, a maximum of 11 foreign players can play simultaneously.
The first-team roster size has increased from 26 to 28 players, and teams can list up to 14 players who are ineligible for the Turkish national team.
However, only 12 of these can be included in the matchday squad.
Transfer windows
The transfer and registration window for the 2024-2025 season opens on June 24 and closes on Sept. 13.
The “mid-season transfer” period runs from Jan. 13, 2025, to Feb. 11, 2025.
Opening week fixtures
The opening week of the Süper Lig features the following matches:
Aug. 9:
- 9 p.m. Galatasaray vs. Hatayspor (RAMS Park)
Aug. 10:
- 7:15 p.m. Kasımpaşa vs. Konyaspor (Recep Tayyip Erdoğan Stadium)
- 9:45 p.m. Antalyaspor vs. Göztepe (Corendon Airlines Park Antalya)
- 9:45 p.m. Fenerbahçe vs. Adana Demirspor (Ülker Stadium)
Aug. 11:
- 7:15 p.m. Sivasspor vs. Trabzonspor (BG Grup 4 Eylül Stadium)
- 9:45 p.m. Alanyaspor vs. Eyüpspor (Alanya Oba Stadium)
- 9:45 p.m. Samsunspor vs. Beşiktaş (Samsun Yeni 19 Mayıs Stadium)
Aug. 12:
- 9 p.m. Çaykur Rizespor vs. Başakşehir (Çaykur Didi Stadium)
- 9 p.m. Bodrum FK vs. Gaziantep FC (Stadium to be announced; Bodrum FC will play without spectators)
Highlights and historical notes
As the Süper Lig enters its 67th season, it brings with it a rich history of remarkable events and statistics:
- Most championships: Galatasaray with 24 titles.
- Most second-place finishes: Fenerbahçe with 25.
- Longest unbeaten streak: Beşiktaş with 48 matches (1990-1991 season).
- Highest scoring match: Fenerbahçe vs. Gaziantepspor (8-4) in the 1991-1992 season.
- Largest victory margin: Beşiktaş vs. Adana Demirspor (10-0) in the 1989-1990 season.
- Most goals scored in a season: Fenerbahçe with 3,944 goals overall.
- Most goals conceded: Ankaragücü with 2,389 goals conceded.
The league has witnessed unforgettable moments, including a referee scoring a goal and teams narrowly avoiding relegation based on goal difference.
Beşiktaş’s dramatic fall from the top in 2003-2004 and Fenerbahçe’s heartbreaking final-day losses in 2005-2006 and 2009-2010 are etched in the league’s annals.
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