2020 Bhutan Premier League
The 2020 Bhutan Premier League was the ninth season of unified league, rebranded as the Bhutan Premier League since 2019 (previously the Bhutan National League), the top national football competition in Bhutan, having replaced the A-Division in 2013.
| Season | 2020 |
|---|---|
| Champions | Thimphu City |
| Relegated | BPL 6th-8th |
| AFC Cup | Thimphu City |
| Top goalscorer | Tshering Dorji |
← 2019 2021 → | |
The Bhutan Football Federation implemented the same league structure as the 2019 season. The top division is named Bhutan Premier League (BPL). The second division is named Bhutan Super League (BSL), replacing Thimphu League as qualifying competition for the Premier League. The lowest division is named Dzongkhag League where teams play in their respective districts (Dzongkhags) to gain promotion to the Super League.[1]
Super League
| Season | 2020 |
|---|---|
| Champions | High Quality United |
← 2019 2021 → | |
The 2020 Bhutan Super League featured eight teams, one fewer than last season.[2] One more team from Dzongkhag League was promoted instead of dissolved Phuentsholing United.
Teams
|
|
Regular season
The regular season was played in single round-robin format. It started on 6 February, which was delayed from the scheduled start of 1 February, and ended on 11 March.[3]
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | High Quality United | 7 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 34 | 10 | +24 | 18 | Qualification for Playoffs and 2020 Bhutan Premier League |
| 2 | Tensung | 7 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 15 | 9 | +6 | 13 | |
| 3 | Paro United | 7 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 18 | 14 | +4 | 13 | |
| 4 | Druk Stars | 7 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 17 | 12 | +5 | 12 | |
| 5 | BFF Academy U-17 | 7 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 15 | 14 | +1 | 10 | Qualification for 2020 Bhutan Premier League (withdrew) |
| 6 | Paro Rinpung | 7 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 10 | 13 | −3 | 9 | Relegated to Dzongkhag League |
| 7 | Punakha Gomo | 7 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 15 | 21 | −6 | 6 | |
| 8 | CST | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 4 | 35 | −31 | 0 |
Playoffs
The playoffs were played from 14 to 21 March.
First semi-final
Second semi-final
Third semi-final
Premier League
The 2020 Bhutan Premier League featured eight teams, two fewer than last season. The league started on 1 August 2020, after a delay due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Bhutan, and most matches were played behind closed doors.[4] On 11 August 2020, the league was suspended until further notice due to the nationwide lockdown.[5] It has resumed again from 17 September 2020.[6]
Teams
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|
BFF Academy U-19 (fifth in 2019 Bhutan Premier League), Druk United (sixth in 2019 Bhutan Premier League), and BFF Academy U-17 (fifth in 2020 Bhutan Super League) all withdrew.[7][8]
League table
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Thimphu City (C) | 14 | 12 | 1 | 1 | 44 | 17 | +27 | 37 | Qualification for AFC Cup preliminary round 1 |
| 2 | Ugyen Academy | 14 | 11 | 1 | 2 | 28 | 15 | +13 | 34 | |
| 3 | Paro | 14 | 9 | 0 | 5 | 47 | 20 | +27 | 27 | |
| 4 | Transport United | 14 | 6 | 3 | 5 | 23 | 19 | +4 | 21 | |
| 5 | Paro United | 14 | 4 | 2 | 8 | 23 | 29 | −6 | 14 | |
| 6 | High Quality United | 14 | 4 | 1 | 9 | 28 | 32 | −4 | 13 | Relegated to 2021 Bhutan Super League |
| 7 | Tensung | 14 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 18 | 32 | −14 | 13 | |
| 8 | Druk Stars | 14 | 1 | 0 | 13 | 5 | 52 | −47 | 3 |
References
- "BFF to implement new league structure". Kuensel. 2 January 2019.
- "Bhutan Super League 2020 begins". Kuensel. 10 February 2020.
- "Bhutan Premier League to begin today". Kuensel. 1 August 2020.
- "Bhutan Premier League resumes from tomorrow". Kuensel. 16 September 2020.
- "Bhutan Premier League to begin from August". Kuensel. 27 June 2020.
- "No foreign players this season in the Bhutan Premier League". Kuensel. 3 July 2020.