HNL is a men’s football league in Croatia, established in 1992. This page brings together live scores, fixtures, results, standings, and player and team statistics across the available seasons. Visitors can review season-by-season records and use the match schedule and statistical coverage to keep track of the competition in one place.
Upcoming matches, HNL
Regular Season - 8
-
- Regular Season - 8
Rudes
NK Slaven Belupo
-
- Regular Season - 8
NK Varazdin
NK Osijek
-
- Regular Season - 8
Istra 1961
HNK Gorica
Stadion Aldo Drosina -
- Regular Season - 8
HNK Rijeka
HNK Hajduk Split
Stadion HNK Rijeka -
- Regular Season - 8
Dinamo Zagreb
NK Lokomotiva Zagreb
Stadion Maksimir
Regular Season - 9
-
- Regular Season - 9
HNK Hajduk Split
Dinamo Zagreb
Stadion Poljud
-
- Regular Season - 9
HNK Gorica
Rudes
-
- Regular Season - 9
NK Lokomotiva Zagreb
NK Varazdin
Stadion Maksimir
-
- Regular Season - 9
NK Osijek
Istra 1961
Opus Arena
-
- Regular Season - 9
NK Slaven Belupo
HNK Rijeka
Latest played matches, HNL
Regular Season - 7
Regular Season - 6
HNL Standings
| Rank | Club | MP | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Last 5 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
|
HNK Hajduk Split | 7 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 16 | 5 | 11 | 16 | WWWWW |
| 2 |
|
NK Osijek | 7 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 17 | 11 | 6 | 15 | WLWLW |
| 3 |
|
NK Varazdin | 7 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 13 | 7 | 6 | 14 | DDWLW |
| 4 |
|
Dinamo Zagreb | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 14 | 7 | 7 | 13 | LWDWW |
| 5 |
|
HNK Rijeka | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 10 | 7 | 3 | 11 | DWDWL |
| 6 |
|
Istra 1961 | 7 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 14 | 12 | 2 | 9 | WDDLW |
| 7 |
|
NK Lokomotiva Zagreb | 7 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 9 | 13 | -4 | 7 | DLLLL |
| 8 |
|
NK Slaven Belupo | 7 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 14 | -9 | 6 | LWLWL |
| 9 |
|
Rudes | 7 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 8 | 22 | -14 | 3 | LLLWL |
| 10 |
|
HNK Gorica | 7 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 4 | 12 | -8 | 2 | DLDLL |
HNL Statistics
Top scorers 2026
| # | Player | Goals |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
E. Frederiksen
Istra 1961 |
6 |
| 2 |
D. Beljo
Dinamo Zagreb |
6 |
| 3 |
N. Omerović
NK Osijek |
5 |
| 4 |
A. León
NK Osijek |
5 |
| 5 |
M. Šego
HNK Hajduk Split |
4 |
| 6 |
M. Livaja
HNK Hajduk Split |
3 |
| 7 |
D. Adu-Adjei
HNK Rijeka |
3 |
| 8 |
I. Nestorovski
NK Slaven Belupo |
3 |
| 9 |
B. Bogojević
HNK Gorica |
3 |
| 10 |
I. Canjuga
NK Varazdin |
3 |
Top assists 2026
| # | Player | Assists |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
T. Fruk
HNK Rijeka |
3 |
| 2 |
Dali
HNK Hajduk Split |
3 |
| 3 |
M. Vuk
NK Varazdin |
2 |
| 4 |
Rudes |
2 |
| 5 |
M. Dabro
NK Slaven Belupo |
2 |
| 6 |
D. Bukvic
NK Osijek |
2 |
| 7 |
N. Skafar Zuzic
Istra 1961 |
2 |
| 8 |
I. Mamut
NK Varazdin |
2 |
| 9 |
Tiago Dantas
HNK Rijeka |
2 |
| 10 |
J. Poldrugač
Rudes |
2 |
Top key passes
Top tackles
HNL teams participation since 2016
History
| Team | Nb participations |
|---|---|
| HNK Rijeka | 10 |
| HNK Hajduk Split | 10 |
| NK Osijek | 10 |
| Dinamo Zagreb | 10 |
| Istra 1961 | 10 |
| NK Lokomotiva Zagreb | 10 |
| NK Slaven Belupo | 10 |
| HNK Gorica | 8 |
| NK Varazdin | 6 |
| Inter Zapresic | 4 |
| Sibenik | 4 |
| Rudes | 3 |
| HNK Cibalia | 2 |
| RNK Split | 1 |
| Hrvatski Dragovoljac | 1 |
| Vukovar | 1 |
HNL top scorer teams
Goals scored vs. conversion rate
| Team | Goals scored | Total shots | Conversion % |
|---|---|---|---|
| HNK Hajduk Split | 16 | 111 |
|
| NK Osijek | 16 | 101 |
|
| Dinamo Zagreb | 14 | 102 |
|
| NK Varazdin | 13 | 97 |
|
| Istra 1961 | 11 | 65 |
|
| HNK Rijeka | 10 | 116 |
|
| NK Lokomotiva Zagreb | 9 | 54 |
|
| Rudes | 8 | 64 |
|
| NK Slaven Belupo | 5 | 66 |
|
| HNK Gorica | 4 | 67 |
|
HNL About
HNL is Croatia’s premier professional men’s football league, also known as the Croatian First Football League. It is the highest level of the Croatian football pyramid and exists to determine the national champion while providing the country’s leading clubs and players with a route into European competition.
Competition identity and purpose
The HNL brings together Croatia’s top-flight clubs in a domestic league competition governed by the Croatian Football Federation (HNS). The federation oversees the competition’s regulations, disciplinary framework, refereeing standards and participation requirements. In addition to deciding the Champion of Croatia, the league provides an important platform for developing and showcasing Croatian talent. Players who emerge in the HNL have frequently attracted attention from clubs in stronger European leagues, giving the competition a role that extends beyond the domestic season.
The league was established in 1992, following Croatia’s independence, and has since become the central weekly competition in Croatian football. Its history is closely associated with the country’s most prominent clubs, particularly GNK Dinamo Zagreb and HNK Hajduk Split. Their meetings form the Eternal Derby, one of the defining rivalries in Croatian sport, although the title race and European places are contested across the full league programme.
Clubs, licensing and promotion
The competition typically features 10 clubs. Entry is based on sporting merit but is also subject to licensing. Clubs must satisfy the relevant HNS and UEFA requirements covering areas such as stadium infrastructure, financial administration and wider operational standards. A strong league position alone therefore does not replace the obligation to meet the required participation criteria.
The HNL is connected to the national league pyramid through promotion and relegation. The bottom-placed team is relegated to the First NL, Croatia’s second tier, and is normally replaced by the First NL champion. This system keeps access to the top division open to clubs that earn promotion on the field while ensuring that participants continue to meet the applicable licensing conditions.
Round-robin format and match rules
The HNL uses a pure round-robin league format rather than a play-off or knockout structure for deciding its champion. With the usual 10-team arrangement, each club plays every other club four times: twice at home and twice away. This produces 36 matches for each team and 180 matches across the season. There is no separate championship play-off after the regular programme; the club finishing top of the final table is crowned Croatian champion.
The fixture list is arranged before the season begins, using a draw and Berger-table principles to schedule the home and away sequence. League matches are played over 90 minutes plus stoppage time. Because a draw is a valid league result, extra time and penalty shoot-outs are not used in ordinary HNL fixtures.
The points system follows the standard football model: three points for a win, one for a draw and none for a defeat. If clubs finish level on points, the competition regulations apply the relevant combination of head-to-head records, goal difference and goals scored. Head-to-head performance can be particularly important when determining decisive positions such as the championship or relegation places, so the final ranking is not necessarily explained by overall goal difference alone.
Season calendar and sporting stakes
The HNL follows the European autumn–spring calendar. A season normally begins in July, pauses for a winter break from around mid-December until late January or early February, and concludes in May. The precise dates and scheduling details can vary between editions, but the competition is designed around this annual cycle rather than a single calendar-year programme.
Winning the league brings the title of Champion of Croatia and places the club at the front of the country’s route into UEFA competition. The champion is granted access to the UEFA Champions League qualifying pathway, while other high-ranking clubs may qualify for the UEFA Europa League or UEFA Europa Conference League according to the relevant season’s allocations, domestic cup outcomes and UEFA entry rules. These places bring sporting prestige, additional international fixtures and important financial and developmental opportunities.
The HNL therefore combines a compact elite division with a demanding full-season schedule. Its four-match round-robin format rewards consistency, while promotion and relegation connect the top flight to the wider Croatian game. Alongside its title race, European qualification and historic rivalries, the competition remains a key environment for the development of players who go on to represent Croatia and compete at the highest levels of European football.