1992 Croatian First Football League

Croatian First Football League
Season1992
ChampionsHajduk Split
1st Croatian title
10th domestic title
RelegatedNone
Matches played132
Goals scored315 (2.39 per match)
Top goalscorerArdian Kozniku (12)
Biggest home winHajduk Split 9–0 Dubrovnik
(11 March 1992)
Biggest away winZadar 0–4 NK Zagreb
(14 March 1992)
Highest scoringHajduk Split 9–0 Dubrovnik (9 goals)
(11 March 1992)
Average attendance2,881

The 1992 Croatian First Football League was the first season of the top Croatian football league. It was the inaugural season of the league established following Croatia's independence from Yugoslavia. Affected by the political and social upheavals stemming from the breakup of Yugoslavia and the early stages of the 1991–95 war, the season was drastically shortened and played over the course of less than four months, from 29 February to 13 June.

The league featured 12 Croatian-based clubs, all of which had previously competed at various levels in the Yugoslav football pyramid. Four of the clubs came from the Yugoslav First League, another four from the Yugoslav Second League, and the remaining four from lower levels.

The format used was a double round robin tournament, with each club playing every other club twice in home and away matches, for a total of 22 rounds. However, five of the clubs based in areas most affected by fighting had to host their matches in other towns around the country, effectively playing the entire season in exile. These were Cibalia and Osijek (based in the eastern part of the country, in the cities of Vinkovci and Osijek) and Zadar, Šibenik and Dubrovnik (based in the southern coastal part of the country, in the cities of Zadar, Šibenik and Dubrovnik).

After four of the five displaced clubs which had played the season in haphazard conditions eventually finished in the bottom four places, the Croatian Football Federation decided against relegating any of them, and opted to expand the format to 16 clubs in the following 1992–93 season.