Having been created in 1966, it is governed by the Malian Football Federation.
The official name is Ligue 1 Orange Mali for sponsorship reasons.
The season usually runs from December to late August.
The top two in each pool qualify for the Championship Play-Off (Carré d'As), which involves a round-robin between the four teams.
In the 2017 season, the competition started in early January, but in the 6th round, the government dissolved the football association on 9 March and the remaining matches of the round were abandoned.