It was created in 1990 after the unification of North and South Yemen.
It was set up in a four-level system with Premier, First, Second and Third Division.
[1] 16 northern and 16 southern clubs entered the top level championship in the 1990–91 season.
The league was cancelled from 2014 to 2021 due to the Yemeni Civil War, which also stopped all other footballing activities in Yemen.
Fourteen clubs from a total of five towns and cities have been champions.