AEK back on top of Greece: title confirmed in the Athens derby
AEK Athens won the Greek championship title for the 2025/26 season, thereby completing one of the most successful seasons in the club's recent history. According to the official announcement by the Greek Super League, the Athens club finished the championship race in first place with 72 points after 32 matches, ahead of Olympiacos and PAOK. The title was mathematically confirmed on May 10, 2026, with a 2:1 victory against Panathinaikos in the championship play-offs, and AEK then brought the season to a close with an advantage that confirmed the team's stability during both the regular part and the final stage of the championship. For the club from Nea Filadelfeia, this is the 14th Greek championship title, according to reports by Greek media and official competition data. The triumph also resonated strongly across the region because the team was led by Serbian coach Marko Nikolić, while the squad also included players connected with Croatian and Albanian football.
A comeback against Panathinaikos sparked the celebration
The key moment of the season occurred in the major Athens derby against Panathinaikos, a match in which AEK had to show both quality and psychological resilience. According to Greek Reporter, Panathinaikos took the lead after a goal by Andreas Tetteh, and at that moment it seemed that the title race could take a new turn. AEK, however, equalized through Zini, a forward who came off the bench and changed the rhythm of the match. In stoppage time, Joao Mario scored for 2:1 after an assist from Luka Jović, securing the victory for the home team and launching the celebration at the stadium in Nea Filadelfeia. The simultaneous 1:1 draw between Olympiacos and PAOK further strengthened AEK's position, because their rivals could no longer make up the points gap.AEK officially listed the victory against Panathinaikos among the decisive results of its championship run-in. In its title announcement, the club also highlighted draws against PAOK and Olympiacos in the final rounds of the play-offs, showing that the title was not based on a single match, but on a series of results against direct rivals. In the final phase of the season, AEK defeated PAOK 3:0, drew away to Panathinaikos, beat Panathinaikos at home 2:1, and then took points against PAOK and Olympiacos that confirmed the standings. Such an outcome emphasized the importance of squad depth and the team's ability to remain result-wise stable in high-pressure matches. In Greek football, where derbies between Athens and Thessaloniki clubs often decide the title, AEK had the greatest continuity this season.
Marko Nikolić delivered a trophy-winning signature
Marko Nikolić took over AEK in June 2025, when the club officially presented him as its new head coach. In its announcement, AEK stated that the Serbian specialist was born on July 20, 1979, in Belgrade and that before arriving in Athens he had worked at Rad, Vojvodina, Partizan, Olimpija Ljubljana, Videoton, Lokomotiv Moscow, Shabab Al Ahli and CSKA Moscow. The same club profile pointed out that with Partizan he won the double crown in Serbia in the 2016/17 season, with Videoton the Hungarian championship title and cup, and in Russia the national cup twice. His arrival at AEK was therefore not an experiment with an inexperienced coach, but a decision to entrust the team to a specialist who had already won trophies in different leagues. The Greek championship title further strengthened Nikolić's reputation as a coach who quickly delivers results at the clubs he takes over.Nikolić's work in Athens is particularly important because AEK entered the season with high expectations after a period in which Olympiacos, PAOK and Panathinaikos also had ambitions for the top. The Greek championship has been highly competitive in recent years, and the title is often decided through the play-offs, where head-to-head clashes between the leading teams carry more weight than ordinary league rounds. Under Nikolić, AEK managed to combine the experience of older players, the international quality of reinforcements and tactical discipline in the final stretch of the season. According to available information, the Serbian coach took over the team after the departure of Matias Almeyda, who had previously led AEK to a domestic double in the 2022/23 season. In his first season, Nikolić returned the club to the domestic summit and thereby justified the management's ambition for AEK to once again establish itself as the most stable side in Greece.
Croatian mark: Vida and Ljubičić in the championship squad
Croatian footballers, or players with a Croatian sporting identity, also left an important regional mark on AEK's squad. According to Transfermarkt data, Domagoj Vida was a member of the team in the 2025/26 season, and the experienced centre-back brought major national-team and club experience to Athens. Throughout his career, Vida has been recognized as a defender strong in duels, important in the dressing room and useful in matches in which concentration in the final stages is decisive. In championship seasons, such players often have a role that goes beyond minutes spent on the pitch, because experience in derbies and European matches helps younger teammates in moments of pressure. AEK had precisely such a combination of profiles: players with great international experience and footballers who brought energy in the final stages of matches.Robert Ljubičić was also part of AEK's squad, Transfermarkt states, where he is listed as a player with Croatian and Austrian football context. His adaptability in midfield was important in a team that had to withstand the demanding rhythm of the domestic championship, cup and European commitments. In the 2025/26 season, AEK had a broad squad with a large number of foreign players, and official and specialized data on the team show that a large part of the club's value was concentrated precisely in midfield and attack. Ljubičić's profile fit into such a structure because he can cover multiple tasks in the middle of the pitch. More broadly, the Croatian mark at AEK continued the tradition of a strong presence of players from southeastern Europe in Greek football.
Albanian and regional elements in the team
The brief original note about Albanians at AEK is also supported by available squad data. Transfermarkt lists Thomas Strakosha in AEK's roster as an Albanian goalkeeper, while Lazaros Rota and Stavros Pilios are shown with Greek-Albanian citizenship or sporting connections. In such a squad, Strakosha was one of the recognizable players with international experience, and his presence further confirms how multinational AEK's championship team was. Rota and Pilios, as full-backs, are part of the broader Greek core of the team, but their biographical connection with Albania gives an additional dimension to the regional story of this title. In modern Greek football, such combinations of citizenships, football schools and national-team paths are not an exception, but an increasingly common part of the identity of major clubs.AEK's squad also included several Serbian players, which further strengthened the regional character of the champion. According to Transfermarkt, Marko Grujić, Mijat Gaćinović and Luka Jović were in the team, and it was Jović who assisted Joao Mario's winning goal in the match against Panathinaikos, according to Greek Reporter. That detail symbolically linked Nikolić's coaching influence and the contribution of players from Serbia at the most important moment of the season. At the same time, AEK did not rely only on regional players, but on a distinctly international group that included footballers from Europe, South America, Africa and North America. It was precisely this breadth that enabled the coach to use different profiles during the final stretch and respond to the tactical demands of the derbies.
A season of continuity, squad depth and direct victories
The official Super League table after the final rounds showed that AEK had the best record in the most important part of the competition. According to the published standings, the club finished with 72 points, while Olympiacos had 66 and PAOK 64 points. Panathinaikos, according to the same source, remained on 52 points, which further shows the gap AEK created in relation to its major Athens rival. In the Greek competition system, the regular part of the season is not enough for the title, because after the basic phase the leading teams play additional matches in the play-offs. For that reason, the champion must confirm its quality precisely in the toughest matches of the season, against opponents directly fighting for European places and the trophy.AEK managed to do exactly that this season. In the final stretch, the team had enough goals from different sources, but also a defensive structure that prevented its rivals from overturning the standings. According to Transfermarkt, the team had 30 players, an average age of 28.6 years and a significant share of foreign footballers, indicating a squad built for an immediate result, and not only for development. Such a structure also carries risks, because it requires good management of minutes, communication and roles, but in AEK's case it delivered the desired outcome. Nikolić had to coordinate established players such as Vida, Jović, Joao Mario and others with younger or more energetic options who changed the course of matches, as Zini showed in the derby against Panathinaikos.
A title with European consequences
Winning the Greek championship brings AEK not only domestic prestige, but also an important European perspective. According to Super League data and season reports, the championship title carries a place in the qualifying path for the UEFA Champions League, which is extremely important for Greek clubs both financially and sporting-wise. Entry into higher-level European competitions can influence the summer transfer window, player values and the possibility of keeping key players. For that reason, in the period after celebrating the title, AEK will have to quickly shift its focus from domestic success to planning qualifications and squad decisions. This applies especially to players approaching the end of their contracts, as well as to those whose performances in the championship season attracted additional attention.For Greek football, this title means a continuation of the shifting balance of power among the biggest clubs. Olympiacos was the most dominant Greek club for decades, PAOK has built a strong project in Thessaloniki in recent years, and Panathinaikos is trying to restore its old power. With the 2025/26 title, AEK showed that after returning to its new stadium and previous successes it can maintain continuity at the top. According to the official standings, the six-point gap over Olympiacos was not enormous, but it was clear enough to confirm that AEK collected more than its direct competitors in the key duels. In a championship in which the emotional pressure of derbies often outweighs statistics, that may be the most important indicator of championship maturity.
A club that combined local identity and an international dressing room
AEK is historically a club of strong identity, connected with Greek refugee and Asia Minor heritage, but today's championship team shows how that identity is built upon in modern football through an international squad. Official club data and specialized databases list players from a range of countries, while the coaching staff also had an international structure. In such an environment, the role of the coach is especially important, because he must create a clear hierarchy and a common style of play regardless of the different football schools the players come from. With the title, Nikolić showed that he had succeeded in doing so already in his first season. At the same time, AEK remained a club with a strong local fan base, but also with a team that reflects the broader Balkan, European and global football space.The 2026 title can therefore be read on several levels. For AEK, it is a return to the top of Greece after a season in which it had to outplay the strongest domestic rivals. For Marko Nikolić, it is another confirmation of trophy-winning coaching continuity outside Serbia. For players from Croatia, Albania and Serbia, it is a success that further shows how important the Greek league is as a point of the regional football market. And for the club itself, the most important question now is no longer only how to celebrate the title, but how to turn the championship season into a stable European and domestic platform for the coming years.
Sources: - AEK F.C. Official Web Site – official announcement of the appointment of Marko Nikolić as head coach (link) - AEK F.C. Official Web Site – club announcement on the championship title and results in the play-offs (link) - Super League Greece – official table and competition data for the 2025/26 season (link) - Greek Reporter – report on AEK's victory against Panathinaikos and confirmation of the title (link) - Transfermarkt – data on AEK's squad, players' citizenships and team structure in the 2025/26 season (link)