The Algerian Ligue Professionnelle 1, previously referred to as Championnat d'Algérie de football, or the Nedjma Championnat d'Algérie for sponsorship reasons, is an Algerian professional league for association football clubs. At the top of the Algerian football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. Contested by 16 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation. It was created in 1962, when Algeria became an independent nation. Until 1950, only regional leagues (Algiers, Constantine, Oran) were contested. Some 'national' playoffs were played in the first decade of the 20th century, first in 1904. Between 1920 and 1956 the winners played off for the North African Championship, together with league winners from Morocco and Tunisia.