Neas Philadelphia is celebrating after AEK Greece won the Greek championship. Marko Nikolic’s armada managed to go all the way and make history by winning their 14th league title, with Mario Iliopoulos taking the Union to the top of Greek football in just his second season at the helm.

With two rounds of the Super League play-offs to go, AEK managed to be crowned champions after beating Panathinaikos in Nea Filadelfia and Olympiacos drew with PAOK.

Joao Mario, a player who had been coming off the bench all season, was destined to go down in history with his late goal in the Athens derby against Panathinaikos, which gave AEK a 2-1 aggregate upset and finally won the league.

Marios Iliopoulos and Marko Nikolic made history, with AEK’s strongman taking the club back to the top of Greek football in just his second season at the helm and the Serbian coach winning the league in his first year at the club.

“We managed to root out the circuits and systems, all the dirt, with fair play. Last year they laughed, they made fun, this is the big win. The championship the magical, no circuits, no systems, dedicated to all youth for a better tomorrow.

The young guys out of dirt and mud. Dedicated to the uprooted people from Asia Minor and Istanbul and to the young kids, to be able to envision, outside the systems,” Marios Iliopoulos said after the end of the Panathinaikos game, with the AEK Athens strongman leading the celebrations.

AEK are back at the top of Greek football and will have the chance to compete in the League Phase Champions League for the first time in their history.

AEK Athens will participate in the Champions League play-offs and need a qualification to secure a place in the League Phase of the premier inter-club competition.

Marko Nikolic’s side will play their first game on the weekend of August 18-19, with the rematch a week later (25-26).

Frenzied party at the stadium

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At the Allwyn Arena it was a “come and see” after the referee’s final whistle in the derby against Panathinaikos, as the Olympiakos-PAOK game in Faliro ended a few seconds early, so everyone in the stadium knew that AEK had mathematically won the title.

Players, coaching staff, management and fans became one on the pitch to celebrate their 14th championship in history.

Marios Iliopoulos celebrated wildly for his first championship win as owner of AEK Athens. After celebrating the title with the players, the Union strongman made the triumphal procession with a raised scarf, walking around the stadium.

The first fiesta before the official

The fiesta for AEK’s championship win will take place at the Allwyn Arena on Sunday (17/5/2026) after the end of the game against Olympiacos.

The players, AEK Athens’ technical staff and Marios Iliopoulos made sure to set up an informal fiesta before the official celebration next Sunday.

Some time after the end of the derby against Panathinaikos, the Union players returned to the pitch wearing T-shirts with the slogan “Champions 2026”, to the applause of tens of thousands of fans who remained in the stands.

The players came out onto the pitch one by one, with the crowd chanting slogans and Mario Iliopoulos cheering them on.

The atmosphere at Allwyn Arena was celebratory, with the celebrations lasting for a long time after the end of the game against Panathinaikos and continuing in the surrounding streets of Nea Philadelphia.

AEK Athens is mathematically the new Greek champion. The Union has returned to the top of Greek football after three years, and its goal is to stay there for some time, making a dynasty of its own.