Peruvian Primera División
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| Organising body | Peruvian Football Federation |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1912 |
| First season | 1912 |
| Country | Peru |
| Confederation | CONMEBOL |
| Number of teams | 18 |
| Level on pyramid | 1 |
| Relegation to | Liga 2 |
| Domestic cup(s) | |
| International cup(s) | |
| Current champions | Universitario (27th title) (2023) |
| Most championships | Universitario (27 titles) |
| Most appearances | Leao Butrón (641) |
| Top goalscorer | Sergio Ibarra (261) |
| TV partners | L1Max and GOLPERU |
| Current: 2024 season | |
The Peru First Division (Spanish pronunciation: [pɾiˈmeɾa ðiβiˈsjon]; known simply as First Division, and Liga 1 Te Apuesto for sponsorship reasons), officially known as Liga 1,[1] is the top flight of association football in Peru. It has been referred to as Torneo Descentralizado since 1966, when the first teams residing outside the Lima and Callao provinces were invited to compete in the inaugural league national competition.
The main sponsor is the Spanish telecommunications brand
The Peruvian Football League was founded on an amateur basis and organized in 1912 into the two tiers of Primera División and the Segunda División. Editions from 1912 to 1921 were played by clubs based in Lima and Callao. In 1922 the Peruvian Football Federation (FPF) was created and in 1926 it organized its first amateur championship. The Primera División became professional in 1951. In 1966, the first true national league was founded and continues.
As of the win by current champion
History
First clubs
Football was introduced in Peru in the 19th century by British residents in Lima. The early players were British residents, British sailors that stopped at the port in
Just before the turn of the 20th century, football was encouraged among students that began to hold small inter-scholastic championships. The first football club in Peru was Association FBC, founded on 20 May 1897 by students from different schools. Several other schools and students started their own football clubs. One club founded on 9 June 1902 by cricket enthusiasts from the Instituto Chalaco was
Creation of the Liga Peruana de Football
After a period of time of random play competition among clubs, the idea of a league and championship status developed. In 1912, club Sporting Miraflores invited several other clubs in Lima and Callao to participate in the formation of a football league. Those clubs that accepted established the la
The first edition was a relative success despite some minor setbacks. For instance, Escuela Militar de Chorrillos withdrew from the tournament in the middle of the season after only have earned 1 point. The second edition of the Liga Peruana had
Creation of the Federación Peruana de Fútbol
The
Following a second-place finish in their first division debut, Federación Universitaria would go on to win their first title in 1929.
| Season | ALI |
CRI | UNI
|
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 7 | 2 | 1 |
| 2001 | 1 | 6 | 2 |
| 2002 | 3 | 1 | 2 |
| 2003 | 1 | 2 | 9 |
| 2004 | 1 | 2 | 5 |
| 2005 | 7 | 1 | 3 |
| 2006 | 1 | 3 | 5 |
| 2007 | 5 | 10 | 4 |
| 2008 | 11 | 3 | 2 |
| 2009 | 2 | 10 | 1 |
| 2010 | 3 | 7 | 4 |
| 2011 | 2 | 10 | 14 |
| 2012 | 14 | 1 | 11 |
| 2013 | 4 | 3 | 1 |
| 2014 | 4 | 1 | 6 |
| 2015 | 9 | 2 | 7 |
| 2016 | 5 | 1 | 3 |
| 2017 | 1 | 8 | 4 |
| 2018 | 2 | 1 | 9 |
| 2019 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
| 2020 | 17 | 1 | 2 |
| 2021 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| 2022 | 1 | 3 | 5 |
| 2023 | 2 | 3 | 1 |
| TOTAL | 7 | 7 | 4 |
| Top three | 14 | 18 | 11 |
| out of 10 | |||
| Champions Second place Third place | |||
In 1941 the Asociación No Amateur (Non-Amateur Association) took the stand as the league's organizer and renamed the league Campeonato de Selección y Competencia.
Professional league and Descentralizado
In 1951 the top flight of Peruvian football earned professional status and the organization of the league was handed over to the ACF or Asociación Central de Fútbol (Central Football Association). Sport Boys won the first professional championship. In next 4 years, Alianza Lima rose to conquer 3 titles in 1952, 1954 and 1955. In addition, one-time champion
The 1960 season had a new attractive feature to Peruvian football; the champion would qualify to the newly created Copa de Campeones—today
In the Torneo Descentralizado's third edition, improvements were made by the teams outside the capital hub, also known as provincianos to denote the clubs originate from the provinces of Peru. Notably Juan Aurich of Chiclayo tied with Sporting Cristal at the end of the season for first place. The championship was to be defined in a single playoff match in the
In 1970, the national championship would modify the previous season's format. After the clubs played each other in a double round-robin tournament, the clubs would be separated into two groups of 7 each, then playing an additional double round-robin tournament to determine the champion. Sporting Cristal finished first obtaining their fourth league title, tying Deportivo Municipal's record. For the 1971 season, the championship was expanded to 16 teams. Universitario won the season title reaching fourteen Primera División titles, tying
arch-rivals Alianza Lima in first division titles. Universitario's participation in the following season's Copa Libertadores would lead to an appearance in the continental finals against
Starting in 1984, the regional leagues would be employed which would be a complex system which featured up to 40 teams from all over the country.
In 1997 the tournament format was modified again, this time employing a similar system being used in
In 2018 the
As of 2022, Universitario, Alianza Lima and Sporting Cristal have won 26, 26 and 20 official league titles respectively. They are regarded as the
Most seasons
Below is the list of clubs that have appeared in Torneo Descentralizado since its inception in 1966 until the 2024 season. The teams in bold compete in Liga 1 currently. The year in parentheses represents the most recent year of participation at this level.
- As of 2024 season
- 59 seasons: Universitario(2024)
- 55 seasons: Melgar (2024)
- 51 seasons: Sport Boys (2024)
- 44 seasons: Deportivo Municipal(2023)
- 41 seasons: Cienciano (2024)
- 36 seasons: Juan Aurich (2017)
- 31 seasons: Alianza Atlético (2024)
- 27 seasons: León de Huánuco (2015)
- 25 seasons: Carlos A. Mannucci (2024)
- 24 seasons: Unión Huaral (2006), UTC (2024)
- 23 seasons: Coronel Bolognesi (2009)
- 22 seasons: CNI (2011)
- 19 seasons: Atlético Grau (2024), Atlético Torino (1997), Defensor Lima (1994), Universidad San Martín (2022)
- 18 seasons: Alfonso Ugarte (1991)
- 17 seasons: Deportivo Junín (1990), Universidad César Vallejo (2024)
- 16 seasons: Sport Huancayo (2024), Unión Minas (2001)
- 15 seasons: ADT (2024)
- 14 seasons: Ayacucho (2022), Octavio Espinosa (1991)
- 13 seasons: Atlético Chalaco (1985)
- 12 seasons: Cusco (2024), Deportivo Wanka (2004), José Gálvez (2013), San Agustín (1996)
- 11 seasons: Unión Comercio (2024)
- 7 seasons: Cantolao (2023), Defensor ANDA (1990), Defensor Arica (1972)
- 6 seasons: (1987)
- 5 seasons: Deportivo Cañaña (1991), Internazionale (1991), José Pardo (1975), Mina San Vicente (1991), Porvenir Miraflores (1971), Sport Áncash (2009)
- 4 seasons: AELU (1991), Alianza Universidad (2021), Centro Iqueño (1969), Comerciantes Unidos (2024), Libertad (1991), Deportivo Hospital (1991), Deportivo Pucallpa (1988), Estudiantes de Medicina (2004)
- 3 seasons: 15 de Septiembre (1990), Alipio Ponce (1990), Atlético Universidad (2005), Aurich–Cañaña (1996), Aurora (1991), Ciclista Lima (1996), Deportivo SIMA (1973), Guardia Republicana (1996), Hungaritos Agustinos (1988), Juvenil Los Ángeles (1991), Mariscal Sucre (1968), Sport Coopsol Trujillo (2002), Total Chalaco (2010), Unión Tarapoto (1991)
- 2 seasons: Alfonso Ugarte de Chiclín (1967), Atlético Belén (1990), Carlos Stein (2022), Chacarita Versalles (1990), Chanchamayo (1985), Cobresol (2012), Deportivo Bancos (1991), Deportivo Garcilaso (2024), Deportivo Morba (1991), Deportivo Pacífico (1991), Deportivo Tintaya (1989), Hijos de Yurimaguas (1992), KDT Nacional (1969), La Loretana (1997), Los Espartanos (1986), Mariscal Nieto (1991), Rosario (2018), San Martín de Porres (1990), Sport Pilsen (1985), Unión Huayllaspanca (1991)
- 1 season: Pirata (2019), Piérola (1974), San Simón (2014), Social Magdalena (1989), Sport Loreto (2015), Sportivo Huracán (1973), Unión Pesquero (1974), Walter Ormeño(1974)
Division levels
| Year | Level | Relegation to |
|---|---|---|
| 1912–1921 | 1 |
Segunda División (1912–1925) |
| 1922–1925 | – |
(None) |
| 1926–1927 | 1 |
División Intermedia |
| 1928 | 1 |
Primera B |
| 1929–1934 | 1 |
División Intermedia |
| 1935–1936 | – |
(None) |
| 1937–1940 | 1 |
Ligas Provinciales de Lima y Callao
|
| 1941–1942 | 1 |
Liga Regional de Lima y Callao |
| 1943–1965 | 1 |
Segunda División |
| 1966–1972 | 1 |
Copa Perú Segunda División |
| Year | Level | Relegation to |
|---|---|---|
| 1973 | 1 |
Reclasificatorio Regional (1974) |
| 1974–1983 | 1 |
Copa Perú |
| 1984–1987 | 1 |
División Intermedia (1984–1987) |
| 1988–1990 | 1 |
Copa Perú Segunda División |
| 1991 | 1 |
Torneo Zonal (1992)
|
| 1992–2004 | 1 |
Copa Perú Segunda División |
| 2005–2018 | 1 |
Segunda División |
| 2019–present | 1 |
Liga 2 |
Competition format and sponsorship
Domestic
The 2024 season is played by 18 teams. The season is divided into three stages: Torneo Apertura, Torneo Clausura, and the Playoffs.
The first and second stages will be two smaller Apertura and Clausura tournaments of 17 games each. Each team will play the other teams once during the Apertura tournament and once during the Clausura tournament in reversed order for a total of 34 matches. Points earned during the Apertura will not carry over during the Clausura. The winners of the Apertura and Clausura stages will qualify to the playoffs along with the top two teams of the aggregate table at the end of the season.
The playoffs to decide the national champion will be contested by four teams, which will play two semifinals with the winners playing the final. In every stage of the playoffs, the teams with the most points on the aggregate table will choose which leg they play as the home team. If the teams are tied in points after the two legs of the final, a third match on neutral ground will be played to decide the national champion. If a team wins both the Apertura and Clausura, the playoffs will not be played and that team will be declared as champion.
Qualification to international competitions will be as follows: the top four teams of the aggregate table will qualify for the Copa Libertadores, while the next four best teams in that table will qualify for the Copa Sudamericana. In case the Copa Bicentenario winners have already qualified for an international competition, the eighth best team in the aggregate table will also qualify for the Copa Sudamericana.[19] The two teams with the fewest points in the aggregate table at the end of the season will be relegated.
A system of promotion and relegation exists between the Primera División and the Segunda División. The two lowest placed teams in Primera División are relegated to the Segunda División, and the top team from the Segunda División and Copa Perú promoted to Primera.[citation needed]
| Period (in years) | No. of clubs |
|---|---|
| 1912–1916 | 8 clubs |
| 1917 | 13 clubs |
| 1918–1919 | 14 clubs |
| 1920 | 9 clubs |
| 1921–1926 | 11 clubs |
| 1927 | 8 clubs |
| 1928 | 19 clubs |
| 1929 | 13 clubs |
| 1930–1931 | 12 clubs |
| 1932 | 8 clubs |
| 1933–1934 | 10 clubs |
| 1935 | 5 clubs |
| 1938–1941 | 8 clubs |
| Period (in years) | No. of clubs |
|---|---|
| 1942 | 10 clubs |
| 1943–1949 | 8 clubs |
| 1950–1965 | 10 clubs |
| 1966–1970 | 14 clubs |
| 1971–1972 | 16 clubs |
| 1973 | 18 clubs |
| 1974 | 22 clubs |
| 1975 | 18 clubs |
| 1976–1983 | 16 clubs |
| 1984 | 25 clubs |
| 1985–1987 | 30 clubs |
| 1988 | 37 clubs |
| 1989 | 42 clubs |
| Period (in years) | No. of clubs |
|---|---|
| 1990 | 44 clubs |
| 1991 | 41 clubs |
| 1992–1996 | 16 clubs |
| 1997–2003 | 12 clubs |
| 2004 | 14 clubs |
| 2005–2007 | 12 clubs |
| 2008 | 14 clubs |
| 2009–2018 | 16 clubs |
| 2019 | 18 clubs |
| 2020 | 20 clubs |
| 2021 | 18 clubs |
| 2022–2023 | 19 clubs |
| 2024 | 18 clubs |
International
Eight teams participate in international competitions while they play the national championship. These international club fixtures take place during the week on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays. Peru is allotted four spots in the Copa Libertadores and four in the Copa Sudamericana. Cienciano of Cusco became the first and only Peruvian club in history to win a continental competition, winning the 2003 Copa Sudamericana and later 2004 Recopa Sudamericana.
South American qualification
South America has two international competitions played every year. Peru has eight berths in total, four in the Copa Libertadores and four in the Copa Sudamericana. The top two teams directly qualify for the Copa Libertadores Group Stage, with the next two qualifying for the Copa Libertadores second and first stage. The next four teams qualify for the Copa Sudamericana. Three teams will qualify for the Copa Sudamericana for the 2024 and future seasons, as the national tournament, the Copa Bicentenario serves as an additional qualifier for the Copa Sudamericana. Each placement is determined by the yearly aggregate table after each season.
Sponsorship
The Peruvian First Division is sponsored by Movistar TV (formerly known as Cable Mágico), hence the name Copa Movistar. They have had exclusive broadcasting rights since 2000. Other broadcasting companies include L1MAX and GOLPeru. The tournament was named ''Torneo Descentralizado'' since 1966 but renamed to ''Liga 1'' in 2019.
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| 2005–2007 | 2008–2011 | 2011–2018 | 2019–present |
Rivalries
- Alianza Lima – Universitario (National derby)
- Alianza Lima – Sporting Cristal(Modern derby)
- Sporting Cristal – Universitario (Modern derby)
- Deportivo Municipal – Universitario (Modern derby)
- Cienciano – Melgar (Southern derby)
- Carlos A. Mannucci – Juan Aurich (Northern derby)
- Cienciano – Cusco (Modern Cusco derby)
- Cienciano – Deportivo Garcilaso (Cusco derby)
- Atlético Chalaco – Sport Boys (Callao derby)
- Carlos A. Mannucci – Universidad César Vallejo (Trujillo derby)
- Atlético Grau – Alianza Atlético (Piura derby)
Clubs
Currently, 18 clubs participate in the Liga 1, a decrease of one from the 2023 season. Of these 18 clubs, only
Universitario and Alianza Lima have a clear advantage of titles won over the other clubs in Peru. Since 1912, they have won a combined total of 52 Primera División championships of the 111 seasons contested, 26 and 25 respectively. Sporting Cristal trails behind with 20 professional era titles since their debut in 1956 and further behind is the traditional
Universitario is the club with the longest spell in the Primera División, playing since 1928 when they debuted as Federación Universitaria and changing their name to Universitario de Deportes a few years later. They are followed by archrivals Alianza Lima who competed in the first edition of the Primera División but were relegated in 1938 and returning a year later for an uninterrupted spell since 1940. Melgar is the team with the longest run in the Primera División outside Lima, competing since 1971.[18]
The oldest clubs currently participating in the Primera División is Alianza Lima which was founded at the beginning of the turn of the century in 1901. The newest club active in the Primera División include Club Deportivo Los Chankas.
