The División Profesional de la
Asociación Paraguaya de Fútbol
The Paraguayan Football Association ( es, Asociación Paraguaya de Futbol ; APF) ( Guarani: ''Paraguái Mangapy Atyguasu''), is the omnibus governing body of football in Paraguay. It organizes the Paraguayan football league, including futsal a ...
(; "Professional Division of the
Paraguayan Football Association
The Paraguayan Football Association ( es, Asociación Paraguaya de Futbol ; APF) ( Guarani: ''Paraguái Mangapy Atyguasu''), is the omnibus governing body of football in Paraguay. It organizes the Paraguayan football league, including futsal a ...
"), also known as the Primera División (; "first division"), or due to sponsorship reasons Copa de Primera TIGO-Visión Banco, is the top-flight professional
football
Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...
league in Paraguay. Currently, there are 12 teams in the first division.
The most successful club is
Olimpia, with 46 championships. The most recent champions are Olimpia, having won the
2022 Clausura tournament. IFFHS ranked the league as the ninth strongest in the world in 2012, and the eleventh strongest in the world in 2013. In 2017, the Primera División returned to 9th position in the world and the 4th from South America, after Brazil (3rd), Colombia (6th) and Argentina (7th).
History
Liga Paraguaya's first game was played in 1906, after the director of the El Diario newspaper, Don Adolfo Riquelme, brought to his office on 18 June 1906, the representatives of the five existing football teams in Paraguay at that time (
Olimpia,
Guaraní Guarani, Guaraní or Guarany may refer to
Ethnography
* Guaraní people, an indigenous people from South America's interior (Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay and Bolivia)
* Guaraní language, or Paraguayan Guarani, an official language of Paraguay
* ...
,
Libertad,
General Díaz, and
Nacional
Nacional, the Portuguese and Spanish word for "national", may refer to:
Airlines
* Nacional Transportes Aéreos, a Brazilian airline defunct in 2002
* Transportes Aéreos Nacional, a Brazilian airline defunct in 1961
Bank
* Banco Nacional, a ...
) to create the governing body of football in Paraguay: the Liga Paraguaya de Fútbol (known today as
Asociación Paraguaya de Fútbol
The Paraguayan Football Association ( es, Asociación Paraguaya de Futbol ; APF) ( Guarani: ''Paraguái Mangapy Atyguasu''), is the omnibus governing body of football in Paraguay. It organizes the Paraguayan football league, including futsal a ...
). The representatives were William Paats and Junio Godoy (Olimpia) Ramón Caballero, Manuel Bella and Salvador Melián (Guaraní), Juan Escalada (Libertad), César Urdapilleta (General Díaz), and Vicente Gadea (Nacional).
Historia de la APF
The Liga Paraguaya saw Club Guaraní as the first champion in 1906, after defeating Olimpia in the final.
The Primera División was founded in 1906 with 5 teams, and turned professional in 1935 when 10 clubs broke away from the amateur leagues to form a professional league. Since 1996 the format of tournament was changed to Torneo Apertura and Clausura, but since 2008 each tournament is independent.
Traditionally, the dominance of Olimpia and Cerro Porteño went mostly unchallenged for decades. All of this changed at the turn of the 21st century. Since then, Libertad has been the most dominant club, while Nacional and Guarani have also experienced success at the local level.
Format
The system of the tournaments is round-robin. 12 teams play two rounds of 11 dates either away or home games, in total 22 dates in each tournament. Each year tournaments are divided in two independents tournaments: the Torneo Apertura (Opening Tournament) from February to July, and the Torneo Clausura (Closing Tournament) from July to December.
Relegation is based on an averaging system. At the end of each season, the two teams with the worst three-year averages are relegated, and the two best teams in the "División Intermedia" (second division) are promoted to Primera División.
International cup participation
Since 2017, Paraguay have eight slots in international cups (four in the Copa Libertadores de America
The CONMEBOL Libertadores, also known as the Copa Libertadores de América ( pt, Copa Libertadores da América), is an annual international club football competition organized by CONMEBOL since 1960. It is the highest level of competition in S ...
and four in the Copa Sudamericana
The CONMEBOL Sudamericana, named as ''Copa Sudamericana'' (; pt, Copa Sul-Americana ), is an annual international club football competition organized by CONMEBOL since 2002. It is the second-most prestigious club competition in South American ...
). These eight slots will be filled by eight teams.
In the Copa Libertadores, the winner of the Apertura and Clausura tournaments qualify automatically. The third (going into the second round play-off) and fourth (going into the first round play-off) representatives are the best placed non-champion teams from the accumulative table of both the Apertura and Clausura.
In the Copa Sudamericana, the 4th, 5th and 6th best placed teams from the Apertura and Clausura accumulative table qualify for the first stage, alongside the winners of the Copa Paraguay.
Teams
The following are the teams in the first division in 2022:
List of champions
Complete list of champions since 1906. Paraguayan football turned professional since the 1935 season.
Titles by club
Topscorers
Sponsors
Main sponsors
* Pepsi
Pepsi is a carbonated soft drink manufactured by PepsiCo. Originally created and developed in 1893 by Caleb Bradham and introduced as Brad's Drink, it was renamed as Pepsi-Cola in 1898, and then shortened to Pepsi in 1961.
History
Pepsi was ...
(1997-1998)
* Brahma
Brahma ( sa, ब्रह्मा, Brahmā) is a Hindu god, referred to as "the Creator" within the Trimurti, the trinity of supreme divinity that includes Vishnu, and Shiva.Jan Gonda (1969)The Hindu Trinity Anthropos, Bd 63/64, H 1/2, pp. 21 ...
(1997-1998)
* Lloyds TSB
Lloyds Bank plc is a British retail and commercial bank with branches across England and Wales. It has traditionally been considered one of the " Big Four" clearing banks. Lloyds Bank is the largest retail bank in Britain, and has an exte ...
(1999-2000)
* Gillette
Gillette is an American brand of safety razors and other personal care products including shaving supplies, owned by the multi-national corporation Procter & Gamble (P&G).
Based in Boston, Massachusetts, United States, it was owned by The Gil ...
(2005-2007)
* Tigo
Millicom International Cellular SA (NASDAQ U.S.: TIGO, NASDAQ Stockholm: TIGO_SDB) is a Luxembourgish fixed line and mobile telecommunications services provider dedicated to emerging markets in Latin America operating under the Tigo brand. As of ...
(2008-present)
* Visión Banco (2010-present)
Current official sponsors
* Coca-Cola
Coca-Cola, or Coke, is a carbonated soft drink manufactured by the Coca-Cola Company. Originally marketed as a temperance drink and intended as a patent medicine, it was invented in the late 19th century by John Stith Pemberton in Atlanta ...
(1987-2004/2011-present)
* Pilsen (1988-2007/2011-present)
* Caña Fortin
* Vino Toro
* Lácteos Trébol
* Lácteos Lactolanda
* Pastas Anita
* Supermercado Superseis
A supermarket is a self-service Retail#Types of outlets, shop offering a wide variety of food, Drink, beverages and Household goods, household products, organized into sections. This kind of store is larger and has a wider selection than earli ...
* Supermercado La Bomba
* Supermercado Arete
* Supermercados Kingo
* Bein TV (1999-present)
* DirecTV
DirecTV (trademarked as DIRECTV) is an American multichannel video programming distributor based in El Segundo, California. Originally launched on June 17, 1994, its primary service is a digital satellite service serving the United States. It ...
(1999-present)
* GOL TV
Gol may refer to:
Places
*
* Gol, Gilan, a village in Gilan Province, Iran
* Gol, South Khorasan, a village in South Khorasan Province, Iran
* Gol, Bukan, a village in West Azerbaijan Province, Iran
* Gol, Chaldoran, a village in West Azerbaijan ...
(2003-presente)
Former official sponsors
* Daewoo Motor
Daewoo Motors ( ) was a South Korean automotive company established in 1937 as "National Motors". The company changed its name several times until 1982 when it became "Daewoo Motors" following its acquisition by the Daewoo Group. After running ...
* Suzuki Motor
is a Japanese multinational corporation headquartered in Minami-ku, Hamamatsu, Japan. Suzuki manufactures automobiles, motorcycles, all-terrain vehicles (ATVs), outboard marine engines, wheelchairs and a variety of other small internal co ...
* Pirelli
Pirelli & C. S.p.A. is a multinational tyre manufacturer based in Milan, Italy. The company, which has been listed on the Milan Stock Exchange since 1922, is the 6th-largest tyre manufacturer and is focused on the consumer production of tyre ...
* (2005-2010)
* Pepsi
Pepsi is a carbonated soft drink manufactured by PepsiCo. Originally created and developed in 1893 by Caleb Bradham and introduced as Brad's Drink, it was renamed as Pepsi-Cola in 1898, and then shortened to Pepsi in 1961.
History
Pepsi was ...
(1994-1999)
* Brahma
Brahma ( sa, ब्रह्मा, Brahmā) is a Hindu god, referred to as "the Creator" within the Trimurti, the trinity of supreme divinity that includes Vishnu, and Shiva.Jan Gonda (1969)The Hindu Trinity Anthropos, Bd 63/64, H 1/2, pp. 21 ...
(1995-1999)
* Budweiser
Budweiser () is an American-style pale lager, part of AB InBev. Introduced in 1876 by Carl Conrad & Co. of St. Louis, Missouri, Budweiser has become a large selling beer company in the United States.
''Budweiser'' may also refer to an unrelat ...
(2007-2008)
* Multicanal (1996-2006)
* Nuevo Siglo Cable TV Nuevo is the Spanish word for "new". It may refer to:
* Nuevo, California, a town in the state of California
* Nuevo (band), featuring singer and musician Peter Godwin
* Nuevo (Bayamón), a settlement in Puerto Rico
* "Nuevo", Spanish-language vers ...
(1996-2007)
* SKY
The sky is an unobstructed view upward from the surface of the Earth. It includes the atmosphere and outer space. It may also be considered a place between the ground and outer space, thus distinct from outer space.
In the field of astronomy, ...
(2000-2004)
* Supermercado Real
* Supermercado Gran Vía
A supermarket is a self-service shop offering a wide variety of food, beverages and household products, organized into sections. This kind of store is larger and has a wider selection than earlier grocery stores, but is smaller and more limi ...
* Supermercado Ycua Bolaños
* Shopping Multiplaza
* González Giménez
Media coverage
See also
* Football in Paraguay
Football is by far the most popular sport in Paraguay. Paraguay's national team has played at eight FIFA World Cup competitions and has won two Copa América tournaments. Olimpia Asunción is the country's most successful club in domestic and int ...
* Paraguayan football league system
The Paraguayan football league system is a series of interconnected leagues for football clubs in Paraguay.
Overview
At the top is the ''Primera División'' or ''División de Honor'' (first division) with 12 clubs.
Below the 1st level is the '' ...
* División Intermedia
* Paraguayan Tercera División
Tercera División de Paraguay (''Third Division of Paraguay'', in English), is the third division of Paraguayan football (soccer), and it is organized by the Paraguayan Football Association in the metropolitan area, and organized by the Unión del ...
* Paraguayan Primera División B
The Primera División B (''First Division B'': in English), also known as Primera División B Metropolitana or simply Primera B Metropolitana in order to distinguish it from the Primera División B Nacional, is the metropolitan tournament of the ...
* Primera División B Nacional
Primera may refer to
* Nissan Primera, a car
* Primera Air, a former airline
* Primera división (disambiguation), multiple top division football leagues
* Primera, Texas, a town in Cameron County, Texas
* Alí Primera, Venezuelan musician, compos ...
* Paraguayan Cuarta División
* Campeonato Nacional de Interligas
* Unión del Fútbol del Interior
* Paraguayan women's football championship
Paraguay (; ), officially the Republic of Paraguay ( es, República del Paraguay, links=no; gn, Tavakuairetã Paraguái, links=si), is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the south and southwest, Brazil to th ...
* Football Federation of the 1st Department Concepción The Football Federation of the 1st Department Concepción (''Federación de Fútbol Primer Departamento Concepción'') is the departamental governing body of football (soccer) in the department of Concepción, in Paraguay. The federation is respon ...
* Football Federation of the 2nd Department San Pedro
* Football Federation of the 3rd Department Cordillera
* Football Federation of the 4th Department Guairá The Football Federation of the 4th Department Guairá (''Federación de Fútbol Cuarto Departamento Guairá'') is the departamental governing body of football (soccer) in the department of Guairá, in Paraguay. The federation is responsible for th ...
* Football Federation of the 5th Department Caaguazú The Football Federation of the 5th Department Caaguazú (''Federación de Fútbol Quinto Departamento Caaguazú'') is the departamental governing body of football (soccer) in the department of Caaguazú, in Paraguay. The federation is responsible ...
* Football Federation of the 6th Department Caazapá The Football Federation of the 6th Department Caazapá (''Federación de Fútbol Sexto Departamento Caazapá'') is the departamental governing body of football (soccer) in the department of Caazapá, in Paraguay. The federation is responsible for t ...
* Football Federation of the 7th Department Itapúa
* Football Federation of the 8th Department Misiones
Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...
* Football Federation of the 9th Department Paraguarí
Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...
* Football Federation of the 10th Department Alto Paraná
Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...
* Football Federation of the 11th Department Central
Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly ca ...
* Football Federation of the 12th Department Ñeembucú
Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...
* Football Federation of the 13th Department Amambay
* Football Federation of the 14th Department Canindeyú
* Football Federation of the 15th Department Presidente Hayes
* Football Federation of the 16th Department Alto Paraguay
* Football Federation of the 17th Department Boquerón
References
External links
RSSSF
Paraguayan Football Association Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Paraguayan Primera Division
1
Paraguay
Paraguay (; ), officially the Republic of Paraguay ( es, República del Paraguay, links=no; gn, Tavakuairetã Paraguái, links=si), is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the south and southwest, Brazil to th ...
Football
Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...