The Liga Nacional de Fútbol de Guatemala (National Football League of Guatemala), officially known as the Liga Guate Banrural for sponsorship reasons, formerly known as Liga'' ''Mayor A (Major League A) is a professional football division in
Guatemala
Guatemala, officially the Republic of Guatemala, is a country in Central America. It is bordered to the north and west by Mexico, to the northeast by Belize, to the east by Honduras, and to the southeast by El Salvador. It is hydrologically b ...
, the highest one in the country. It is sanctioned by the ''
Federación Nacional de Fútbol de Guatemala
The National Football Federation of Guatemala (), known as Fedefut Guate or FENAFUTG, is the governing body of football in Guatemala. It organizes the football league, Liga Nacional de Guatemala, Primera División de Ascenso, Segunda División d ...
''. The champion and runner-up teams of the Liga Nacional's official
tournament
A tournament is a competition involving at least three competitors, all participating in a sport or game. More specifically, the term may be used in either of two overlapping senses:
# One or more competitions held at a single venue and concen ...
s qualify to participate in international competitions within their
regional confederation. Twelve teams currently compete in the league.
Comunicaciones
Comunicaciones Fútbol Club S.A., better known as Comunicaciones F.C. or Comunicaciones, is a professional association football, football club based in Guatemala City. They compete in the Liga Nacional de Fútbol de Guatemala, Liga Nacional, th ...
and
Municipal
A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate.
The term ''municipality'' may also mean the gov ...
are the most successful club in the league to date, having won 32 tournaments each.
History
Its first official professional tournament took place in
1942
The Uppsala Conflict Data Program project estimates this to be the deadliest year in human history in terms of conflict deaths, placing the death toll at 4.62 million. However, the Correlates of War estimates that the prior year, 1941, was th ...
, and succeeded what was known as the ''Liga Capitalina'' (League of the Capital), which was an amateur tournament that started in
1919
Events
January
* January 1
** The Czechoslovak Legions occupy much of the self-proclaimed "free city" of Pressburg (later Bratislava), enforcing its incorporation into the new republic of Czechoslovakia.
** HMY ''Iolaire'' sinks off th ...
. The 1942–43 tournament was played by seven teams in a double
round-robin tournament
A round-robin tournament or all-play-all tournament is a competition format in which each contestant meets every other participant, usually in turn.''Webster's Third New International Dictionary of the English Language, Unabridged'' (1971, G. & ...
. Three teams –
Municipal
A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate.
The term ''municipality'' may also mean the gov ...
,
Tipografía Nacional, and ''Guatemala FC'' – finished tied for the first place after the two rounds. A
playoff
The playoffs, play-offs, postseason or finals of a sports league are a competition played after the regular season by the top competitors to determine the league champion or a similar accolade. Depending on the league, the playoffs may be eithe ...
between the three teams was conducted to determine the winner, with Municipal earning their first national title.
Competition format
The league has had several different formats throughout its history; currently, the league season is divided into two tournaments. The
Apertura
The ' () and ' () tournaments is a split season format for Spanish-speaking sports leagues. It is a relatively recent innovation for many Latin American football leagues in which the traditional association football season from August to May is ...
, which is played in the fall, and the
Clausura
The ' () and ' () tournaments is a split season format for Spanish-speaking sports leagues. It is a relatively recent innovation for many Latin American football leagues in which the traditional association football season from August to May is ...
, which is played in the spring. The first 6 clubs in the standings at the end of each competition participate in the playoffs to determine the champion, 1st and 2nd place teams qualify directly to semi-finals, while the others have to play in the quarter-finals. The winners of the Apertura and Clausura tournaments participate in the
CONCACAF Champions League
The CONCACAF Champions Cup, formerly known as CONCACAF Champions League (2008–2023), is an international association football competition organized by CONCACAF as its top continental tournament for clubs from North America, Central America, ...
.
At the end of 2008-2009
Apertura
The ' () and ' () tournaments is a split season format for Spanish-speaking sports leagues. It is a relatively recent innovation for many Latin American football leagues in which the traditional association football season from August to May is ...
and
Clausura
The ' () and ' () tournaments is a split season format for Spanish-speaking sports leagues. It is a relatively recent innovation for many Latin American football leagues in which the traditional association football season from August to May is ...
tournaments the league expanded to 12 teams to compete in a larger versions of the
Apertura
The ' () and ' () tournaments is a split season format for Spanish-speaking sports leagues. It is a relatively recent innovation for many Latin American football leagues in which the traditional association football season from August to May is ...
and
Clausura
The ' () and ' () tournaments is a split season format for Spanish-speaking sports leagues. It is a relatively recent innovation for many Latin American football leagues in which the traditional association football season from August to May is ...
tournaments. Now the 12th placed team (the team with the fewest points) in the aggregated table standings (combined standings of both the
Apertura
The ' () and ' () tournaments is a split season format for Spanish-speaking sports leagues. It is a relatively recent innovation for many Latin American football leagues in which the traditional association football season from August to May is ...
and
Clausura
The ' () and ' () tournaments is a split season format for Spanish-speaking sports leagues. It is a relatively recent innovation for many Latin American football leagues in which the traditional association football season from August to May is ...
tournaments) is
relegated
Promotion and relegation is used by sports leagues as a process where teams can move up and down among divisions in a league system, based on their performance over a season. Leagues that use promotion and relegation systems are sometimes call ...
to the
Primera División de Ascenso The Primera División de Ascenso is the second highest level of football in Guatemala. Formerly, it was known as ''Liga Mayor "B"''. It is sanctioned by the National Football Federation of Guatemala
The National Football Federation of Guatemala ( ...
(2nd division) automatically at the end of the
Clausura
The ' () and ' () tournaments is a split season format for Spanish-speaking sports leagues. It is a relatively recent innovation for many Latin American football leagues in which the traditional association football season from August to May is ...
tournament in late May. The teams that finish 10th and 11th in the aggregated table standings enter into a two-legged playoff with the second- and third-placed clubs of the
Primera División de Ascenso The Primera División de Ascenso is the second highest level of football in Guatemala. Formerly, it was known as ''Liga Mayor "B"''. It is sanctioned by the National Football Federation of Guatemala
The National Football Federation of Guatemala ( ...
. The playoff winners play in the top division while the losers spend the next season in the second division.
2024–25 Season Clubs
Managers
Important matches
*
Comunicaciones
Comunicaciones Fútbol Club S.A., better known as Comunicaciones F.C. or Comunicaciones, is a professional association football, football club based in Guatemala City. They compete in the Liga Nacional de Fútbol de Guatemala, Liga Nacional, th ...
vs
Municipal
A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate.
The term ''municipality'' may also mean the gov ...
- ''"
El Clásico Chapín
El Clásico Chapin (English: The Classic Chapin), also known as the Guatemalan Derbi, El Clasico, El SuperClásico or El Juego De Juegos (Spanish language) is a football match between rivals Comunicaciones F.C. and C.S.D. Municipal. The rivalry ...
"''
*
Comunicaciones
Comunicaciones Fútbol Club S.A., better known as Comunicaciones F.C. or Comunicaciones, is a professional association football, football club based in Guatemala City. They compete in the Liga Nacional de Fútbol de Guatemala, Liga Nacional, th ...
vs
Antigua
Antigua ( ; ), also known as Waladli or Wadadli by the local population, is an island in the Lesser Antilles. It is one of the Leeward Islands in the Caribbean region and the most populous island of the country of Antigua and Barbuda. Antigua ...
- ''"El Clásico Provincial"''
*
Antigua
Antigua ( ; ), also known as Waladli or Wadadli by the local population, is an island in the Lesser Antilles. It is one of the Leeward Islands in the Caribbean region and the most populous island of the country of Antigua and Barbuda. Antigua ...
vs
Mixco - ''"El Clásico del Valle"''
*
Comunicaciones
Comunicaciones Fútbol Club S.A., better known as Comunicaciones F.C. or Comunicaciones, is a professional association football, football club based in Guatemala City. They compete in the Liga Nacional de Fútbol de Guatemala, Liga Nacional, th ...
vs
Xelajú - ''"El Clásico del Oeste"''
*
Marquense vs
Xelajú - ''"El Clásico del Occidente"''
*
Marquense vs
Malacateco - ''"Derbi de San Marcos"''
*
Cobán Imperial vs
Zacapa - ''"Clásico del Norte"''
Champions
Liga Capitalina
Amateur Era
Liga Nacional de Fútbol de Guatemala
Professional Era
Titles by club in Guatemalan Football History
Champions were:
Amateur and Professional Champions.
Amateur Era
Professional Era
Top goalscorers
See also
*
Guatemala national football team
The Guatemala national football team () represents Guatemala in men's international association football, football and is controlled by the National Football Federation of Guatemala, Federación Nacional de Fútbol de Guatemala (). Founded in 1 ...
References
External links
Liga Nacional de Fútbol de Guatemalaat FIFA
– prensalibre.com – ''Prensa Libre'' newspaper, Guatemala.
guatefutbol.comLeague Summaryat Soccerway
Guatemala Liga Nacional standings, results & fixtures at Live2Sport.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Liga Nacional De Futbol De Guatemala
Guatemala
Guatemala, officially the Republic of Guatemala, is a country in Central America. It is bordered to the north and west by Mexico, to the northeast by Belize, to the east by Honduras, and to the southeast by El Salvador. It is hydrologically b ...
1
Sports leagues established in 1919