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The Peru First Division (; known simply as ''First Division'', and Liga 1 Te Apuesto for sponsorship reasons), officially known as Liga 1, is the top flight of
association football Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 Football player, players who almost exclusively use their feet to propel a Ball (association football), ball around a rectangular f ...
in
Peru Peru, officially the Republic of Peru, is a country in western South America. It is bordered in the north by Ecuador and Colombia, in the east by Brazil, in the southeast by Bolivia, in the south by Chile, and in the south and west by the Pac ...
. It has been referred to as Torneo Descentralizado since 1966 until 2019, when the first teams residing outside the
Lima Lima ( ; ), founded in 1535 as the Ciudad de los Reyes (, Spanish for "City of Biblical Magi, Kings"), is the capital and largest city of Peru. It is located in the valleys of the Chillón River, Chillón, Rímac River, Rímac and Lurín Rive ...
and
Callao Callao () is a Peruvian seaside city and Regions of Peru, region on the Pacific Ocean in the Lima metropolitan area. Callao is Peru's chief seaport and home to its main airport, Jorge Chávez International Airport. Callao municipality consists ...
provinces were invited to compete in the inaugural league national competition. The main sponsor is the sports betting company Te Apuesto. As of the 2025 season, there are 19 teams in the division of a league that operates on a system of
promotion and relegation 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 ...
determined at the end of the season with the
Segunda División The Campeonato Nacional de Liga de Segunda División, commonly known as Segunda División or La Liga 2, and officially known as LaLiga HyperMotion for sponsorship reasons, is the men's second professional association football division of the Spa ...
(Liga 2). Seasons run from February to December, with each team playing 38 matches, 18 in the Apertura and 18 in the Clausura. The league is organized by Asociación Deportiva de Fútbol Profesional () (ADFP). 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 The Campeonato Nacional de Liga de Segunda División, commonly known as Segunda División or La Liga 2, and officially known as LaLiga HyperMotion for sponsorship reasons, is the men's second professional association football division of the Spa ...
. 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 Universitario in the 2024 season, the league championship has gone to 21 different clubs, though a majority (73 of 108 championships) have been won by just three clubs: Universitario (28),
Alianza Lima Club Alianza Lima, more commonly known as simply Alianza Lima, is a Peru, Peruvian professional sports club based in La Victoria District, Lima, La Victoria District of Lima, Peru. The club was founded under the name of Sport Alianza on February ...
(25), and
Sporting Cristal Club Sporting Cristal S.A., shortened to Sporting Cristal, is a Peruvian sports club located in the city of Lima, best known for its association football, soccer team. It was founded on 13 December 1955 in the Rímac District, Rímac district by e ...
(20).


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
Callao Callao () is a Peruvian seaside city and Regions of Peru, region on the Pacific Ocean in the Lima metropolitan area. Callao is Peru's chief seaport and home to its main airport, Jorge Chávez International Airport. Callao municipality consists ...
, or upper class Peruvians were introduced to the sport on their travels. The first recorded football match in Lima was played on 7 August 1892 between British residents and Peruvians at the club ground Santa Sofía belonging to the Lima Cricket and Lawn Tennis club. Interest in sport slowly grew among the upper class Peruvians who established clubs, such as Lima Cricket & Lawn Tennis and Regatas Lima club dedicated their sporting activities to
cricket Cricket is a Bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball game played between two Sports team, teams of eleven players on a cricket field, field, at the centre of which is a cricket pitch, pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two Bail (cr ...
and
tennis Tennis is a List of racket sports, racket sport that is played either individually against a single opponent (singles (tennis), singles) or between two teams of two players each (doubles (tennis), doubles). Each player uses a tennis racket st ...
, and aquatic sports. Additional clubs would follow:
Lawn Tennis Tennis is a List of racket sports, racket sport that is played either individually against a single opponent (singles (tennis), singles) or between two teams of two players each (doubles (tennis), doubles). Each player uses a tennis racket st ...
club, Unión Cricket, and Unión Ciclista Lima. Football would gain a following: Unión Cricket would be the inaugural club to include football in their activities. Other clubs would follow. 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 Atlético Chalaco. They started to play football and become a representative team of Callao. Conversely, some educational institutions, like Universidad San Marcos would adopt a system of competition among clubs formed of faculty of each its colleges. Their competitions started as early as 1899. In time one faculty team would separate from the university to form their own independent football club, known today as Universitario. Clubs unaffiliated with educational institutions started to form. One of these clubs was Sport Alianza—today
Alianza Lima Club Alianza Lima, more commonly known as simply Alianza Lima, is a Peru, Peruvian professional sports club based in La Victoria District, Lima, La Victoria District of Lima, Peru. The club was founded under the name of Sport Alianza on February ...
—which was founded by Italians and Chinese of the working class of Lima in 1901 although their available records date from around 1912.


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 Liga Peruana de Fútbol (Peruvian Football League) on 12 May 1912; teams from Callao declined the invitation. The inaugural season in 1912 established two divisions; Primera División and
Segunda División The Campeonato Nacional de Liga de Segunda División, commonly known as Segunda División or La Liga 2, and officially known as LaLiga HyperMotion for sponsorship reasons, is the men's second professional association football division of the Spa ...
, both of 8 clubs. The Primera División composed of Lima Cricket, Association FBC, Miraflores Sporting, Jorge Chávez N°1, Sport Alianza, Escuela Militar de Chorrillos, Sport Inca and Sport Vitarte while the Segunda División composed Atlético Grau N°1, Atlético Peruano, Carlos Tenaud N°1, Carlos Tenaud N°2, Sport Libertad Barranco, Sport Magdalena, Sport Lima y Unión Miraflores. Lima Cricket inaugurated the tournament championship title; Association finished second. 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 Jorge Chávez N°1 reach the top. The following year Lima Cricket would tally a second title. Sport José Gálvez—who refused to participate in 1912—won consecutive championships in 1915 and 1916. In 1917 Sport Juan Bielovucic championed the Liga. Sport Alianza would earn its first titles in 1918 and 1919. Sport Inca and Sport Progreso won the 1920 and 1921 seasons respectively. The league ran uninterrupted for 10 seasons until La Liga Peruana de fútbol temporarily disbanded due to disagreements. Between 1922 and 1925 no championships were played.


Creation of the Federación Peruana de Fútbol

The Peruvian Football Federation was founded in 1922 and restarted the Peruvian football league in 1926 with the addition of teams from Callao. Unfortunately, the two championships in 1926 and 1927 suffered drawback as teams withdrew from the league mid-season. Of the 11 competing teams, Sport Progreso was crowned champion. Because many clubs withdrew from the tournament, Sport Progeso only played 6 games. The following season,
Alianza Lima Club Alianza Lima, more commonly known as simply Alianza Lima, is a Peru, Peruvian professional sports club based in La Victoria District, Lima, La Victoria District of Lima, Peru. The club was founded under the name of Sport Alianza on February ...
conquered its third title; they had already won two back-to-back titles in 1918 and 1919. This season featured 8 teams. As in 1926, the league did not finish properly and Alianza Lima won after winning its 3 matches. In 1928, the federation increased the number of teams to 19 and separated them into 2 groups. 5 teams advanced to second stage where the winner was league champion. The first Clásico took place in this season. In the second stage
Alianza Lima Club Alianza Lima, more commonly known as simply Alianza Lima, is a Peru, Peruvian professional sports club based in La Victoria District, Lima, La Victoria District of Lima, Peru. The club was founded under the name of Sport Alianza on February ...
faced the newly invited Federación Universitaria. The match was a 1–0 win for Federación Universitaria and began the biggest rivalry in the history of Peruvian football. At the end of the second stage, Federación Universitaria and Alianza Lima were tied for first place which led to two extra matches between them to declare the 1928 champion. The first match was a 1–1 draw and the second was a 2–0 win for Alianza Lima. Following a second-place finish in their first division debut, Federación Universitaria would go on to win their first title in 1929. In 1930, the federation experimented with a new format. They separated the teams in 3 groups of 4 teams. The winner of each group advanced to the championship group to define the season champion. The three finalists were Atlético Chalaco, Alianza Lima, and Federación Universitaria. Atlético Chalaco would go on to win Callao's first title. Alianza Lima won the next four seasons. In 1935, the title would go back to Callao after Sport Boys–founded in 1927 and debuted in 1933–defeated the 4 teams it was competing against. In 1936, no championship was contested due to the participation of Peru in the
Summer Olympics The Summer Olympic Games, also known as the Summer Olympics or the Games of the Olympiad, is a major international multi-sport event normally held once every four years. The inaugural Games took place in 1896 in Athens, then part of the King ...
in Berlin. The championship returned in 1937 to be won by Sport Boys. The Peru national team that competed in Berlin was made up of mostly footballers who played in Sport Boys. One of the few exceptions was Teodoro Fernández who played for Universitario and scored 6 goals in 2 games. Deportivo Municipal, another club that would become a traditional team in Peruvian football, won its first championship in 1938 and a second in 1940 whilst Universitario a tallied four titles by winning in 1939 and 1941. Prior to 1939, teams played all other teams once in the course of the season. For the 1939, 1940, and 1941 seasons, teams played all others twice instead—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. & ...
. 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. In 1942, Sport Boys won a third championship, finishing one point ahead of Deportivo Municipal. In this season, a single round-robin tournament was performed but the double round-robin returned next season. Deportivo Municipal lifted their third league trophy in 1943, and began to consolidate their place in Peruvian football. In 1944, a new champion was crowned by the name of
Sucre Sucre (; ) is the ''de jure'' capital city of Bolivia, the capital of the Chuquisaca Department and the sixth most populous city in Bolivia. Located in the south-central part of the country, Sucre lies at an elevation of . This relatively high ...
. Universitario returned to the top after winning consecutive title between 1945 and 1946. In 1947 Atlético Chalaco won its last top flight division title. 1948 saw Alianza Lima taste glory again after trophyless seasons since their conquests between 1931 and 1933. 1949 and 1950—won by Universitario and Deportivo Municipal respectively—were the last two championships played before football would become a professional sport in Peru. Between 1946 and 1949, a triple round-robin tournament was employed until in 1950 the double round-robin system made its return. Midway through the 20th century, most of the clubs which had founded La Liga Peruana de fútbol had disappeared from the top flight and five teams had become the dominant forces in Peru; Alianza Lima, Universitario de Deportes, Deportivo Municipal, Sport Boys and Atletico Chalaco.


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 the next 4 years, Alianza Lima rose to conquer 3 titles in 1952, 1954 and 1955. In addition, one-time champion
Sucre Sucre (; ) is the ''de jure'' capital city of Bolivia, the capital of the Chuquisaca Department and the sixth most populous city in Bolivia. Located in the south-central part of the country, Sucre lies at an elevation of . This relatively high ...
won a second championship in 1953. The professional era saw the rise of a new team that would rival the five dominant clubs of the amateur era. During the course of Peruvian football, Rimac-based Sporting Tabaco was a regular contender. However, in December 1955, the brewery Backus and Johnston founded
Sporting Cristal Club Sporting Cristal S.A., shortened to Sporting Cristal, is a Peruvian sports club located in the city of Lima, best known for its association football, soccer team. It was founded on 13 December 1955 in the Rímac District, Rímac district by e ...
to represent them in the top flight. In their debut in professional football, Sporting Cristal won their first championship in 1956. The following season, a relatively unknown club by the name of Centro Iqueño won the championship. In addition, the 1957 season employed a new tournament format. After the double round-robin stage, the 10 teams were split into 2 groups for a further 4 matches. The top 5 would play for the season title and the bottom 5 for avoiding relegation. This format would be used until 1959, and in 1964 and 1965 (a similar format would be employed in 1969 and 1970). Sport Boys won a fifth title in 1958 while Universitario won an eighth in 1959. The 1960 season had a new attractive feature to Peruvian football; the champion would qualify to the newly created Copa de Campeones—today
Copa Libertadores The CONMEBOL Libertadores, also known as Copa Libertadores de América (), is an annual continental club football competition organized by CONMEBOL since 1960. It is the highest level of competition in South American club football. The tournam ...
. Universitario de Deportes was the first Peruvian club to compete in the South American continental tournament after winning the 1960 season. In 1962 the ACF ended its run and the ADFP took its place as the current organizer of the league. In 1965, the runner-up would join the champion in the Copa Libertadores as
CONMEBOL CONMEBOL ( ) or CSF (; ; ), is the continental governing body of football in South America and it is one of FIFA's six continental confederations. The oldest continental confederation in the world, its headquarters are located in Luque, Parag ...
expanded the continental tournament. Up until 1965, only clubs based in Lima or Callao competed. Therefore, in 1966 the Asociación decided to expand the league outside Lima and Callao leading the championship to be renamed the Campeonato Descentralizado (''Decentralized Championship'').
Atlético Grau Club Atlético Grau, more commonly known as Atlético Grau or simply, Grau, is a Peruvian professional football club based in the city of Piura. The club was founded in 1919 and currently plays in the Peruvian Primera División, the top tier of P ...
of Piura, Melgar of
Arequipa Arequipa (; Aymara language, Aymara and ), also known by its nicknames of ''Ciudad Blanca'' (Spanish for "White City") and ''León del Sur'' (Spanish for "South's Lion"), is a city in Peru and the capital of the eponymous Arequipa (province), ...
, Octavio Espinosa of Ica, and Alfonso Ugarte de Chiclín of Trujillo were the first four Peruvian clubs from the country interior to be invited to play in the top flight of Peruvian football, expanding it to 14 teams. The twist in this first Descentralizado was that only the best placed club outside Lima and Callao would remain in the first division; the other three would be relegated along with 1 Lima/Callao-based team. Miguel Grau—finished sixth—remained in the first division while Universitario was crowned first Descentralizado champion. With the new national championship, the
Copa Perú The Copa Perú is a association football, football tournament in Peru and the fourth-highest division of the Peruvian football league system. Despite its name, it is not entirely an elimination-cup competition involving all Peruvian clubs, but ra ...
was created to promote clubs outside the capital hub along with the Segunda División which promoted clubs from Lima and Callao. The first Copa Perú was played in 1967—prior to the start of the 1967 Descentralizado—returning Alfonso Ugarte de Chiclín and Octavio Espinoza to the top flight in addition to newcomer Juan Aurich of Chiclayo. Universitario would go on to win the second edition of the Torneo Descentralizado. However, in this season, only one club from the country interior was relegated instead of three. 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 Estadio Nacional. Sporting Cristal won the playoff 2–1 but Juan Aurich, as runner-up, qualified for the Copa Libertadores, being the first ''provinciano'' to do so. In 1969, the tournament suffered a minor change in the format. The tournament was played with 14 teams, as had been since 1966, however after the first leg of the round robin matchups, the table was split into two parts, with the top 6 fighting for the national title and the bottom 8 avoiding relegation. Universitario won their third Descentralizado title totalizing thirteen Primera División titles. 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 Independiente of Argentina, defeating Alianza Lima,
Universidad de Chile The University of Chile () is a public research university in Santiago Santiago (, ; ), also known as Santiago de Chile (), is the capital and largest city of Chile and one of the largest cities in the Americas. It is located in the co ...
and Unión San Felipe in the first group stage as well as defending champion Nacional and three-time champion
Peñarol Club Atlético Peñarol (), more commonly referred to as Peñarol, is a Uruguayan professional football club based in Montevideo. The club currently competes in the Uruguayan Primera División, the highest tier in Uruguayan football. The nam ...
in the second group stage. In the first leg of the finals, they would draw in Lima 0–0 and lose 2–1 in
Avellaneda Avellaneda (, ) is a port city in the provinces of Argentina, province of Buenos Aires Province, Buenos Aires, Argentina, and the seat of the Avellaneda Partido, whose population was 342,677 as per the . Avellaneda is located within the Greater B ...
. As in the 1972 Copa Libertadores, Universitario would finish second in the Descentralizado of 1972 to Sporting Cristal, tying Sport Boys 5 title record. 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
Argentina Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic, is a country in the southern half of South America. It covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest country in South America after Brazil, the fourt ...
at the time. The general idea of the system was to divide the season into two tournaments called the
Apertura and Clausura The ' () and ' () tournaments is a split Season (sports), season format for Spanish-speaking sports leagues. It is a relatively recent innovation for many Latin American soccer, football sports league, leagues in which the traditional association ...
tournaments. At the end of the season the tournament winners faced in a season final for the championship title. The 1997 season did not have a final after
Alianza Lima Club Alianza Lima, more commonly known as simply Alianza Lima, is a Peru, Peruvian professional sports club based in La Victoria District, Lima, La Victoria District of Lima, Peru. The club was founded under the name of Sport Alianza on February ...
won both tournaments automatically winning the 1997 title ending an 18-season title drought. At the end of the 2008 season this format was abolished due to the lack of championship playoffs in 2007 and 2008. The 2009 season employed a new liguilla format including a regular season between 16 teams which would qualify to two groups depending on their placement at the end of the regular season. The winners of each group would dispute a two-legged final at the end of the season to determine the national champion. In 2018 the Peruvian Football Federation announced that the league would be restructured from the former Torneo Descentralizado, now called the "Liga de Fútbol Profesional", later changed to ''Liga 1'', and organized by the national federation itself instead of the ADFP, starting with the 2019 edition. As of 2022, Universitario, Alianza Lima and Sporting Cristal have won 26, 26 and 20 official league titles respectively. They are regarded as the Big Three of Peru. However, other teams have risen to new heights. In particular, a team from
Cusco Cusco or Cuzco (; or , ) is a city in southeastern Peru, near the Sacred Valley of the Andes mountain range and the Huatanay river. It is the capital of the eponymous Cusco Province, province and Cusco Region, department. The city was the cap ...
, Cienciano, has been the only Peruvian team to win international tournaments ( Copa Sudamericana 2003 and Recopa Sudamericana 2004), though it has yet to win the domestic league title. Other notable teams include Melgar, Binacional, Juan Aurich and Unión Huaral, which are the only non-capital teams to have won a national championship.


Division levels


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 The ' () and ' () tournaments is a split Season (sports), season format for Spanish-speaking sports leagues. It is a relatively recent innovation for many Latin American soccer, football sports league, leagues in which the traditional association ...
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 The CONMEBOL Libertadores, also known as Copa Libertadores de América (), is an annual continental club football competition organized by CONMEBOL since 1960. It is the highest level of competition in South American club football. The tournam ...
, while the next three best teams in that table will qualify for the
Copa Sudamericana The CONMEBOL Sudamericana, also known as Copa Sudamericana (; ), is an annual international club football competition organized by CONMEBOL, the governing body of football in South America, since 2002. It is the second-most prestigious club com ...
. In case the Copa LFP - FPF winners have already qualified for an international competition, the eighth best team in the aggregate table will also qualify for the Copa Sudamericana. 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 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 ...
exists between the ''Primera División'' and the ''
Segunda División The Campeonato Nacional de Liga de Segunda División, commonly known as Segunda División or La Liga 2, and officially known as LaLiga HyperMotion for sponsorship reasons, is the men's second professional association football division of the Spa ...
''. The two lowest placed teams in Primera División are relegated to the ''Segunda División'', and the top two teams from the ''Segunda División'' promoted to the Primera.


International

Eight teams participate in international competitions while they play the national championship, the
Copa Libertadores The CONMEBOL Libertadores, also known as Copa Libertadores de América (), is an annual continental club football competition organized by CONMEBOL since 1960. It is the highest level of competition in South American club football. The tournam ...
and the
Copa Sudamericana The CONMEBOL Sudamericana, also known as Copa Sudamericana (; ), is an annual international club football competition organized by CONMEBOL, the governing body of football in South America, since 2002. It is the second-most prestigious club com ...
. These international club fixtures take place during the week on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays. Peru is allotted four spots in the
Copa Libertadores The CONMEBOL Libertadores, also known as Copa Libertadores de América (), is an annual continental club football competition organized by CONMEBOL since 1960. It is the highest level of competition in South American club football. The tournam ...
and four in the
Copa Sudamericana The CONMEBOL Sudamericana, also known as Copa Sudamericana (; ), is an annual international club football competition organized by CONMEBOL, the governing body of football in South America, since 2002. It is the second-most prestigious club com ...
. 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 from the Liga 1 will qualify for the Copa Sudamericana for
2025 So far, the year has seen the continuation of major armed conflicts, including the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Sudanese civil war (2023–present), Sudanese civil war, and the Gaza war. Internal crises in Bangladesh post-resignation v ...
and future seasons, as the national domestic cup, the Copa LFP - FPF, serves as an additional qualifier for the Copa Sudamericana acting as Peru 4. The Copa LFP - FPF is played between the teams of the Liga 1, Liga 2 and Liga 3. Each placement is determined by the yearly aggregate table at the end of each season.


Sponsorship

The Peruvian First Division is currently sponsored by TeApuesto, with the official sponsorship name being ''Liga 1 Te Apuesto''. In 2021, the global online casino company Betsson acquired naming rights for Liga 1, extending the sponsorship to 2023, with the league officially taking the name "Liga 1 Betsson" for the
2021 Like the year 2020, 2021 was also heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, due to the emergence of multiple Variants of SARS-CoV-2, COVID-19 variants. The major global rollout of COVID-19 vaccines, which began at the end of 2020, continued ...
season. The deal was extended after the
2022 The year began with another wave in the COVID-19 pandemic, with SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant, Omicron spreading rapidly and becoming the dominant variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus worldwide. Tracking a decrease in cases and deaths, 2022 saw ...
season for the
2023 Catastrophic natural disasters in 2023 included the Lists of 21st-century earthquakes, 5th-deadliest earthquake of the 21st century 2023 Turkey–Syria earthquakes, striking Turkey and Syria, leaving up to 62,000 people dead; Cyclone Freddy ...
season. TeApuesto returned as sponsor in
2024 The year saw the list of ongoing armed conflicts, continuation of major armed conflicts, including the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Myanmar civil war (2021–present), Myanmar civil war, the Sudanese civil war (2023–present), Sudane ...
. The league was sponsored by Movistar TV (formerly known as Cable Mágico and known as ''Copa Movistar'' until 2018. They have had exclusive broadcasting rights since 2000. Other broadcasting companies include ATV, L1MAX, and GOLPeru. The tournament was named ''Torneo Descentralizado'' since 1966 but renamed to ''Liga 1'' in 2019.


Rivalries

*
Alianza Lima Club Alianza Lima, more commonly known as simply Alianza Lima, is a Peru, Peruvian professional sports club based in La Victoria District, Lima, La Victoria District of Lima, Peru. The club was founded under the name of Sport Alianza on February ...
Universitario ( National derby) *
Alianza Lima Club Alianza Lima, more commonly known as simply Alianza Lima, is a Peru, Peruvian professional sports club based in La Victoria District, Lima, La Victoria District of Lima, Peru. The club was founded under the name of Sport Alianza on February ...
Sporting Cristal Club Sporting Cristal S.A., shortened to Sporting Cristal, is a Peruvian sports club located in the city of Lima, best known for its association football, soccer team. It was founded on 13 December 1955 in the Rímac District, Rímac district by e ...
(Modern derby) *
Sporting Cristal Club Sporting Cristal S.A., shortened to Sporting Cristal, is a Peruvian sports club located in the city of Lima, best known for its association football, soccer team. It was founded on 13 December 1955 in the Rímac District, Rímac district by e ...
Universitario (Modern derby) * Deportivo MunicipalUniversitario (Modern derby) * CiencianoMelgar (Southern derby) * Carlos A. MannucciJuan Aurich (Northern derby) * Cienciano
Cusco Cusco or Cuzco (; or , ) is a city in southeastern Peru, near the Sacred Valley of the Andes mountain range and the Huatanay river. It is the capital of the eponymous Cusco Province, province and Cusco Region, department. The city was the cap ...
(Modern Cusco derby) * CiencianoDeportivo Garcilaso (Cusco derby) * Atlético ChalacoSport Boys (Callao derby) * Carlos A. MannucciUniversidad César Vallejo (Trujillo derby) *
Atlético Grau Club Atlético Grau, more commonly known as Atlético Grau or simply, Grau, is a Peruvian professional football club based in the city of Piura. The club was founded in 1919 and currently plays in the Peruvian Primera División, the top tier of P ...
Alianza Atlético Club Alianza Atlético de Sullana, shorted to Alianza Atlético, is a Peru, Peruvian professional association football, football club, located in the city of Sullana. The club was founded in 1920 and promoted to the Primera División Peruana, Peruv ...
(Piura derby)


Clubs

Currently, 18 clubs participate in the Liga 1. Of these 18 clubs, only Universitario and
Alianza Lima Club Alianza Lima, more commonly known as simply Alianza Lima, is a Peru, Peruvian professional sports club based in La Victoria District, Lima, La Victoria District of Lima, Peru. The club was founded under the name of Sport Alianza on February ...
are owners of their home stadiums. The remaining 16 clubs are dependent upon the ''Instituto Peruano del Deporte'' for their local matches. 2 clubs operate as Sociedades Anónimas, the equivalent of a
public limited company A public limited company (legally abbreviated to PLC or plc) is a type of public company under United Kingdom company law, some Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth jurisdictions, and Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is a limited liability co ...
in the United Kingdom; these clubs are Universidad César Vallejo and
Sporting Cristal Club Sporting Cristal S.A., shortened to Sporting Cristal, is a Peruvian sports club located in the city of Lima, best known for its association football, soccer team. It was founded on 13 December 1955 in the Rímac District, Rímac district by e ...
. The remaining 14 clubs operate as civil non-profit associations or ''asociaciónes civiles sin fines de lucro'' in Spanish. 4 of these clubs are from the
Lima metropolitan area The Lima Metropolitan Area (, also known as ''Lima Metropolitana'') is an area formed by the conurbation of the Peruvian provinces of Lima (the nation's capital) and Callao.Lima Metropolitana is formed by the Province of Lima and the Constituti ...
and the remaining clubs make up the 14 teams from the country's interior. Prior to the current 18-club Primera División, 14 teams competed in 2008, 12 between 2006 and 2007, and 16 between 2009 and 2018. In 1989 and 1990, the Primera División played with a record 44 teams. 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 53 Primera División championships of the 111 seasons contested, 27 and 25 respectively. Sporting Cristal trails behind with 20 professional era titles since their debut in 1956 and further behind is the traditional Sport Boys having conquered 6 league titles. Universidad de San Martín de Porres challenged the dominance of the Big Three with back-to-back titles in 2007 and 2008 and a third in 2010. In addition, Binacional, Melgar, Juan Aurich, and Unión Huaral are the only clubs outside the metropolitan area of Lima to have won a national championship. Other noteworthy clubs to have won championships include 4-time winner Deportivo Municipal. 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. The oldest club 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 Juan Pablo II College.


Seasons in Liga 1

There are 28 teams that have appeared in seven seasons of Liga 1 in split Apertura and Clausura tournaments. The teams in bold compete in Peruvian Liga 1 currently. The year in parentheses represents the most recent year of participation at this level.
Alianza Lima Club Alianza Lima, more commonly known as simply Alianza Lima, is a Peru, Peruvian professional sports club based in La Victoria District, Lima, La Victoria District of Lima, Peru. The club was founded under the name of Sport Alianza on February ...
, FBC Melgar, Sport Boys, Sport Huancayo,
Sporting Cristal Club Sporting Cristal S.A., shortened to Sporting Cristal, is a Peruvian sports club located in the city of Lima, best known for its association football, soccer team. It was founded on 13 December 1955 in the Rímac District, Rímac district by e ...
, Universitario and UTC are the only teams that have played in every season since Liga 1 was established in 2019. *7 seasons:
Alianza Lima Club Alianza Lima, more commonly known as simply Alianza Lima, is a Peru, Peruvian professional sports club based in La Victoria District, Lima, La Victoria District of Lima, Peru. The club was founded under the name of Sport Alianza on February ...
(2025), Melgar (2025), Sport Boys (2025), Sport Huancayo (2025),
Sporting Cristal Club Sporting Cristal S.A., shortened to Sporting Cristal, is a Peruvian sports club located in the city of Lima, best known for its association football, soccer team. It was founded on 13 December 1955 in the Rímac District, Rímac district by e ...
(2025), Universitario (2025), UTC (2025) *6 seasons: Carlos A. Mannucci (2024), Universidad César Vallejo (2024), Cienciano (2025),
Cusco Cusco or Cuzco (; or , ) is a city in southeastern Peru, near the Sacred Valley of the Andes mountain range and the Huatanay river. It is the capital of the eponymous Cusco Province, province and Cusco Region, department. The city was the cap ...
(2025), Binacional (2025) *5 seasons: Academia Cantolao (2023), Deportivo Municipal (2023),
Alianza Atlético Club Alianza Atlético de Sullana, shorted to Alianza Atlético, is a Peru, Peruvian professional association football, football club, located in the city of Sullana. The club was founded in 1920 and promoted to the Primera División Peruana, Peruv ...
(2025),
Atlético Grau Club Atlético Grau, more commonly known as Atlético Grau or simply, Grau, is a Peruvian professional football club based in the city of Piura. The club was founded in 1919 and currently plays in the Peruvian Primera División, the top tier of P ...
(2025), Ayacucho (2025) *4 seasons: Universidad San Martín (2022),
Alianza Universidad Club Social Deportivo y Cultural Alianza Universidad de Huánuco, popularly known as Alianza Universidad or Alianza Huanuco, is a football in Peru, Peruvian professional football club, based in the city of Huánuco. The club was founded in 1939 un ...
(2025) *3 seasons: Unión Comercio (2024), Deportivo Garcilaso (2025) *2 seasons: Carlos Stein (2022), Comerciantes Unidos (2025), Los Chankas (2025) *1 season: Pirata (2019), Deportivo Llacuabamba (2020), Juan Pablo II College (2025)


Most seasons

Below is the list of clubs that have appeared in Liga 1 (formerly Torneo Descentralizado) since its inception in 1966 until the 2025 season. The teams in bold compete in Liga 1 currently. The year in parentheses represents the most recent year of participation at this level.
Alianza Lima Club Alianza Lima, more commonly known as simply Alianza Lima, is a Peru, Peruvian professional sports club based in La Victoria District, Lima, La Victoria District of Lima, Peru. The club was founded under the name of Sport Alianza on February ...
,
Sporting Cristal Club Sporting Cristal S.A., shortened to Sporting Cristal, is a Peruvian sports club located in the city of Lima, best known for its association football, soccer team. It was founded on 13 December 1955 in the Rímac District, Rímac district by e ...
and Universitario are the only teams that have played in every season of Liga 1. * 60 seasons:
Alianza Lima Club Alianza Lima, more commonly known as simply Alianza Lima, is a Peru, Peruvian professional sports club based in La Victoria District, Lima, La Victoria District of Lima, Peru. The club was founded under the name of Sport Alianza on February ...
(2025),
Sporting Cristal Club Sporting Cristal S.A., shortened to Sporting Cristal, is a Peruvian sports club located in the city of Lima, best known for its association football, soccer team. It was founded on 13 December 1955 in the Rímac District, Rímac district by e ...
(2025), Universitario (2025) * 56 seasons: Melgar (2025) * 52 seasons: Sport Boys (2025) * 44 seasons: Deportivo Municipal (2023) * 42 seasons: Cienciano (2025) * 36 seasons: Juan Aurich (2017) * 32 seasons:
Alianza Atlético Club Alianza Atlético de Sullana, shorted to Alianza Atlético, is a Peru, Peruvian professional association football, football club, located in the city of Sullana. The club was founded in 1920 and promoted to the Primera División Peruana, Peruv ...
(2025) * 27 seasons: León de Huánuco (2015) * 25 seasons: Carlos A. Mannucci (2024), UTC (2025) * 24 seasons: Unión Huaral (2006) * 23 seasons: Coronel Bolognesi (2009) * 22 seasons: CNI (2011) * 20 seasons:
Atlético Grau Club Atlético Grau, more commonly known as Atlético Grau or simply, Grau, is a Peruvian professional football club based in the city of Piura. The club was founded in 1919 and currently plays in the Peruvian Primera División, the top tier of P ...
(2025) * 19 seasons: Atlético Torino (1997), Defensor Lima (1994), Universidad San Martín (2022) * 18 seasons:
Alfonso Ugarte Alfonso Ugarte (July 13, 1847 – June 7, 1880) was a Peruvian civilian turned military commander during the War of the Pacific, between Peru and Bolivia against Chile. He held the rank of colonel. Early life Ugarte was born in Tarapacá Prov ...
(1991) * 17 seasons: Deportivo Junín (1990), Sport Huancayo (2025), Universidad César Vallejo (2024) * 16 seasons: ADT (2025), Unión Minas (2001) * 15 seasons: Ayacucho (2025) * 14 seasons: Octavio Espinosa (1991) * 13 seasons: Atlético Chalaco (1985),
Cusco Cusco or Cuzco (; or , ) is a city in southeastern Peru, near the Sacred Valley of the Andes mountain range and the Huatanay river. It is the capital of the eponymous Cusco Province, province and Cusco Region, department. The city was the cap ...
(2025) * 12 seasons: Deportivo Wanka (2004), José Gálvez (2013), San Agustín (1996) * 11 seasons: Unión Comercio (2024) * 7 seasons: Academia Cantolao (2023), Binacional (2025), Defensor ANDA (1990), Defensor Arica (1972) * 6 seasons: Atlético Huracán (1990), Diablos Rojos (1991), Juventud La Joya (1990), Juventud La Palma (1987) * 5 seasons:
Alianza Universidad Club Social Deportivo y Cultural Alianza Universidad de Huánuco, popularly known as Alianza Universidad or Alianza Huanuco, is a football in Peru, Peruvian professional football club, based in the city of Huánuco. The club was founded in 1939 un ...
(2025), Comerciantes Unidos (2025), Deportivo Cañaña (1991), Internazionale (1991), José Pardo (1975), Mina San Vicente (1991), Porvenir Miraflores (1971), Sport Áncash (2009) * 4 seasons: AELU (1991), Centro Iqueño (1969), Libertad (1991), Deportivo Hospital (1991), Deportivo Pucallpa (1988),
Estudiantes de Medicina Club Social y Deportivo Estudiantes de Medicina is a Peruvian football club from the city of Ica. The club was founded 1975 and plays in the Copa Perú, which is the third division of the Peruvian league. History The club was the 2000 Copa Pe ...
(2004) * 3 seasons: 15 de Septiembre (1990), Alipio Ponce (1990), Atlético Universidad (2005), Aurich–Cañaña (1996),
Aurora An aurora ( aurorae or auroras), also commonly known as the northern lights (aurora borealis) or southern lights (aurora australis), is a natural light display in Earth's sky, predominantly observed in high-latitude regions (around the Arc ...
(1991), Ciclista Lima (1996), Deportivo Garcilaso (2025), Deportivo SIMA (1973), Guardia Republicana (1996), Hungaritos Agustinos (1988),
Juvenil Los Ángeles Juvenil Los Ángeles is a Peruvian football (soccer), football club, playing in the city of Moquegua, Peru. The club play in the Copa Perú which is the third division of the Peruvian league. History The club have played at the highest level of ...
(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 Morba (1991), Deportivo Pacífico (1991), Deportivo Tintaya (1989), Hijos de Yurimaguas (1992), KDT Nacional (1969), La Loretana (1997), Los Chankas (2025), Los Espartanos (1986), Mariscal Nieto (1991),
Rosario Rosario () is the largest city in the central provinces of Argentina, Argentine province of Santa Fe Province, Santa Fe. The city, located northwest of Buenos Aires on the west bank of the Paraná River, is the third-most populous city in the ...
(2018), San Martín de Porres (1990), Sport Pilsen (1985), Unión Huayllaspanca (1991) * 1 season: ADO (1971), Alcides Vigo (1997), Alianza Naval (1988), Atlético Minero (2008), Atlético Barrio Frigorífico (1974), Carlos Concha (1966), Defensor La Bocana (2016), Deportivo Comercio (1991), Deportivo Llacuabamba (2020), IMI (1999), Juan Pablo II College (2025),
Lawn Tennis Tennis is a List of racket sports, racket sport that is played either individually against a single opponent (singles (tennis), singles) or between two teams of two players each (doubles (tennis), doubles). Each player uses a tennis racket st ...
(1998), Los Caimanes (2014), Pacífico (2013), Pirata (2019), Piérola (1974), San Simón (2014), Social Magdalena (1989), Sport Loreto (2015), Sportivo Huracán (1973), Unión Pesquero (1974),
Walter Ormeño José Francisco Walter Ormeño Arango (3 December 1926 – 4 January 2020) was a Peruvian association football, footballer who played as a Goalkeeper (association football), goalkeeper. Playing career Born in Lima, Ormeño played for Club Univ ...
(1974)


List of champions


Titles by club

*There are 21 clubs who have won the Peruvian title. *Teams in bold compete in the Liga 1 as of the 2025 season. *''Italics'' indicates clubs that no longer exist or disaffiliated from the FPF.


Record players


Most Appearances

It's the top ranking the footballers than more have played in the Primera División of the Peruvian football. *Players in bold still in activity.


Top scorers

;Most time goalscorers: *7 times. ** Teodoro Fernández (1932, 1933, 1934, 1939, 1940, 1942 and 1945). ;Most goals by a player in a single season: *40 goals. ** Emanuel Herrera (2018).


Most assists

;Most assists by a player in a single season: *19 assists. ** Alfredo Ramúa (2018)


Most clean sheets


Multiple hat-tricks


See also

* Football in Peru * Peruvian Football Federation *
List of football clubs in Peru This is a non-exhaustive list of football (soccer), football clubs in Peru with the current 19 first division teams, 15 second division teams and 37 third division teams as of 2025. The Copa Perú has variable number of teams from the rest of the c ...
* Copa LFP - FPF * Supercopa Peruana * Torneo de Promoción y Reserva * Peruvian football league system ** Liga 2 ** Liga 3 **
Copa Perú The Copa Perú is a association football, football tournament in Peru and the fourth-highest division of the Peruvian football league system. Despite its name, it is not entirely an elimination-cup competition involving all Peruvian clubs, but ra ...
** Ligas Departamentales ** Ligas Superiores ** Ligas Provinciales ** Ligas Distritales


Footnotes

:A.  Includes titles as "Federación Universitaria" (until 1932). :B.  Includes titles as "Sport Alianza" (''Liga''). :C.  ''Liga'' team from
Lima Lima ( ; ), founded in 1535 as the Ciudad de los Reyes (, Spanish for "City of Biblical Magi, Kings"), is the capital and largest city of Peru. It is located in the valleys of the Chillón River, Chillón, Rímac River, Rímac and Lurín Rive ...
, not to be confused with José Gálvez from Chimbote.


References


External links

* * * * *
Peruvian Football Federation
at the
RSSSF The Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation (''RSSSF'') is an international organisation dedicated to collecting statistics about association football. The foundation aims to build an exhaustive archive of football-related information from around ...
{{DEFAULTSORT:Peruvian Primera Division 1 Top-level football leagues in South America