Argentine Primera División facts for kids
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| Organising body | AFA |
|---|---|
| Founded | 12 April 1891 |
| First season | 1931 |
| Country | Argentina |
| Confederation | CONMEBOL |
| Number of teams | 28 (22 from 2026) |
| Level on pyramid | 1 |
| Relegation to | Primera Nacional |
| Domestic cup(s) | Copa Argentina Supercopa Argentina Copa Liga Profesional Trofeo de Campeones Supercopa Internacional |
| International cup(s) | Copa Libertadores Copa Sudamericana |
| Current champions | River Plate (2023) (38th title) |
| Most championships | River Plate (38 titles) |
| Most appearances | Hugo Gatti (765) |
| Top goalscorer | Arsenio Erico (295) |
| TV partners | ESPN Premium TNT Sports (Argentina) List of international broadcasters |
The Primera División (which means "First Division" in Spanish) is the top professional football league in Argentina. It is also known as the Liga Profesional de Fútbol. The Argentine Football Association (AFA) organizes this exciting league.
This league is the highest level of football in Argentina. Teams can move up to the Primera División or be sent down to the Primera Nacional (Second Division) based on how well they play. The teams that finish lowest in the standings at the end of the season are relegated.
Argentina was one of the first countries outside the United Kingdom to start a football league. The first championship was held way back in 1891. In the beginning, only teams from certain areas like Buenos Aires could join. Later, teams from other cities also became part of the league.
The Primera División became a professional league in 1931. This happened when 18 clubs decided to leave the amateur leagues and form a professional one. Since then, the season has been played every year, using different rules and schedules.
The International Federation of Football History & Statistics (IFFHS) once ranked the Argentine championship as one of the top ten strongest leagues in the world in 2015. It was ranked 4th, after leagues from Spain, Italy, and Germany.
Contents
- How the League Works
- History of Argentine Football
- Early Amateur Years (1891–1931)
- Professional Football Begins (1931–1966)
- Metropolitano and Nacional Tournaments (1967–1985)
- European-Style Seasons (1985–1991)
- Apertura and Clausura (1991–2012)
- Inicial and Final (2012–2014)
- One Tournament Again and Superliga (2014–2020)
- Back to AFA Control (2020–Present)
- Clubs in the League
- League Champions
- Top Goal Scorers
- Media Coverage
- See also
How the League Works
Championship Rules
The 2024 season will have 28 teams playing. This includes 26 teams from the previous season and two teams that moved up from the 2023 Primera Nacional. The league usually starts in May and finishes in December.
All the teams play against each other once in a round-robin system. This means each team plays 27 matches. The team that earns the most points by the end of the season becomes the champion!
Moving Up or Down (Relegation)
Teams can be moved down to a lower league based on an averaging system. At the end of the season, the two teams with the worst average points over the last three years are relegated. Meanwhile, the winner and runner-up from the Primera Nacional championship get to move up to the Primera División.
Domestic Cup Competitions
The champion of the Primera División gets to play in the Trofeo de Campeones de la Liga Profesional. This is a special match against the winner of the Copa de la Liga Profesional.
The Copa de la Liga Profesional is another important tournament. Teams are divided into two groups and play matches within their group.
International Cup Competitions
Argentine clubs can also play in big international tournaments. Five clubs from Argentina can play in the Copa Libertadores. The Primera División champion automatically gets a spot. The next four best-placed teams in the league also get to play in this cup.
For the Copa Sudamericana, six teams from Argentina can join. These are the clubs that finish from 6th to 11th place in the league standings.
History of Argentine Football
Early Amateur Years (1891–1931)
In 1891, the Association Argentine Football League was created. This was the very first football league outside of the British Isles! The first amateur Primera División matches were played on April 12, 1891.
Professional Football Begins (1931–1966)
From 1931 to 1966, a single tournament was played each year. The team with the most points won the championship. During this time, five famous clubs, known as the "Big Five" (River Plate, Boca Juniors, Independiente, Racing, and San Lorenzo), won all the league championships. No other team managed to win the league during these 36 years.
The system where teams were relegated based on their average points was first used in 1957.
Metropolitano and Nacional Tournaments (1967–1985)
In 1967, the league changed. Instead of one tournament, there were two championships each year: the Metropolitano and the Nacional. The Metropolitano was for clubs that had always played in the main tournament. The Nacional allowed teams from other regions to join.
This change was a big deal! Smaller teams, like Estudiantes de La Plata, Vélez Sarsfield, and Chacarita Juniors, started winning championships. This broke the long-standing dominance of the "Big Five" clubs.
The Metropolitano and Nacional tournaments changed their rules several times over the years. In 1983, the average points system for relegation came back. Some people thought this system was brought back to help prevent big teams from being relegated.
European-Style Seasons (1985–1991)
In 1985, the league changed again. Like many European countries, the football season started to run from the middle of one year to the middle of the next (like August to May). Instead of two championships, there was only one long tournament each year. The team at the top of the table at the end of the season became the champion.
Apertura and Clausura (1991–2012)
Five years later, the single championship was split into two shorter tournaments: the Apertura and the Clausura. This meant that two champions were crowned each season. For example, in 1991, the winners of the two tournaments played a final match, but later, both winners were simply called champions.
Starting in the 1995–96 season, teams began getting three points for a win, one for a draw, and none for a loss.
Inicial and Final (2012–2014)
For the 2012–13 season, the Apertura and Clausura tournaments were renamed "Torneo Inicial" and "Torneo Final." They had a similar format, but only one champion was named each season.
After these two tournaments, the winners would play a special match for the Copa Campeonato, also known as the Superfinal. In 2013, the winner of this match was considered the official league champion. However, from 2014 onwards, this Superfinal was seen as a separate cup, not a league title.
One Tournament Again and Superliga (2014–2020)
In August 2014, the league went back to having one tournament with 20 teams. In 2015, the format changed again to include 30 teams.
From 2017 to 2020, the league was organized by a new group called "Superliga Argentina." This group was separate from the AFA. The idea was to make Argentine football a bigger "product."
Back to AFA Control (2020–Present)
In February 2020, the AFA announced that it would take back control of organizing the Primera División championships. The Superliga was replaced by a new body called "Liga Profesional de Fútbol," which is directly linked to the AFA.
Clubs in the League
As of 2023, there are 28 teams competing in the Primera División. These include the 26 teams from the previous season and two teams that were promoted from the 2022 Primera Nacional.
League Champions
Since the first championship in 1891, 28 different clubs have won the Primera División title. The club with the most titles is River Plate, with 38 championships. Other very successful clubs include Boca Juniors (35 titles), Racing (18 titles), Independiente (16 titles), and San Lorenzo (15 titles).
Top Goal Scorers
The player who has scored the most goals in the history of the Primera División Argentina is Arsenio Erico, with an amazing 295 goals! Most of the top goal scorers played before the 1970s. One of the few more recent players on the top twenty list is Martín Palermo, who played for Estudiantes (LP) and Boca Juniors.
Media Coverage
In Argentina, matches are broadcast by American companies ESPN and Turner. They signed a big contract to show the games. Local company Torneos helps produce the content for these broadcasts.
Before 2016, Argentine football matches were shown for free in Argentina through a program called "Fútbol para Todos" (Football for Everyone). The government paid for this program.
The league is watched by people all over the world, not just in South America! Matches are broadcast in over 80 countries. In Latin America, you can watch games live on ESPN and TyC Sports International. In the United States, matches are streamed on Paramount+. BeIN Sports broadcasts the games live in France and the Middle East.
See also
In Spanish: Primera División de Argentina para niños
