Uruguayan Primera División facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Liga AUF Uruguaya

Founded	1900; 125 years ago (1900)
Country	Uruguay
Confederation	CONMEBOL
Number of teams	16
Level on pyramid	1
Relegation to	Segunda División
Domestic cup(s)	Copa Uruguay Supercopa Uruguaya
International cup(s)	Copa Libertadores Copa Sudamericana
Current champions	Peñarol (52nd title) (2024)
Most championships	Peñarol / CURCC (52 titles)
Top goalscorer	Fernando Morena (230)
TV partners	Tenfield, Gol TV, Arena Sport

The Liga Profesional de Primera División is the top professional football league in Uruguay. It is organized by the Uruguayan Football Association (AUF). Sometimes, it is called "Torneo Uruguayo Copa Coca-Cola" because of its sponsors.

The first championship happened in 1900. Back then, it was an amateur competition, meaning players were not paid. It became a professional league in 1932. From 1900 until the 2024 season, there have been 121 seasons of this league.

In 2011, a group called the International Federation of Football History & Statistics (IFFHS) said the Uruguayan Primera División was the 23rd toughest football league in the 21st century.

If you count Peñarol and CURCC as the same team, they have won the most titles with 52 wins. If they are counted separately, then Nacional has the most titles with 49. Only one club, Rampla Juniors, has won a title just once.

History of the League

The Uruguayan Primera División started in 1900. Between 1923 and 1925, there was a disagreement in Uruguayan football. A different league, the Federación Uruguaya de Football (FUF), was created. It ran at the same time as the official Association (AUF).

After the Uruguayan government stepped in, the FUF was closed. In 1926, a temporary group organized a championship to bring the two organizations back together. Peñarol won this tournament. However, neither the AUF nor FIFA (the world football body) recognized the titles from the FUF or this temporary championship.

From 1930 to 1975, either Nacional or Peñarol won every single title. This amazing streak ended when Defensor won their first title in 1976. No other club has won titles in a row like Nacional or Peñarol. Both Peñarol (from 1958 to 1962 and 1993 to 1997) and Nacional (from 1939 to 1943) hold the record for winning five titles in a row.

The longest time without either Peñarol or Nacional winning the title was from 1987 to 1991. During this period, Defensor, Danubio, Progreso, Bella Vista, and Defensor again, won the five tournaments.

After 1994, the competition was split into two parts: the Opening Championship (Torneo Apertura) and the Closing Championship (Torneo Clausura). The winners of these two tournaments then played a final match to decide the overall champion.

Originally, the league followed the calendar year, from summer to summer in the Southern Hemisphere. In 2005, the league changed to a "European season" schedule, starting in August. This was done to stop clubs from losing many players in the middle of the season. A special short season was held in the first half of 2005 to decide who would qualify for international competitions.

In the 2006–07 season, the number of clubs in the competition was reduced to 16. The league tried to go back to the calendar year system in 2008–09, but it didn't happen for several years. After a regular 2015–16 season, a short 2016 season was played in the latter half of the year. The full calendar year system finally returned with the 2017 season.

League Levels

Teams in the League

A total of 60 teams have played in the Primera Division since it started in 1900. Nacional has played the most seasons, followed by Peñarol/CURCC. Peñarol and Nacional are also the only two teams that have never been moved down to a lower division. Among the other teams, Montevideo Wanderers has played the most seasons.

2025 Season Teams

The information below is only about the Uruguayan Championships organized by the Uruguayan Football Association (AUF). It does not include tournaments from the FUF in 1923, 1924, or the 1926 Consejo Provisorio tournament. The founding dates for clubs are what the clubs themselves have stated. The "stadium" column shows where the team plays its home games, but it doesn't mean the team owns that stadium.

League Champions

List of Champions (1900–Present)

All these tournaments were organized by the Uruguayan Football Association (AUF), unless noted otherwise.

Titles Won by Clubs

• Clubs playing in the 2025 Uruguayan Primera División season are shown in bold.
• Clubs that are no longer active are shown in italics.

Half-Year and Short Tournaments

Apertura and Clausura Seasons

Torneo Intermedio

Torneo Clasificatorio

Liguilla Pre-Libertadores de América

Top Scorers

See also

In Spanish: Primera División de Uruguay para niños

• Uruguayan football league system
• Uruguayan championship (FUF)
• Torneo del Consejo Provisorio
• Uruguayan Football Stadiums
• Uruguayan Segunda División