The Chilean Primera División (English: First Division of Chile) is a professional football league, being the highest division of Chilean football league system. It is organized by the ANFP. The league was previously known as the Campeonato AFP PlanVital for sponsorship reasons. In 2023, the ANFP signed a partnership with Betsson Group to become the official naming sponsor of the competition, which became known as Campeonato Betsson.[3]
| Founded | 31 May 1933 |
|---|---|
| Country | Chile |
| Confederation | CONMEBOL |
| Number of teams | 16 |
| Level on pyramid | 1 |
| Relegation to | Primera B |
| Domestic cup(s) | Copa Chile |
| International cup(s) | Copa Libertadores Copa Sudamericana |
| Current champions | Colo-Colo (34th title) (2024) |
| Most championships | Colo-Colo (34 titles) |
| Most appearances | Adolfo Nef (624)[1] |
| Top goalscorer | Esteban Paredes (221)[2] |
| TV partners |
|
| Website | anfp.cl |
| Current: 2024 Chilean Primera División | |
Format
editAs of the 2018 season, 16 teams compete in the league, playing against each other twice, once at home and once away.
Relegation and promotion
editCurrently, the two teams with the worst scores in the season, are relegated to Primera B, and replaced by the champions and the playoff winners of this division.
Qualification for international competitions
editThe league champions qualify for the following year's Copa Libertadores, as well as the runners-up and the third-placed team. The teams placing fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh qualify for the following year's Copa Sudamericana.
History
edit
Amateurism
editThe Asociación de Fútbol de Santiago (also known as AFS) was the first organization in Chile to organize football tournament. It was formed in 1903 and organized non-professional football in Santiago. Later on, it was the organization responsible for holding the national professional football league in Chile.
Professionalism
editIn 1933, eight big clubs at that time, namely, Unión Española, Badminton, Colo-Colo, Audax Italiano, Green Cross, Morning Star, Magallanes and Santiago National F.C., founded the Liga Profesional de Football de Santiago (LPF) on May 31, 1933. The newly formed body was recognized by the Football Federation of Chile on June 2, 1933. [citation needed]
The first edition of professional competition was contested by the eight founding teams and was won by Magallanes after defeating Colo-Colo in a decisive match. In the following year, according to the disposition of Federación de Fútbol de Chile, Liga Profesional returned to integrate with the AFS. As part of the negotiations for reunification, four teams from AFS, namely, Ferroviarios, Carlos Walker, Deportivo Alemán, and Santiago F.C., would join the 1934 professional competition. Moreover, it was also decided that the last six teams in the 1934 competition would be eliminated to form the new second division in 1935. The title of the expanded 1934 edition was again clinched by Magallanes, which won 10 out of the 11 matches that year.[4]
Sponsorships
edit| Year | Sponsor |
|---|---|
| 1933–1992 | (None) |
| 1993–2009 |  Banco Estado
|
| 2010–2013 |  Petrobras
|
| 2014–2018 |  Scotiabank
|
| 2019–2022 | AFP PlanVital
|
| 2023 |  Betsson
|
| 2024–present | Itaú
|
Division levels
edit| Year | Level | Relegation to |
|---|---|---|
| 1933–1934 | 1 |
(None) |
| 1935–1942 | 1 |
Serie B Profesional |
| 1943–1951 | 1 |
División de Honor Amateur |
| 1952–1995 | 1 |
Segunda División |
| 1996–present | 1 |
Primera B |
Rivalries
edit- Colo-Colo – Universidad de Chile (National derby)
- Universidad de Chile – Universidad Católica (Universitario derby)
- Colo-Colo – Universidad Católica (Albo-Cruzado derby)
- Colo-Colo – Cobreloa (Loíno-Albo derby)
- Santiago Wanderers – Everton (Porteño derby)
- Unión Española – Audax Italiano – Palestino (Colonias derby)
- Deportes Iquique – San Marcos de Arica (Northern derby)
- Cobreloa – Cobresal (Cobre derby)
- Rangers – Curicó Unido (Maule derby)
Current teams
edit
16 teams will take part in the league in this season: the top 14 teams from the 2024 tournament, plus the 2024 Primera B champions Deportes La Serena and the winners of the promotion play-offs. La Serena secured promotion to the top tier after two years on 29 September 2024, winning the Primera B tournament with a 1–0 win over Deportes Recoleta.[5] The promoted teams will replace Cobreloa and Deportes Copiapó, who were relegated to Primera B at the end of the 2024 season.
Stadia and locations
edit| Team | City | Stadium | Capacity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Audax Italiano | Santiago (La Florida) | Bicentenario de La Florida | 12,000 |
| Cobresal | El Salvador | El Cobre | 12,000 |
| Colo-Colo | Santiago (Macul) | Monumental David Arellano | 47,347 |
| Coquimbo Unido | Coquimbo | Francisco Sánchez Rumoroso | 18,750 |
| Deportes Iquique | Iquique | Tierra de Campeones | 13,171 |
| Deportes La Serena | La Serena | La Portada | 18,243 |
| Everton | Viña del Mar | Sausalito | 22,360 |
| Huachipato | Talcahuano | Huachipato-CAP Acero | 10,500 |
| Ñublense | Chillán | Nelson Oyarzún Arenas | 12,000 |
| O'Higgins | Rancagua | El Teniente | 13,849 |
| Palestino | Santiago (La Cisterna) | Municipal de La Cisterna | 8,000 |
| Unión Española | Santiago (Independencia) | Santa Laura-Universidad SEK | 19,000 |
| Unión La Calera | La Calera | Nicolás Chahuán Nazar | 9,200 |
| Universidad Católica | Santiago (Las Condes) | San Carlos de Apoquindo[i] | 20,000 |
| Universidad de Chile | Santiago (Ñuñoa) | Nacional Julio Martínez Prádanos | 48,665 |
- Notes
- ^ Universidad Católica play their home matches at Estadio Santa Laura-Universidad SEK in Santiago since Estadio San Carlos de Apoquindo is closed for remodeling works.[6]
Season in Primera División
editMost seasons
editBelow is the list of clubs that have appeared in Primera División since its inception in 1933 until the 2025 season. The teams in bold compete in Primera División currently. The year in parentheses represents the most recent year of participation at this level.
- 94 seasons: Colo-Colo (2025)
- 91 seasons: Unión Española (2025)
- 88 seasons: Universidad de Chile (2025)
- 85 seasons: Universidad Católica (2025)
- 80 seasons: Audax Italiano (2025)
- 71 seasons: Palestino (2025)
- 69 seasons: Everton (2025)
- 62 seasons: O'Higgins (2025), Santiago Wanderers (2021)
- 52 seasons: Huachipato (2025)
- 50 seasons: Magallanes (2023)
- 46 seasons: Santiago Morning (2011), Rangers (2014)
- 44 seasons: Deportes La Serena (2025)
- 39 seasons: Cobreloa (2024)
- 34 seasons: Cobresal (2024), Deportes Concepción (2008)
- 33 seasons: Deportes Antofagasta (2022)
- 32 seasons: Deportes Temuco (2018)
- 30 seasons: Coquimbo Unido (2025)
- 28 seasons: Unión La Calera (2025)
- 27 seasons: Deportes Iquique (2025)
- 25 seasons: Green Cross (1964)
- 24 seasons: Unión San Felipe (2012)
- 21 seasons: San Luis (2018)
- 18 seasons: Universidad de Concepción (2020)
- 17 seasons: Ñublense (2025), Bádminton (1949), Ferrobádminton (1966)
- 16 seasons: Naval (1990)
- 13 seasons: Lota Schwager (2013)
- 10 seasons: Deportes Puerto Montt (2007), Santiago National (1948)
- 9 seasons: Iberia (1954), Fernández Vial (1992), Provincial Osorno (2008)
- 8 seasons: Curicó Unido (2023)
- 7 seasons: Deportes Aviación (1980), San Marcos de Arica (2016)
- 6 seasons: Regional Atacama (1996)
- 5 seasons: Deportes Melipilla (2021)
- 2 seasons: Deportes Valdivia (1989), Deportes Copiapó (2024), Deportes Ovalle (1977), Morning Star (1934), Santiago (1935), Santiago National Juventus (1941), Trasandino (1984)
- 1 season: Carlos Walker (1934), Ferroviarios (1934), Deportivo Alemán (1934), Metropolitano (1939), Barnechea (2015)
List of seasons
edit
Source (not for goalscorers): rsssf.com[8]
Titles by club
edit- Teams in bold compete in the Primera División as of the 2024 season.
- Italics indicates clubs that no longer exist or disaffiliated from the ANFP.
Source:[9]
| Rank | Club | Winners | Runners-up | Winning years | Runners-up years |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Colo-Colo | 34 | 22 | 1937, 1939, 1941, 1944, 1947, 1953, 1956, 1960, 1963, 1970, 1972, 1979, 1981, 1983, 1986, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1993, 1996, 1997 Clausura, 1998, 2002 Clausura, 2006 Apertura, 2006 Clausura, 2007 Apertura, 2007 Clausura, 2008 Clausura, 2009 Clausura, 2014 Clausura, 2015 Apertura, 2017 Transición, 2022, 2024 | 1933, 1943, 1952, 1954, 1955, 1958, 1959, 1966, 1973, 1982, 1987, 1992, 1997 Apertura, 2003 Apertura, 2003 Clausura, 2008 Apertura, 2010, 2015 Clausura, 2016 Clausura, 2017 Clausura, 2019, 2021 |
| 2 | Universidad de Chile | 18 | 9 | 1940, 1959, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1967, 1969, 1994, 1995, 1999, 2000, 2004 Apertura, 2009 Apertura, 2011 Apertura, 2011 Clausura, 2012 Apertura, 2014 Apertura, 2017 Clausura | 1957, 1961, 1963, 1971, 1980, 1998, 2005 Clausura, 2006 Apertura, 2024 |
| 3 | Universidad Católica | 16 | 21 | 1949, 1954, 1961, 1966, 1984, 1987, 1997 Apertura, 2002 Apertura, 2005 Clausura, 2010, 2016 Clausura, 2016 Apertura, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021 | 1962, 1964, 1965, 1967, 1968, 1989, 1990, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997 Clausura, 1999, 2001, 2002 Clausura, 2007 Apertura, 2009 Clausura, 2011 Apertura, 2013 Transición, 2013 Apertura, 2014 Clausura, 2015 Apertura |
| 4 | Cobreloa | 8 | 8 | 1980, 1982, 1985, 1988, 1992, 2003 Apertura, 2003 Clausura, 2004 Clausura | 1978, 1979, 1981, 1983, 1993, 2000, 2004 Apertura, 2011 Clausura |
| 5 | Unión Española | 7 | 10 | 1943, 1951, 1973, 1975, 1977, 2005 Apertura, 2013 Transición | 1945, 1948, 1950, 1970, 1972, 1976, 2004 Clausura, 2009 Apertura, 2012 Clausura, 2017 Transición |
| 6 | Audax Italiano | 4 | 8 | 1936, 1946, 1948, 1957 | 1934, 1935, 1938, 1940, 1944, 1947, 1951, 2006 Clausura |
| Magallanes | 4 | 4 | 1933, 1934, 1935, 1938 | 1936, 1937, 1942, 1946 | |
| Everton | 4 | 2 | 1950, 1952, 1976, 2008 Apertura | 1977, 1985 | |
| 9 | Santiago Wanderers | 3 | 4 | 1958, 1968, 2001 | 1949, 1956, 1960, 2014 Apertura |
| Huachipato | 3 | — | 1974, 2012 Clausura, 2023 | — | |
| 11 | Palestino | 2 | 4 | 1955, 1978 | 1953, 1974, 1986, 2008 Clausura |
| 12 | Cobresal | 1 | 3 | 2015 Clausura | 1984, 1988, 2023 |
| Santiago Morning | 1 | 2 | 1942 | 1939, 1941 | |
| O'Higgins | 1 | 1 | 2013 Apertura | 2012 Apertura | |
| Green Cross | 1 | — | 1945 | — | |
| Unión San Felipe | 1 | — | 1971 | — | |
| — | Rangers | — | 2 | — | 1969, 2002 Apertura |
| Coquimbo Unido | 2 | 1991, 2005 Apertura | |||
| Universidad de Concepción | 2 | 2007 Clausura, 2018 | |||
| Deportes Concepción | 1 | 1975 | |||
| Deportes Iquique | 1 | 2016 Apertura | |||
| Unión La Calera | 1 | 2020 | |||
| Ñublense | 1 | 2022 |
Titles by region
edit| Region | Nº of titles | Clubs |
|---|---|---|
 Metropolitana
|
87 | Colo-Colo (34), Universidad de Chile (18), Universidad Católica (16), Unión Española (7), Magallanes (4), Audax Italiano (4), Palestino (2), Santiago Morning (1), Green Cross (1) |
 Antofagasta
|
8 | Cobreloa (8) |
 Valparaíso
|
8 | Everton (4), Santiago Wanderers (3), Unión San Felipe (1) |
 Biobío
|
3 | Huachipato (3) |
 Atacama
|
1 | Cobresal (1) |
 O'Higgins
|
1 | O'Higgins (1) |
All-time goalscorers
edit| Rank | Country | Player | Goals | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | |
Esteban Paredes | 221 | 2000-2022 |
| 2 | |
Francisco Valdés | 215 | 1961-1983 |
| 3 | |
Pedro González | 214 | 1985-2006 |
| 4 | |
Honorino Landa | 193 | 1959-1974 |
| 5 |  |
Óscar Fabbiani | 188 | 1974-1987 |
| 6 | |
Marcelo Corrales | 188 | 1990-2007 |
| 7 | |
Carlos Campos | 184 | 1956-1969 |
| 8 | |
Jaime Riveros | 175 | 1990-2011 |
| 9 | |
Atilio Cremaschi | 174 | 1941-1960 |
| 10 | |
Carlos Caszely | 171 | 1967-1986 |
| 11 | |
José Fernández | 171 | 1948-1961 |
| 12 | |
Luis Hernán Álvarez | 168 | 1958-1969 |
| 13 | |
Juan Soto | 166 | 1957-1969 |
| 14 | |
Leonel Sánchez | 161 | 1953-1970 |
| 15 | |
Anibal González | 156 | 1983-2001 |
| 16 | |
Julio Crisosto | 154 | 1969-1983 |
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ [Los grandes récords del fútbol chileno], as chile, 25 September 2015.
- ^ [Los grandes récords del fútbol chileno], as chile, 25 Sep 2015
- ^ "Campeonato Betsson será el nuevo auspiciador de la Primera División". ANFP.cl.
- ^ Chilean League 1934
- ^ "Fiesta en La Portada: Deportes La Serena vence a Recoleta, grita campeón y logra su ascenso a Primera División" [Party at La Portada: Deportes La Serena beat Recoleta, shout champion, and clinch their promotion to Primera División] (in Spanish). ADN Radio. 29 September 2024. Retrieved 21 November 2024.
- ^ "La U y la UC aseguran la localía en el estadio Santa Laura para la temporada 2023" [The U and UC secure Santa Laura stadium as their home venue for the 2023 season] (in Spanish). La Tercera. 3 January 2023. Retrieved 13 January 2023.
- ^ Andrés, Juan Pablo (December 11, 2009). "Chile – List of Topscorers". RSSSF.
- ^ Juan Pablo Andrés and Eric Boesenberg (11 December 2014). "Chile – List of Champions and Runners Up". RSSSF. Retrieved 3 May 2015.
- ^ Juan Pablo Andrés and Eric Boesenberg (23 December 2015). "Chile - List of Champions and Runners Up". RSSSF. Retrieved 29 March 2016.