Liga Nacional de Guatemala

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Liga Nacional de Guatemala


Founded
1919
Current member clubs
10
Current Champions
CSD Municipal
League system
League of 18 matches each team. The highest 6 clubs play a two legged playoff and a two legged final.

Liga Nacional de Fútbol de Guatemala (National Football League of Guatemala), formerly known as Liga Mayor "A" (Major League "A") is a professional football division in Guatemala, the highest one in the country. It is sanctioned by the Federación Nacional de Fútbol de Guatemala. The champion and runner-up teams of the Liga Nacional's official tournaments qualify to participate in international competitions within the UNCAF and the CONCACAF. Ten teams currently compose the league and compete for the national title. The club with the most championships won is Municipal, with 24 national titles.

1 History
2 Competition format
3 Teams in the league 2006-2007
4 Further reading
5 References and notes
6 External links

[edit] History

Its first official tournament took place in 1942, and succeeded what was known as the Liga Capitalina (League of the Capital), which started in 1919. The 1942-43 tournament was played by seven teams in a double round-robin tournament. Three teams – Municipal, Tipografía Nacional, and Guatemala FC – finished tied for the first place after the two rounds. A playoff between the three teams was conducted to determine the winner, with Municipal earning their first national title.^[1]

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[edit] Competition format

The league has had several different formats throughout its history; currently, the league season is divided into two tournaments. The Apertura, which is played in the fall, and Clausura, which is played in the spring. The first 6 clubs in the standings at the end of each competition participate in the play-offs 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 competitions participate in the UNCAF Club Tournament.

The 10th place team in the final relegation standings (the combined standings of both apertura and clausura tournaments) is relegated to Primera División (2nd division league, the next-lower level) automatically at the end of the Clausura tournament in late May. Teams who finish in 8th and 9th place have to play in a two legged playoff series with the top teams of Primera División, if defeated, they will be relegated and their opponents will be promoted.