Uruguayan Primera División
The Liga Profesional de Primera División (American Spanish [ˈliɣa pɾofesjoˈnal de pɾiˈmeɾa ðiβiˈsjon], English: First Division Professional League, local: [pɾiˈmeɾa ðiβiˈsjon], First Division), named "Torneo Uruguayo Copa Coca-Cola" for sponsorship reasons, is the highest professional football league in Uruguay organized by the Uruguayan Football Association (AUF).
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| Founded | 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 | Nacional (49th title) (2022) |
| Most championships | |
| Top goalscorer | Fernando Morena (230) |
| TV partners | Tenfield, Gol TV, Arena Sport |
| Website | auf.org.uy |
| Current: 2023 season | |
The first championship was held in 1900, being an amateur competition until 1932 when the league became professional. From 1900 to the 2014–15 season there have been 111 first division seasons.
In 2011, the Uruguayan Primera División was regarded as the 23rd most difficult football league in the 21st century by the International Federation of Football History & Statistics (IFFHS).[1]
If considered the same club, Peñarol/CURCC is the most successful Uruguayan club with 51 titles. Otherwise, it is Nacional with 49 titles. Of clubs to win titles, only Rampla Juniors did not win multiple titles. Rampla Juniors and Wanderers were the only clubs to not win titles consecutively.
History
The Uruguayan Primera División was held by the first time in 1900. Between 1923 and 1925, under the Uruguayan football schism, a dissident league, the Federación Uruguaya de Football, was established. The body operated in parallel with the official Association (AUF). After an intervention by the Uruguayan government to impose the dissolution of the FUF, in 1926 a Provisional Council ("Concejo Provisorio") organised a championship to unify the two organizations. Peñarol was the winner of the Serie A of the tournament. Nevertheless, neither the AUF nor the FIFA recognised the titles of the championships organized by FUF or CP.[2]
From 1930 to 1975, either Nacional or Peñarol won every title. This streak was finally broken when Defensor won its first title in 1976. Besides Nacional or Peñarol, no other club has won titles consecutively. Both Peñarol (1958 to 1962 and 1993 to 1997) and Nacional (from 1939 to 1943) hold the record title streaks winning five titles consecutively. The longest period of time without neither Peñarol nor Nacional winning the title was from 1987 to 1991, when Defensor, Danubio, Progreso, Bella Vista, and again Defensor won the five tournaments played during that period.[3]
After 1994, the competition was divided in two stages, called the Opening Championship (Torneo Apertura) and Closing Championship (Torneo Clausura), with an end-of-season two-legged final match between the winners of these two tournaments.
Originally, like other South American football leagues, the league was contested according to the calendar year, from austral summer to summer in the Southern Hemisphere. In 2005, the league started to play the "European season", from boreal summer to summer in Northern Hemisphere starting in August, with the aim of preventing clubs from losing many players in the middle of the season. In the first semester of 2005, a special short season was held to decide the qualification to international competition. In the 2005–06 season, the winners of the Apertura and Clausura tournaments played a two (or three) legged play-off; the winner of that playoff played against the best team in the aggregate table to decide the 2005–06 season champion.
In the 2006–07 season, the competition was reduced to 16 clubs. The season of 2008–09 was intended to be the last one to be played in "European season", as the system appeared to be unable to prevent clubs from losing players between the Apertura (opening) tournament and the Clausura (closing). However, the transition did not take place for several years. After a regular 2015–16 season was played, a short 2016 was played in the latter half of the year, with the full calendar year system in place once again beginning with the 2017 season.
Participating teams
A total of 58 teams have participated in the Primera Division since its inception in 1900. Nacional has played the most seasons followed by Peñarol/CURCC. Peñarol and Nacional are also the only two teams to have never been relegated out of the Primera Division. Of the so-called 'minor' teams the record for most seasons lies with Montevideo Wanderers.
2023 season
All statistics pertain only to the Uruguayan Championships organized by the Uruguayan Football Association (AUF), not including FUF tournaments of 1923, 1924 and the 1926 Consejo Provisorio tournament in seasons counted. The founding dates of clubs are those declared by the clubs themselves involved.[note 1] The column "stadium" reflects the stadium where the team play their home matches, but does not indicate that the team in question owns the stadium.[note 3]
| Club | City | Stadium | Capacity | Establ. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boston River | Montevideo | Juan Antonio Lavalleja | 7,000 | 1939 |
| Cerro | Montevideo | Luis Tróccoli | 25,000 | 1922 |
| Cerro Largo | Melo | Antonio Ubilla | 9,000 | 2002 |
| Danubio | Montevideo | Jardines del Hipódromo | 18,000 | 1932 |
| Defensor Sporting | Montevideo | Luis Franzini | 16,000 | 1913 |
| Deportivo Maldonado | Maldonado | Domingo Burgueño Miguel | 22,000 | 1928 |
| Fénix | Montevideo | Parque Capurro | 10,000 | 1916 |
| La Luz | Montevideo | Parque Liebig's | 10,000 | 1929 |
| Liverpool | Montevideo | Belvedere | 10,000 | 1915 |
| Montevideo City Torque | Montevideo | Centenario | 60,235 | 2007 |
| Montevideo Wanderers | Montevideo | Parque Alfredo Víctor Viera | 11,000 | 1902 |
| Nacional | Montevideo | Gran Parque Central | 34,000 | 1899 |
| Peñarol | Montevideo | Campeón del Siglo | 40,000 | 1891 / 1913 [note 1] |
| Plaza Colonia | Colonia | Parque Prandi | 4,500 | 1917 |
| Racing | Montevideo | Osvaldo Roberto | 8,500 | 1919 |
| River Plate | Montevideo | Parque Federico Omar Saroldi | 5,624 | 1932 |
Champions
List of champions (1900–present)
All tournaments organized by the Uruguayan Football Association (AUF) except where indicated. No records for topscorers during the period 1900–1931.
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Titles by club
- As of 30 October 2022
- Clubs participating in the 2023 Uruguayan Primera División season are denoted in bold type.
- Clubs no longer active are denoted in italics.
| Rank | Club | Winners | Runners-up | Winning seasons |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | CURCC / Peñarol [note 1] | 51 | 41 | 1900, 1901, 1905, 1907, 1911,[note 10] 1918, 1921, 1928, 1929, 1932, 1935, 1936, 1937, 1938, 1944, 1945, 1949, 1951, 1953, 1954, 1958, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1967, 1968, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1978, 1979, 1981, 1982, 1985, 1986, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1999, 2003, 2009–10, 2012–13, 2015–16, 2017, 2018, 2021 |
| 2 | Nacional | 49 | 45 | 1902, 1903, 1912, 1915, 1916, 1917, 1919, 1920, 1922, 1923, 1924, 1933, 1934, 1939, 1940, 1941, 1942, 1943, 1946, 1947, 1950, 1952, 1955, 1956, 1957, 1963, 1966, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1977, 1980, 1983, 1992, 1998, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2005, 2005–06, 2008–09, 2010–11, 2011–12, 2014–15, 2016, 2019, 2020, 2022 |
| 3 | Defensor Sporting | 4 | 9 | 1976, 1987, 1991, 2007–08 |
| Danubio | 4 | 3 | 1988, 2004, 2006–07, 2013–14 | |
| River Plate FC | 4 | — | 1908, 1910, 1913, 1914 | |
| 6 | Montevideo Wanderers | 3 | 8 | 1906, 1909, 1931 |
| 7 | Rampla Juniors | 1 | 5 | 1927 |
| Bella Vista | 1 | 1 | 1990 | |
| Central Español | 1 | — | 1984 | |
| Progreso | 1 | — | 1989 | |
Half-year / Short tournaments
Apertura and Clausura seasons
Torneo Intermedio
| Year | Champion | Score | Runner-up |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Nacional | 1–0 | Defensor Sporting |
| 2018 | Nacional | 3–2 | Torque |
| 2019 | Liverpool | 2–2 (5–4 p) | River Plate |
| 2020 | Nacional | 0–0 (4–1 p) | Montevideo Wanderers |
| 2021 | (Not held)[note 11] | ||
| 2022 | Nacional | 1–0 | Liverpool |
| 2023 | Liverpool | 1–0 | Defensor Sporting |
Total Half-year / Short tournaments by club
| Club | Total | Half-year / Short tournaments | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Torneo Apertura (1994–) | Torneo Clausura (1994–) | Torneo Intermedio (2017–) | ||
| Nacional | 24 | 12 | 8 | 4 |
| Peñarol | 16 | 6 | 10 | 0 |
| Defensor Sporting | 8 | 4 | 4 | 0 |
| Danubio | 6 | 3 | 3 | 0 |
| Liverpool | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Plaza Colonia | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Montevideo Wanderers | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Rentistas | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Rocha | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
All-time top scorers
The chart includes championships since 1900 to present days.[8]
| Pos. | Player | Period | Goals | Appear. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Fernando Morena | 1969–84 | 230 | 244 |
| 2 | Atilio García | 1938–50 | 208 | 210 |
| 3 | Héctor Scarone | 1916–34 | 163 | 191 |
| 4 | Pablo Terevinto | 1920–31 | 124 | 157 |
| 5 |  Alberto Spencer | 1960–70 | 113 | 166 |
| 6 | René Borjas | 1920–31 | 109 | 199 |
| 7 | Héctor Castro | 1921–36 | 107 | 181 |
| 8 | Óscar Míguez | 1948–60 | 107 | 137 |
| 9 | Pedro Petrone | 1923–33 | 103 | 97 |
| 10 | Peregrino Anselmo | 1922–35 | 102 | 180 |
See also
Notes
- Controversy exists on the date of the founding of C.A. Peñarol. The club's official position assumes a change of name of CURCC (founded on December 28, 1891). On the other hand, some historians state that "C.A. Peñarol" was established on December 13, 1913.[4]
- Due to the controversy about the origins of Peñarol, Nacional would be the most successful team if CURCC titles did not count.
- Montevideo City Torque, Boston River, and La Luz present Estadio Centenario in Montevideo, Estadio Juan Antonio Lavalleja in Trinidad, and Estadio Municipal Parque Liebig's in Fray Bentos as their exclusive stadiums, but they are owned by the Departamental Intendancies of Montevideo, Flores, and Río Negro, respectively.
- The 1904 championship was not played due to the Battle of Masoller
- Title count considering C.A. Peñarol as a continuity of CURCC
- The 1925 championship was not finished because of internal differences.
- As the AUF did not organise a championship, a "Concejo Provisorio" was established to hold a tournament, which was won by Peñarol
- No championship was played because of the 1930 FIFA World Cup.
- Not played due to a players strike
- (1901–1911): Titles won by the CURCC. With FIFA [6] and CONMEBOL[7] recognising Peñarol as CURCC's continuity, the club included those championship in their list of honours. On the other side, some historians say that football became active in CURCC until its dissolution in 1913 so Peñarol was a different institution.[4]
- The Torneo Intermedio was not played in 2021 due to schedule constraints caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
References
- The strongest Leagues of the World of the 21st Century (2001-2011) on IFFHS (Archive, 14 Jan 2013)
- "Hasta ahora se jugaron 109 Uruguayos" on Ovación Digital
- Uruguay – List of Champions at RSSSF
- Discusiones por el decanato on Fútbol.uy, 29 Sep 2009
- Tabeira, Martín (October 28, 2010). "Uruguay – League Top Scorers". RSSSF. Retrieved December 22, 2010.
- ¡Felicita a Peñarol! (120th anniversary) on FIFA.com, 27 Sep 2011
- Guía de clubes sudamericanos, p. 19 on CONMEBOL website
- "Uruguay All-Time Topscorers" at RSSSF
External links
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