Liga Nacional de Fútbol de Guatemala

Liga Nacional de Fútbol de Guatemala (National Football League of Guatemala), officially known as the Liga Guate Banrural for sponsorship reasons, 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 their regional confederation. Twelve teams currently compete in the league. Comunicaciones is the most successful club in the league to date, having won 32 tournaments.[1]

Liga Guate Banrural
Founded1919; 105 years ago (1919) as amateur league
1942; 82 years ago (1942) as professional league
CountryGuatemala
ConfederationCONCACAF
Number of teams12
Level on pyramid1
Relegation toPrimera División de Ascenso
Domestic cup(s)Copa de Guatemala
International cup(s)CONCACAF Champions League
CONCACAF Central American Cup
Current championsComunicaciones (32nd title)
Most championshipsComunicaciones
(32 titles)
Most appearancesJairo Arreola (651)
Top goalscorerJuan Carlos Plata (302)
TV partnersAlbavision
Claro Sports
Tigo Sports
Fox Deportes
Websiteligagt.org
Current: 2023–24 Liga Nacional de Guatemala

History edit

Its first official professional tournament took place in 1942, and succeeded what was known as the Liga Capitalina (League of the Capital), which was an amateur tournament that 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.[2]

Competition format edit

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 the Clausura, which is played in the spring. The first 6 clubs in the standings at the end of each competition participate in the playoffs 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 tournaments participate in the CONCACAF Champions League.

At the end of 2008-2009 Apertura and Clausura tournaments the league expanded to 12 teams to compete in a larger versions of the Apertura and Clausura tournaments. Now the 12th placed team (the team with the fewest points) in the aggregated table standings (combined standings of both the Apertura and Clausura tournaments) is relegated to the Primera División de Ascenso (2nd division) automatically at the end of the Clausura tournament in late May. The teams that finish 10th and 11th in the aggregated table standings enter into a two-legged playoff with the second- and third-placed clubs of the Primera División de Ascenso. The playoff winners play in the top division while the losers spend the next season in the second division.

2023–24 Season edit

Team Home city Stadium Capacity
Achuapa El Progreso, Jutiapa Department Estadio Winston Pineda 6,000
Antigua Antigua, Sacatepéquez Department Estadio Pensativo 10,000
Coatepeque Coatepeque, Quetzaltenango Department Estadio Israel Barrios 20,000
Cobán Imperial Cobán, Alta Verapaz Department Estadio Verapaz 15,000
Comunicaciones Guatemala City, Guatemala Department Estadio Doroteo Guamuch Flores 26,000
Guastatoya Guastatoya, El Progreso Department Estadio David Cordón Hichos 3,100
Malacateco Malacatán, San Marcos Department Estadio Santa Lucía 7,000
Mixco Mixco, Guatemala Department Estadio Santo Domingo de Guzmán 1,000
Municipal Guatemala City, Guatemala Department Estadio El Trébol 7,500
Xelajú Quetzaltenango, Quetzaltenango Department Estadio Mario Camposeco 11,220
Xinabajul Huehuetenango, Huehuetenango Department Estadio Los Cuchumatanes 5,340
Zacapa Zacapa, Zacapa Department Estadio David Ordoñez Bardales 8,100

Managers edit

Current Liga Nacional managers
Manager Nationality Club
Rónald Gómez   Costa Rica Achuapa
Dwight Pezzarossi   Guatemala Antigua
Silvio Fernández   Uruguay Coatepeque
Adrian Arias   Mexico Coban Imperial
Iván Sopegno   Argentina Comunicaciones
Roberto Montoya   Mexico Guastatoya
Gabriel Pereyra   Argentina Malacateco
Fabricio Benítez   Guatemala Mixco
Sebastián Bini   Argentina Municipal
Amarini Villatoro   Guatemala Xelajú
Pablo Centrone   Argentina Xinabajul
Julio Laínez   Guatemala Zacapa

Champions edit

Liga Capitalina edit

Amateur Era edit

Ed. Season Champion Runner-up
1
1919 Allies Hércules
2
1920 Hércules España
1921 No tournament due to the Juegos del Centenario
3
1922 Allies Alemán
4
1923 La Joya Allies
5
1924 USAC Allies
6
1925 La Joya Hércules
7
1926 USAC Hércules
8
1927 Hércules USAC
9
1928 USAC Allies
10
1929 USAC Tipografía Nacional
11
1930 USAC Germania
12
1931 USAC Germania
13
1932 Guatemala FC Germania
14
1933 Escuela Politécnica Tipografía Nacional
15
1934 Escuela Politécnica Tipografía Nacional
16
1935 Cibeles Quetzal
17
1936 Cibeles Quetzal
18
1937 Quetzal Tipografía Nacional
19
1938 Tipografía Nacional Municipal
20
1939 Tipografía Nacional Hércules
21
1940 Tipografía Nacional Independiente
22
1941 Guatemala FC Tipografía Nacional

Liga Nacional de Fútbol de Guatemala edit

Professional Era edit

Ed. Season Champion Runner-up
1
1942–43 Municipal Tipografía Nacional
2
1943 Tipografía Nacional Municipal
3
1944–45 Tipografía Nacional Municipal
4
1947 Municipal España
1948–50 No tournament due to the 1950 Central American and Caribbean Games
5
1950–51 Municipal Comunicaciones
6
1952–53 Tipografía Nacional Comunicaciones
7
1954–55 Municipal Comunicaciones
8
1956 Comunicaciones Universidad de San Carlos
9
1957–58 Comunicaciones Municipal
10
1959–60 Comunicaciones Municipal
11
1961–62 Xelajú Comunicaciones
12
1963–64 Municipal Xelajú
13
1964 Aurora Municipal
14
1965–66 Municipal Comunicaciones
15
1966 Aurora Xelajú
16
1967–68 Aurora Municipal
17
1968–69 Comunicaciones Aurora
18
1969–70 Municipal Aurora
19
1970–71 Comunicaciones Aurora
20
1971 Comunicaciones Aurora
21
1972 Comunicaciones Municipal
22
1973 Municipal Aurora
23
1974 Municipal Aurora
24
1975 Aurora Comunicaciones
25
1976 Municipal Comunicaciones
26
1977–78 Comunicaciones Municipal
27
1978 Aurora Comunicaciones
28
1979–80 Comunicaciones Cobán Imperial
29
1980 Xelajú Juventud Retalteca
30
1981 Comunicaciones Xelajú
31
1982 Comunicaciones Suchitepéquez
32
1983 Suchitepéquez Comunicaciones
33
1984 Aurora Suchitepéquez
34
1985 Comunicaciones Juventud Retalteca
35
1986 Aurora Galcasa
36
1987 Municipal Aurora
37
1988–89 Municipal Aurora
38
1989–90 Municipal Suchitepéquez
39
1990–91 Comunicaciones Municipal
40
1991–92 Municipal Comunicaciones
41
1992–93 Aurora Comunicaciones
42
1993–94 Municipal Escuintla
43
1994–95 Comunicaciones Aurora
44
1995–96 Xelajú Comunicaciones
45
1996–97 Comunicaciones Aurora
46
1997–98 Comunicaciones Cobán Imperial
47
1998–99 Comunicaciones Municipal
48
1999 Apertura Comunicaciones Municipal
49
2000 Clausura Municipal Comunicaciones
50
2000 Apertura Municipal Comunicaciones
51
2001 Clausura Comunicaciones Antigua
52
2001 Reordenamiento Municipal Cobán Imperial
53
2002 Clausura Municipal Comunicaciones
54
2002 Apertura Comunicaciones Municipal
55
2003 Clausura Comunicaciones Cobán Imperial
56
2003 Apertura Municipal Comunicaciones
57
2004 Clausura Cobán Imperial Municipal
58
2004 Apertura Municipal Comunicaciones
59
2005 Clausura Municipal Suchitepéquez
60
2005 Apertura Municipal Comunicaciones
61
2006 Clausura Municipal Marquense
62
2006 Apertura Municipal Comunicaciones
63
2007 Clausura Xelajú Marquense
64
2007 Apertura Jalapa Suchitepéquez
65
2008 Clausura Municipal Comunicaciones
66
2008 Apertura Comunicaciones Municipal
67
2009 Clausura Jalapa Municipal
68
2009 Apertura Municipal Comunicaciones
69
2010 Clausura Municipal Xelajú Mario Camposeco
70
2010 Apertura Comunicaciones Municipal
71
2011 Clausura Comunicaciones Municipal
72
2011 Apertura Municipal Comunicaciones
73
2012 Clausura Xelajú Municipal
74
2012 Apertura Comunicaciones Municipal
75
2013 Clausura Comunicaciones Heredia
76
2013 Apertura Comunicaciones Heredia
77
2014 Clausura Comunicaciones Municipal
78
2014 Apertura Comunicaciones Municipal
79
2015 Clausura Comunicaciones Municipal
80
2015 Apertura Antigua Guastatoya
81
2016 Clausura Suchitepéquez Comunicaciones
82
2016 Apertura Antigua Municipal
83
2017 Clausura Municipal Guastatoya
84
2017 Apertura Antigua Municipal
85
2018 Clausura Guastatoya Xelajú
86
2018 Apertura Guastatoya Comunicaciones
87
2019 Clausura Antigua Malacateco
88
2019 Apertura Municipal Antigua
89
2020 Clausura Canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic
90
2020 Apertura Guastatoya Municipal
91
2021 Clausura Santa Lucía Comunicaciones
92
2021 Apertura Malacateco Comunicaciones
93
2022 Clausura Comunicaciones Municipal
94
2022 Apertura Cobán Imperial Antigua
95
2023 Clausura Xelajú Antigua
96
2023 Apertura Comunicaciones Guastatoya

Titles by club in Guatemalan Football History edit

Champions were:[3]Amateur and Professional Champions.

Amateur Era edit

Club Winners Runners-up Winning years
Universidad de San Carlos 6 1 1924, 1926, 1928, 1929, 1930, 1931
Tipografia Nacional 3 5 1938, 1939, 1940
Hércules 2 4 1920, 1927
Allies 2 3 1919, 1922
Cibeles 2 0 1935, 1936
Escuela Politécnica 2 0 1933, 1934
Guatemala FC 2 0 1932, 1941
La Joya 2 0 1923, 1925
Quetzal 1 2 1937

Professional Era edit

Club Winners Runners-up Winning years
Comunicaciones 32 26 1956, 1957-58, 1959-60, 1968-69, 1970-71, 1971, 1972, 1977-78, 1979-80, 1981, 1982, 1985, 1990-91, 1994-95, 1996-97, 1997-98, 1998-99, 1999 Apertura, 2001 Clausura, 2002 Apertura, 2003 Clausura, 2008 Apertura, 2010 Apertura, 2011 Clausura, 2012 Apertura, 2013 Clausura, 2013 Apertura, 2014 Clausura, 2014 Apertura, 2015 Clausura, 2022 Clausura, 2023 Apertura
Municipal 31 26 1942-43, 1947, 1950-51, 1954-55, 1963-64, 1965-66, 1969-70, 1973, 1974, 1976, 1987, 1988-89, 1989-90, 1991-92, 1993-94, 2000 Clausura, 2000 Apertura, 2001 Reordenamiento, 2002 Clausura, 2003 Apertura, 2004 Apertura, 2005 Clausura, 2005 Apertura, 2006 Clausura, 2006 Apertura, 2008 Clausura, 2009 Apertura, 2010 Clausura, 2011 Apertura, 2017 Clausura, 2019 Apertura
Aurora 8 10 1964, 1966, 1967-68, 1975, 1978, 1984, 1986, 1992–93
Xelajú 6 5 1961–62, 1980, 1995–96, 2007 Clausura, 2012 Clausura, 2023 Clausura
Antigua 4 4 2015 Apertura, 2016 Apertura, 2017 Apertura, 2019 Clausura
Guastatoya 3 3 2018 Clausura, 2018 Apertura, 2020 Apertura
Tipografía Nacional 3 1 1943, 1944–45, 1952–53
Suchitepéquez 2 5 1983, 2016 Clausura
Cobán Imperial 2 4 2004 Clausura, 2022 Apertura
Jalapa 2 0 2007 Apertura, 2009 Clausura
Malacateco 1 1 2021 Apertura
Santa Lucía 1 0 2021 Clausura

Top goalscorers edit

Nr. Player Country Goals
1 Juan Carlos Plata   302
2 Oscar Sánchez   259
3 Julio César Anderson   220
4 Carlos Kamiani Félix   211
5 Edwin Westphal   188
6 Israel Silva   186
7 René Morales   172
8 Mario Acevedo   170
9 Agustín Herrera   161
10 Selvin Pennant   156
11 León Ugarte   156
12 Edgar Araiza   150
13 Fredy García   144
14 Hugo Peña   136
15 Rolando Fonseca   135
16 Rudy Ramírez   130
17 Carlos Toledo   129
18 Jhonny Cubero   124
19 Julio Rodas   123
20 José Emilio Mitrovich   121

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ "Liga Nacional – Lista de campeones". livefutbol.com (in Spanish). Retrieved 2020-05-24.
  2. ^ "Guatemala, 100 años de fútbol – Municipal". Archived 2006-12-09 at the Wayback Machine – prensalibre.com – Prensa Libre newspaper, Guatemala.
  3. ^ "Guatemala – List of Champions". RSSSF. Retrieved 1 October 2011.

External links edit