Liga Paraguaya: Primera División

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Liga Paraguaya (Paraguayan League, in English), also known as "División Profesional", is the top category of Paraguayan football (soccer), and it is organized by the Paraguayan Football Association. Currently, there are 12 teams in the first division.

1 History
2 First Division teams
3 List of champions
- 3.1 Amateur Era
- 3.2 Professional Era
4 Titles by team
5 External links

[edit] History

Liga Paraguaya's first game was played in 1906, after the director of the El Diario newspaper, Don Adolfo Riquelme, brought to his office on June 18, 1906, the representatives of the five existing football teams in Paraguay at that time (Olimpia, Guaraní, Libertad, General Díaz, and Nacional) to create the governing body of football in Paraguay: the Liga Paraguaya de Fútbol (known today as Asociación Paraguaya de Fútbol). The representatives were William Paats and Junio Godoy (Olimpia) Ramón Caballero, Manuel Bella and Salvador Melián (Guaraní), Juan Escalada (Libertad), César Urdapilleta (General Díaz), and Vicente Gadea (Nacional). The Liga Paraguaya saw Club Guaraní as the first champion in 1906, after defeating Olimpia in the final.

The Paraguayan Football Association joined CONMEBOL in 1921, and FIFA in 1925. The professional era of the competition in the Liga started in 1941.

Liga Paraguaya currently divides its championships into two sections, the Tornero Apertura, or Opening Tournament, and Torneo Clausura, or Closing Tournament. The winners of each Tournament stage a playoff to decide each year's national champion. If the same team wins both stages, it automatically wins the championship.

The team with the worst average points over the last three years is automatically relegated to the second division league; and the second-worst team plays a playoff match against the second division runner-up. The winner of the playoff match plays in the first division the following year.

[edit] First Division teams

The following are the teams in the first division in 2007:

[edit] List of champions

[edit] Amateur Era

1906 Guaraní
1907 Guaraní
1908 no championship awarded
1909 Nacional
1910 Libertad
1911 Nacional
1912 Olimpia
1913 Cerro Porteño
1914 Olimpia
1915 Cerro Porteño
1916 Olimpia

1917 Libertad
1918 Cerro Porteño
1919 Cerro Porteño
1920 Libertad
1921 Guaraní
1922 no championship awarded
1923 Guaraní
1924 Nacional
1925 Olimpia
1926 Nacional

1927 Olimpia
1928 Olimpia
1929 Olimpia
1930 Libertad
1931 Olimpia
1932 no championship awarded
1933 no championship awarded
1934 no championship awarded

[edit] Professional Era

1959 Olimpia
1960 Olimpia
1961 Cerro Porteño
1962 Olimpia
1963 Cerro Porteño
1964 Guaraní
1965 Olimpia
1966 Cerro Porteño
1967 Guaraní
1968 Olimpia
1969 Guaraní
1970 Cerro Porteño
1971 Olimpia
1972 Cerro Porteño
1973 Cerro Porteño
1974 Cerro Porteño
1975 Olimpia
1976 Libertad
1977 Cerro Porteño
1978 Olimpia
1979 Olimpia
1980 Olimpia
1981 Olimpia
1982 Olimpia

1983 Olimpia
1984 Guaraní
1985 Olimpia
1986 Sol de América
1987 Cerro Porteño
1988 Olimpia
1989 Olimpia
1990 Cerro Porteño
1991 Sol de América
1992 Cerro Porteño
1993 Olimpia
1994 Cerro Porteño
1995 Olimpia
1996 Cerro Porteño
1997 Olimpia
1998 Olimpia
1999 Olimpia
2000 Olimpia
2001 Cerro Porteño
2002 Libertad
2003 Libertad
2004 Cerro Porteño
2005 Cerro Porteño
2006 Libertad

[edit] Titles by team

Team	N° of Titles	Runners-up
Olimpia	38	19
Cerro Porteño	27	25
Libertad	11	18
Guaraní	9	11
Nacional	6	8
Sol de América	2	12
Sportivo Luqueño	2	3
Presidente Hayes	1	0
Atlántida	0	3
River Plate	0	3
12 de Octubre	0	1

[edit] External links

Football in Paraguay
Paraguayan Football Association \| National team \| Women's National team \| First Division \| Second Division \| Third Division \| League system \| List of clubs \| Footballers \| Managers \| Stadiums \| Awards edit

Top level football leagues of South America (CONMEBOL)
Argentina \| Bolivia \| Brazil \| Chile \| Colombia \| Ecuador \| Paraguay \| Peru \| Uruguay \| Venezuela