Liga Nacional de Guatemala

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Liga Nacional de Guatemala
Guatemala Clausura 2008

Founded
1919
Nation
Guatemala
Relegation To
Primera División de Ascenso
Number of Teams
10
International Qualification
Copa Interclubes UNCAF
Current Champions (2007/08 Apertura)
CSD Municipal
Website
[1]

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. Municipal, with 25 national titles, is the most successful club in the league to date.

1 History
2 Competition Format
3 Teams in the league 2007-2008
4 See also
5 References and notes
6 Further reading
7 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 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 UNCAF Club Tournament.

At the end of the season, the 10th placed team (the team with the least number of points) in the final table standings (the combined standings of both, the Apertura and Clausura tournaments) is relegated to the Primera División de Ascenso (2nd division of the league) automatically at the end of the Clausura tournament in late May. The teams finishing 8th and 9th in the final standings enter into a two-legged playoff with the second- and third-placed clubs of the Primera División, respectively. The playoff winners play in the top division while the losers spend the next season in the second division.