The Liga Nacional de Fútbol de Guatemala, officially known as the Liga Bantrab for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Guatemala and the highest level of the Guatemalan football league system. It is controlled by the Federación Nacional de Fútbol de Guatemala and contested by 12 teams.[1]
 | |
| Founded | 1919 as amateur league 1942 as professional league |
|---|---|
| Country | Guatemala |
| Confederation | CONCACAF |
| Number of clubs | 12 (since 1963–64) |
| Level on pyramid | 1 |
| Relegation to | Liga Primera División |
| Domestic cup | Supercopa de Guatemala |
| International cup(s) | Regional CONCACAF Central American Cup Continental CONCACAF Champions Cup |
| Current champions | Municipal (33rd title) |
| Most championships | Municipal (33 titles) |
| Most appearances | Jairo Arreola (651) |
| Top scorer | Juan Carlos Plata (302i |
| Broadcaster(s) | Albavisión Claro Sports Tigo Sports TV Azteca Guate |
| Sponsor(s) | Bantrab |
| Website | ligagt |
| Current: 2025–26 Liga Bantrab | |
Competition format
editThe 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.
History
editIts 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]
Clubs
edit
| Team | City | Stadium | Capacity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Antigua | Antigua Guatemala | Pensativo | 10,000 |
| Aurora | Amatitlán | Guillermo Slowing | 12,000 |
| Cobán Imperial | Cobán | Verapaz | 15,000 |
| Comunicaciones | Guatemala City | Cementos Progreso | 17,000 |
| Guastatoya | Guastatoya | David Cordón Hichos | 3,100 |
| Malacateco | Malacatán | Santa Lucía | 8,000 |
| Marquense | San Marcos | Estadio Marquesa de la Ensenada | 11,000 |
| Mixco | Mixco | Santo Domingo de Guzmán | 5,200 |
| Municipal | Guatemala City | El Trébol | 10,000 |
| San Pedro | San Pedro Sacatepéquez | Estadio Municipal Sampedrano | 4,000 |
| Suchitepéquez | Mazatenango | Carlos Salazar Hijo Stadium | 10,000 |
| Xelajú | Quetzaltenango | Mario Camposeco | 11,220 |
Managers
edit| Manager | Nationality | Club |
|---|---|---|
| Rónald Gómez |  Costa Rica | Achuapa |
| Javier López |  Spain | Antigua |
| Roberto Montoya |  Mexico | Cobán Imperial |
| Ronald González | Costa Rica | Comunicaciones |
| Dwight Pezzarossi |  Guatemala | Guastatoya |
| Roberto Hernández | Mexico | Malacateco |
| Mauricio Tapia |  Argentina | Marquense |
| Fabricio Benítez | Guatemala | Mixco |
| Sebastián Bini | Argentina | Municipal |
| Amarini Villatoro | Guatemala | Xelajú |
| Pablo Centrone | Argentina | Xinabajul |
| Rafael Díaz | Guatemala | Zacapa |
Important matches
edit- Comunicaciones vs Municipal - "El Clásico Chapín"
- Comunicaciones vs Antigua - "El Clásico Provincial"
- Antigua vs Mixco - "El Clásico del Valle"
- Comunicaciones vs Xelajú - "El Clásico del Oeste"
- Marquense vs Xelajú - "El Clásico del Occidente"
- Marquense vs Malacateco - "Derbi de San Marcos"
- Cobán Imperial vs Zacapa - "Clásico del Norte"
Champions
editLiga Capitalina
editAmateur 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
editProfessional Era
editTitles by club in Guatemalan Football History
editChampions were:[3] Amateur and Professional Champions.
Amateur Era
edit| Club | Winners | Runners-up | Winning years |
|---|---|---|---|
| USAC | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Municipal | 33 | 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, 2024 Clausura, 2026 Clausura |
| 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 |
| Aurora | 8 | 10 | 1964, 1966, 1967–68, 1975, 1978, 1984, 1986, 1992–93 |
| Xelajú | 7 | 7 | 1961–62, 1980, 1995–96, 2007 Clausura, 2012 Clausura, 2023 Clausura, 2024 Apertura |
| Antigua | 6 | 4 | Apertura 2015, Apertura 2016, Apertura 2017, Clausura 2019, Clausura 2025, Apertura 2025 |
| Guastatoya | 3 | 3 | Clausura 2018, Apertura 2018, Apertura 2020 |
| 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 |
Sponsors
editSee also
edit
- Football in Guatemala – overview of football sport
- List of attendance at sports leagues
- List of foreign Liga Guate players
- Liga Nacional Femenina
References
edit- ↑ "Liga Nacional – Lista de campeones". livefutbol.com (in Spanish). Retrieved 2020-05-24.
- ↑ "Guatemala, 100 años de fútbol – Municipal". Archived 2006-12-09 at the Wayback Machine – prensalibre.com – Prensa Libre newspaper, Guatemala.
- ↑ "Guatemala – List of Champions". RSSSF. Retrieved 1 October 2011.
External links
edit- Liga Nacional de Fútbol de Guatemala (in Spanish)
- League at FIFA
- Guatemala, 100 años de fútbol – prensalibre.com – Prensa Libre newspaper, Guatemala. (in Spanish)
- guatefutbol.com (in Spanish)
- League Summary at Soccerway (in English)
- Guatemala Liga Nacional, standings, results & fixtures at Live2Sport.com