The Liga Primera de Nicaragua is the top division of football in Nicaragua, organized by the Federación Nicaragüense de Fútbol. It was created in 1933.
The league is played in two parts, the Torneo de Apertura from August through November and Torneo de Clausura from January through May. Each of the regular seasons is followed by a playoff of the top four teams over a two-legged semifinal and subsequent final. The relegation end has the bottom team of the aggregate table dropped as well as the defeated one from the playoff match between the 8th and 9th-place teams.
Current teams 2024–25 Primera División
Name City Stadium Capacity ART Jalapa Jalapa Estadio Alejandro Ramos 1,000 Sport Sébaco Sébaco Estadio Carlos Fonseca 5,000 Deportivo Ocotal Ocotal Estadio Roy Fernando Bermúdez 4,000 Diriangén Diriamba Estadio Cacique Diriangén 8,000 Managua Managua Nicaragua National Football Stadium 20,000 Rancho Santana Tola Fun Limon Stadium 2,000 Matagalpa FC Matagalpa Estadio Carlos Fonseca 5,000 Real Estelí Estelí Estadio Independencia 5,000 UNAN Managua Managua Nicaragua National Football Stadium 20,000 Walter Ferreti Managua Nicaragua National Football Stadium 20,000
List of champions
Ed.SeasonChampionChampion Coach 1933 Alas Arturo Angarita Núñez 1934 Atlético 1935–38 No tournament 1939 Lido 1940 Diriangén 1941 Diriangén 1942 Diriangén 1943 Diriangén 1944 Diriangén 1945 Diriangén 1946 Ferrocarril 1947 Colegio Centroamérica 1948 Ferrocarril 1949 Diriangén 1950 Aduana 1951−52 Aduana 1953 Diriangén 1954 La Salle 1955 Aduana 1956−57 Diriangén 1958 Atlético 1959 Diriangén 1960 La Nica Antonio Escalante 1961−62 Deportivo Santa Cecilia 1964−65 Deportivo Santa Cecilia 1966 Flor de Caña Jorge Dancur 1967 Flor de Caña Jorge Dancur 1968 UCA Omar Muraco 1969 Diriangén 1970 Diriangén 1971 Deportivo Santa Cecilia 1972 Deportivo Santa Cecilia 1973 Deportivo Santa Cecilia 1974 Diriangén 1975 UCA Armando Arroyo 1976 UCA Armando Arroyo 1977−78 UCA Armando Arroyo 1979−80 Búfalos 1981 Diriangén 1982 Diriangén 1983 Diriangén 1984 Deportivo Masaya 1985 América Managua Florencio Leiva 1986 Deportivo Masaya 1987 Diriangén 1988 América Managua Florencio Leiva 1989 Diriangén Mauricio Cruz Jiron 1990 América Managua Florencio Leiva 1991 Real Estelí Leonidas Rodríguez 1992 Diriangén Mauricio Cruz Jiron 1993 Juventus Edison Oquendo 1994 Juventus Edison Oquendo 1994−95 Diriangén Mauricio Cruz Jiron 1995−96 Diriangén Mauricio Cruz Jiron 1996−97 Diriangén Mauricio Cruz Jiron 1997−98 Walter Ferretti Carlos "Chicharrón" Aguilar 1998−99 Real Estelí 1999−2000 Diriangén Mauricio Cruz Jiron 2000−01 Walter Ferretti Alberto Vásquez 2001−02 Deportivo Jalapa Leonidas Rodrigues 2002−03 Real Estelí Ramón Otoniel Olivas 2003 Apertura Real Estelí Ramón Otoniel Olivas 2004 Clausura Real Estelí Ramón Otoniel Olivas 2004 Apertura Diriangén Mauricio Cruz Jiron 2005 Clausura Diriangén Mauricio Cruz Jiron 2005−06 Diriangén Mauricio Cruz Jiron 2006−07 Real Estelí Ramón Otoniel Olivas 2007−08 Real Estelí Ramón Otoniel Olivas 2008−09 Real Estelí Ramón Otoniel Olivas 2009−10 Real Estelí Ramón Otoniel Olivas 2010−11 Real Estelí Ramón Otoniel Olivas 2011−12 Real Estelí Ramón Otoniel Olivas 2012−13 Real Estelí Ramón Otoniel Olivas 2013−14 Real Estelí Ramón Otoniel Olivas 2014−15 Walter Ferretti Flavio Da Silva 2015−16 Real Estelí Ramón Otoniel Olivas 2016−17 Real Estelí Ramón Otoniel Olivas 2017 Apertura Walter Ferretti Flavio Da Silva 2018 Clausura Diriangén Mauricio Cruz Jiron 2018 Apertura Managua Emilio Aburto 2019 Clausura Real Estelí Sergio Rodríguez 2019 Apertura Real Estelí Holver Flores 2020 Clausura Real Estelí Holver Flores 2020 Apertura Real Estelí Holver Flores 2021 Clausura Diriangén Flavio Da Silva 2021 Apertura Diriangén Flavio Da Silva 2022 Clausura Diriangén Tyrone Leiva 2022 Apertura Real Estelí Ramón Otoniel Olivas 2023 Clausura Real Estelí Ramón Otoniel Olivas 2023 Apertura Diriangén José Giacone 2024 Clausura Diriangén José Giacone 2024 Apertura Diriangén Edward Urroz 2025 Clausura Managua Emilio Aburto 2025 Apertura Diriangén José Giacone 2026 Clausura Real Estelí Diego Vásquez
Titles by club Teams in bold are currently participating in Primera División de Nicaragua. ClubWinnersWinning years Diriangén34 1940, 1941, 1942, 1943, 1944, 1945, 1949, 1953, 1956, 1959, 1969, 1970, 1974, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1987, 1989, 1992, 1994−95, 1995−96, 1996−97, 1999−2000, 2004 Apertura, 2005 Clausura, 2005−06, Clausura 2018, 2021 Clausura, 2021 Apertura, Clausura 2022, 2023 Apertura, Clausura 2024, Apertura 2024, 2025 Apertura Real Estelí22 1991, 1998−99, 2002−03, 2003 Apertura, 2004 Clausura, 2006−07, 2007−08, 2008−09, 2009−10, 2010−11, 2011−12, 2012−13, 2013−14, 2015−16, 2016−17, 2019 Clausura, 2019 Apertura, 2020 Clausura, 2020 Apertura, 2022 Apertura, 2023 Clausura, 2026 Clausura Deportivo Santa Cecilia 5 1961, 1965, 1971, 1972, 1973 Walter Ferretti4 1997−98, 2000−01, 2014−15, 2017 Apertura UCA4 1968, 1975, 1976, 1977 América Managua3 1985, 1988, 1990 Aduana3 1950, 1951, 1955 Ferrocarril2 1946, 1948 Flor de Caña2 1966, 1967 Deportivo Masaya2 1984, 1986 Juventus Managua2 1993, 1994 Atlético2 1934, 1958 Managua2 2018 Apertura, Clausura 2025 Deportivo Jalapa1 2001−02 Búfalos1 1980La Nica1 1960 Alas1 1933Lido1 1939 Colegio Centroamérica1 1947 UNAN Managua1 2015 Apertura
Individual statistics All-time goalscorer league
Rank Country Player Goals Years1Rudel Calero1802000–20232 Luis Galeano1642013–3 Manuel Cuadra1421966–1985 Most goals scored by a player in a single season 44 goals Oscar "Chiqui" Calvo (1967), Flor de Caña. Most goals scored by a player in a game 9 goals José María Bermúdez (1999) The fastest goal league 15 seconds Marvin González (San Marcos) against Real Estelí.
All-time appearances Rank Player AppsYears1 Denis Espinoza4332008 All-time clean sheets 99 clean sheets: Denis Espinoza
Multiple hat-tricks Rank Country Player Hat-tricks 1Luis Galeano62Herbert Cabrera4Emilio Palacios4Lucas Da Silva35Arley Bonilla2Milton Busto Daniel CadenaDouglas CaéLuis Martinez 10Abner Acuña1Carlos Alonso Rafael Baquedano Marlon BarriosEdwin Castro Luis F Coronel Norlan Cuadra Carlos ChavarríaJavier Dolmos Pablo GállegoEmiro Gomes Raúl LeguíasMarlon LópezUlises Pavon Daniel ReyesMaikel ReyesMaycon Santana Erick Sierra Anderson TreminioSamuel Wilson See also
Football in Nicaragua – overview of football sport List of attendance at sports leagues List of foreign Liga Primera players
References
External links Rec.Sports.Soccer Statistics Foundation Elnuevodiario