This is a list of association football champions in Puerto Rico, a territory of the United States.
The sport was brought to Puerto Rico in the late nineteenth century, when sailors introduced the sport to the island. By the 1910s, organized clubs had begun to emerge, including the Ponce Association Football Club, founded in 1905 and regarded as the oldest known football club on the island. The first recorded football match took place in March 1911 between teams representing Comercio Sporting. Documented records of championship winners in Puerto Rico’s top divisions date from 1911 onward.
Despite its early introduction, football has not been the dominant sport in Puerto Rico, a pattern shared by several Caribbean nations. Organized championships began to take shape in the 1950s, and for several decades competitions were conducted on an amateur basis.
There were several amateur tournaments and leagues throughout the second half of the 20th century, but it wasn't until 1996, with the establishment of the Liga Mayor de Fútbol Nacional (Major League of National Football) that a significant institutional development occurred in Puerto Rican football, marking the beginning of a gradual process of professionalization. In 2005, the principal competition was rebranded as the Campeonato Nacional de Fútbol (National Football Championship). The transition to a fully professional structure was completed in 2008 with the creation of the Puerto Rico Soccer League.
Torneo Nacional Superior
The Torneo Nacional Superior (TNS) (Superior National Tournament) was the first attempt at organizing the football clubs in the island. It lasted from 1911 until 1994, when a breakaway league formed, and that breakaway league would last until 2002. SeasonChampions1911Minerva FC (1)1912Not held1913Not held1914Celtics FC (1)1915San Juan FC (1)1916Not held1917Not held1918Not held1919Not held1920San Juan FC (2)1921España FC (1)1922Real San Juan FC (1)1923Not held1924Not held1925Not held1926Real San Juan FC (2)1927España FC (2)1928España FC (3)1929España FC (4)1930España FC (5)1931Not held1932Not held1933Not held1934Arecibo FC (1)1935Arecibo FC (2)1936Real San Juan FC (3)1937Not held1938Not held1939Not held1940Not held1941Not held1942Not held1943Not held1944Not held1945Not held1946America FC (1)1947America FC (2)1948America FC (3)1949Arqueros Verdes (1)1950Not held1951Arqueros Verdes (2)1952Not held1953Santurce FC (1)1954Not held1955Not held1956Caribes FC (1)1957Caribes FC (2)1958Arqueros Verdes (3)1959Millionarios FC (1)1960Suizos FC (1)1961Atlético de Añasco (1)1962Atlético de Añasco (2)1963Don Bosco FC (1)Deportivo Español (1)1964Interguayamés FC (1)1965Atlético de Añasco (3)1966Not held1967Roosevelt FC (1)1968Roosevelt FC (2)1969Don Bosco FC (2)1970Don Bosco FC (3)1971Guayama FC (1)1972Roosevelt FC (3)1973Roosevelt FC (4)1974Guayama FC (2)1975Academia Quintana (1)1976Atlético Guayamés (1)1977Atlético Guayamés (2)1978Academia Quintana (2)1979Remanso FC (1)1980YaMa Sun Oil (1)1981Academia Quintana (3)1982Guayama FC (3)1983Brujos de Guayama (1)1984Academia Quintana (4)1985Brujos de Guayama (2)1986Academia Quintana (5)1987Brujos de Guayama (3)1988Academia Quintana (6)1989Academia Quintana (7)1990Cruz Azul (Guayama) (1)1991Guayama FC (4)1992Bucaneros de Arroyo (1)1993Bucaneros de Arroyo (2)1994Don Bosco FC (4)Rafael Santiago (1)
Championships by team ClubTitles Academia Quintana7 España FC5 Don Bosco FC4 Roosevelt FC4 Guayama FC4 America FC3 Arqueros Verdes3 Atlético de Añasco3 Brujos de Guayama3 Real San Juan FC3 Arecibo FC2Atlético Guayamés2Bucaneros de Arroyo2Caribes FC2San Juan FC2Celtics FC1Cruz Azul (Guayama)1Deportivo Español1Interguayamés FC1Millionarios FC1Minerva FC1Rafael Santiago1Remanso FC1Santurce FC1Suizos FC1YaMa Sun Oil1
For unknown reasons, several teams broke away and created a second league. Both of them existed from 1995 until 2005, when a united island-wide championship began to be organized.
SeasonChampions1995–96Academia Quintana (8)1996–97Academia Quintana (9)1997–98Academia Quintana (10)1998–99CF Nacional (Carolina) (1)1999–2000Academia Quintana (11)2000–01Academia Quintana (12)2001–02Academia Quintana (13)2002–03Not held2003–04Not held2004–05Not held
Championships by team ClubTitles Academia Quintana6 CF Nacional (Carolina)1
Asociación de Fútbol de Puerto Rico The Asociación de Fútbol de Puerto Rico (Puerto Rico Football Association) existed for a single season (1996) with teams from San Juan, Yabucoa, Caguas, Maunabo, Guayama, Ponce, Cabo Rojo, Mayagüez, Aguadilla, and Arecibo.
Liga Mayor de Fútbol Nacional Created by teams that broke away from the TNS, the Liga Mayor de Fútbol Nacional (LMFN) (Major League of National Football) lasted for nine seasons and ran parallel to the TNS.
Champions by season SeasonChampionsScoreRunners-upRegular season winner1996–97 Maunabo Leones (1)2–0 Puerto Rico Islanders Puerto Rico Islanders1997–98 Puerto Rico Islanders (1)3–0 Brujos (Guayama) Puerto Rico Islanders1998–99 Puerto Rico Islanders (2)4–0 Cardenales (Río Piedras) Cardenales (Río Piedras)1999–00 Vaqueros de Bayamón (1)1–0 Gigantes de Carolina FC Puerto Rico Islanders2000–01 Puerto Rico Islanders (3)4–3 Brujos (Guayama) Puerto Rico Islanders2001–02 Vaqueros de Bayamón (2)3–0 Puerto Rico Islanders Vaqueros de Bayamón2002–03 Sporting (Carolina) (1)2–1 Vaqueros de Bayamón Sporting (Carolina)2003–04 Sporting (San Lorenzo) (1)1–0 Caguas Huracan Sporting (San Lorenzo)2004–05 Academia Quintana (14)2–1 CF Fraigcomar CF Fraigcomar
Championships by team ClubTitlesRunners-up Puerto Rico Islanders 3 2 Vaqueros de Bayamón 2 1 Maunabo Leones 1 — Academia Quintana 1 — Sporting (Carolina) 1 — Sporting (San Lorenzo) 1 — Brujos (Guayama) — 2 Cardenales (Río Piedras) — 1 CF Fraigcomar — 1 Gigantes de Carolina FC — 1 Caguas Huracan — 1
Campeonato Nacional de Fútbol In 2005, a new island-wide championship was created by the Puerto Rican Football Federation, the Campeonato Nacional de Fútbol (National Football Championship), but it was composed mainly from teams from the LMF. SeasonChampionsScoreRunners-up2005 CF Fraigcomar (1)1–0 Huracán FC Caguas2006 CF Fraigcomar (2)4–1 Academia Quintana2007 CF Fraigcomar (3)2–1 Atléticos de Levittown FC
Championships by team ClubTitlesRunners-up CF Fraigcomar 3 — Huracán FC Caguas — 1 Academia Quintana FC — 1 Atléticos de Levittown FC — 1
Puerto Rico Soccer League In 2008, the first professional league was created, the Puerto Rico Soccer League (PRSL), which was composed of eight teams playing the regular season, and the top four seeded moving on to the playoffs. A ninth team joined in 2009, three teams joined in 2010, and one team joined for the 2011 season, after which the league folded. A new professional league, the Liga Profesional de Fútbol de Puerto Rico, was scheduled to start in 2013. SeasonChampionsAggregateRunners-up1st leg2nd legRegular season winner20081 Sevilla FC Bayamón (1)2–1 CA River Plate Ponce -- -- Sevilla FC Bayamón (1)2009 Bayamón FC (1)3–2 Atlético de San Juan FC 2–2 1–0 CA River Plate Ponce (1)20102 CA River Plate Ponce (1)3–0 Puerto Rico Islanders FC 1–0 2–0 -- 20113 FC Leones de Ponce (1)1–1 (3–0 pen.) Sevilla FC Juncos -- -- Sevilla FC Juncos (2)2012Not held20132014 (Super Copa Gigante)Criollos de Caguas FC (1)2–1Bayamón FC2014 (Copa Criolla)Criollos de Caguas FC (2)RRAcademia Quintana2014 (Copa Excelencia)Criollos de Caguas FC (3)RRFC Mayagüez2015SPDP Spartans (1)RRAcademia Quintana2016Metropolitan FA (1)2–2 (3–1 pen.)Bayamón FC2017GPS Puerto Rico (1)2–1Bayamón FC 1The 2008 championship match had only one leg. 2The 2010 season was cancelled. This match was the final of the Supercopa DirecTV 2010, which served as the qualifier for the 2011 CFU Club Championship. 3The 2011 championship match had only one leg. After 120 minutes, the game was decided in favor of FC Leones de Ponce, who were able to successful convert its first three penalty attempts and, also, were able to stop all three attempts from Sevilla FC Juncos.
Championships by team ClubTitlesRunners-upCriollos FC (Caguas)3— Bayamón FC 1 3 CA River Plate Ponce 1 1 Sevilla FC Puerto Rico 1 1 FC Leones de Ponce 1 —GPS Puerto Rico1—Metropolitan FA1—SPDP Spartans1—Atlético de San Juan FC—1Academia Quintana FC—2Puerto Rico Islanders FC—1FC Mayagüez—1
Liga Nacional de Fútbol In 2008, along with the first division, a PRSL 2nd division tournament was organized, anticipating a promotion/relegation system, which was scheduled to start in 2011, but that was postponed till 2013. In 2009, the Puerto Rican Football Federation renamed the 2nd division league as the Liga Nacional de Fútbol (National Football League) and made it a separate league. The 2008 season had eighteen teams divided in three groups; the 2009 season had sixteen teams divided in two groups; while the 2010 season had twenty-one teams divided in four groups. For the 2011 season, the LNFPR split into a first division with eight teams and a second division with 14 teams, retaking the promotion/relegation ideas, which is to start in 2013.
SeasonChampionsScoreRunners-up2008 San Juan Sharks (1) 4–1 Maunabo Leones FC2009 Maunabo Leones FC (2) 2–1 Bayamón FC2010 Maunabo Leones FC (3) 2–0 Bayamón FC2011 Bayamón FC (2)RR Sevilla FC Puerto Rico2012 Bayamón FC (3)RR Sevilla FC Puerto Rico2013 Sevilla FC Puerto Rico (2) 6–0 Bayamón FC2014 Yabuco Sual FC (1) 2–2 (8–7 pen.) Guayama FC2015 Criollos de Caguas FC (4) 4–2 Guayama FC20161 Puerto Rico FC (1) 4–1 Criollos de Caguas FC2017–18Not held
1The 2016 season was cancelled. This match was the final of the 2016 Copa Luis Villarejo, which served as the qualifier for the 2017 CFU Club Championship.
Championships by team ClubTitlesRunners-up Bayamón FC 2 3 Maunabo Leones FC21Sevilla FC Puerto Rico12Criollos de Caguas FC11Puerto Rico FC1—San Juan Sharks1—Yabuco Sual FC1—Guayama FC—2
Liga Puerto Rico and Liga Puerto Rico Pro In August 2018, a new league called Liga Puerto Rico was announced by the Puerto Rican Football Federation. Prior to the announcement, the federation organized a preparatory tournament that ran from March until June 2018. Ten teams participated in the tournament which was eventually won by Bayamón FC. The league's official launch event attended by FIFA and CONCACAF delegates was held on August 23, 2018 with the league set to begin play the following month. The league began play on September 29, 2018.
In 2025, the league was renamed as the Liga Puerto Rico Pro by the Puerto Rican Football Federation. Season ChampionsRunners-up Ref. 2018–19Metropolitan FA (2)Bayamon FC 2019–20Canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Puerto Rico 2020–21 2021Bayamon FC (4)Metropolitan FA2022Metropolitan FA (3)Puerto Rico Sol2022 AperturaMetropolitan FA (4)Puerto Rico Sol2023 ClausuraMetropolitan FA (5)Academia Quintana2023 AperturaAcademia Quintana (15)Metropolitan FA2024 ClausuraAcademia Quintana (16)Metropolitan FA2024 AperturaAcademia Quintana (17)Metropolitan FA2025 ClausuraMetropolitan FA (6)Academia Quintana2025 AperturaAcademia Quintana (18)Puerto Rico Surf SC2026 ClausuraPonce FC (1) Academia Quintana
Championships by team ClubTitlesRunners-upMetropolitan FA54Academia Quintana43 Ponce FC1— Bayamón FC 1 1 Puerto Rico Sol—2Puerto Rico Surf SC—1
References
See also Puerto Rican Football Federation Football in Puerto Rico