The 2020 Categoría Primera A season (officially known as the 2020 Liga BetPlay Dimayor season for sponsorship reasons) was the 73rd season of the Categoría Primera A, Colombia's top-flight football league. The season began on 23 January and concluded on 29 December 2020. América de Cali entered the season as defending champions having won the 2019 Finalización tournament, and managed to defend their title by beating Santa Fe 3–2 on aggregate in the finals, winning their fifteenth domestic league championship.
The competition was suspended from 13 March to 12 September due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Format Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, the league season was planned to be played as follows:
Two tournaments per year, with three stages each. The first stage would be contested on a single round-robin basis, with each team playing the other teams once plus an additional match against a regional rival for a total of 20 games. Due to the 2020 Copa América scheduled to be held in the country from mid-June to mid-July, and in order to conclude the Torneo Apertura on 24 May, the second stage for this tournament would be a knockout round contested by the top four teams at the end of the first stage, with the best-placed team at the end of the first stage facing the fourth-best placed team and the second-best placed team playing the third-best placed one in a double-legged series. The Torneo Finalización would feature the semifinal stage as it was played during the previous season. The finals in both tournaments would be contested by the winners of each semifinal tie or group, playing a double-legged series for the championship. The distribution of international qualification berths as well as the relegation system would not change.
On 25 July 2020, DIMAYOR's General Assembly decided to continue playing the Torneo Apertura as the only tournament to be held in the season, with the semifinal stage originally planned for the Torneo Finalización. The allocation of international qualification berths was also altered, with the Copa Libertadores berth originally allocated to the Finalización winners going to the league runners-up, and the fourth Copa Sudamericana berth going to the winner of a play-off involving the aggregate table fourth best team not qualified for the Copa Libertadores and the 12 teams that fail to qualify for the semifinal stage. Further format changes were confirmed on 13 August 2020, with DIMAYOR's General Assembly deciding to suspend relegation for this season and postpone it until the end of the first semester of 2021, in order to ensure teams could be able to play the same number of matches as originally scheduled before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.
On 9 September 2020, DIMAYOR confirmed the format to be used for the remainder of the season, with the single round-robin stage started in the Torneo Apertura being resumed and played as planned and eight teams advancing out of the first stage. The semifinal stage was ultimately replaced by double-legged knockout series to decide the league champions, whilst the 12 teams that failed to qualify for the knockout stage would be sorted into three groups of four teams, with the group winners and the best group runners-up advancing to a single-legged semifinal stage and the winners of those semifinals facing each other in a single-legged final, with its winner playing against the aggregate table fourth-best placed team not qualified for the 2021 Copa Libertadores for the Colombia 4 berth to the 2021 Copa Sudamericana.
Teams 20 teams took part, eighteen of them returning from last season plus Deportivo Pereira and Boyacá Chicó, who were promoted from the 2019 Primera B. Both promoted teams replaced Unión Magdalena and Atlético Huila who were relegated at the end of the previous season by having finished as the bottom two teams of the relegation table.
Stadia and locations
Team Manager City Stadium Capacity Alianza Petrolera Dayron Montesino (caretaker) Barrancabermeja Daniel Villa Zapata 10,400 América de Cali Juan Cruz Real Cali Pascual Guerrero 33,130 Armenia Centenario 20,716 Atlético Bucaramanga Guillermo Sanguinetti Bucaramanga Alfonso López 28,000 Barrancabermeja Daniel Villa Zapata 10,400 Atlético Nacional Alejandro Restrepo (caretaker) Medellín Atanasio Girardot 40,043 Boyacá Chicó Belmer Aguilar Tunja La Independencia 20,630 Cúcuta Deportivo David Suárez Cúcuta General Santander 42,901 Armenia Centenario 20,716 Deportes Tolima Hernán Torres Ibagué Manuel Murillo Toro 28,100 Bogotá Metropolitano de Techo 8,000 Deportivo Cali Alfredo Arias Palmira Deportivo Cali 44,000 Deportivo Pasto Diego Corredor Pasto Departamental Libertad 20,665 Deportivo Pereira Alexis Márquez (caretaker) Pereira Hernán Ramírez Villegas 30,297 Envigado José Arastey Envigado Polideportivo Sur 11,000 Independiente Medellín Humberto Sierra (caretaker) Medellín Atanasio Girardot 40,043 Jaguares Alberto Suárez Montería Jaraguay 12,000 Junior Luis Amaranto Perea Barranquilla Metropolitano Roberto Meléndez 49,692 Romelio Martínez 8,600 La Equidad Alexis García Bogotá Metropolitano de Techo 8,000 Nemesio Camacho El Campín 36,343 Millonarios Alberto Gamero Bogotá Nemesio Camacho El Campín 36,343 Once Caldas Hubert Bodhert Manizales Palogrande 28,678 Patriotas Abel Segovia Tunja La Independencia 20,630 Rionegro Águilas Francesco Stifano Rionegro Alberto Grisales 14,000 Santa Fe Harold Rivera Bogotá Nemesio Camacho El Campín 36,343
Managerial changes
TeamOutgoing managerManner of departureDate of vacancyPosition in tableIncoming managerDate of appointmentLa Equidad Guillermo RiveraEnd of caretaker spell29 October 2019Pre-season Alexis García7 January 2020Millonarios Jorge Luis PintoResigned5 November 2019 Alberto Gamero3 December 2019Atlético Bucaramanga Sergio NovoaEnd of caretaker spell5 November 2019 José Manuel Rodríguez5 November 2019Rionegro Águilas Flabio TorresSacked5 November 2019 Francesco Stifano12 December 2019Cúcuta Deportivo Guillermo SanguinettiEnd of contract27 November 2019 Jairo Patiño5 January 2020Deportes Tolima Alberto GameroSigned by Millonarios3 December 2019 Hernán Torres6 December 2019Deportivo Pasto Octavio ZambranoSacked4 December 2019 Diego Corredor4 December 2019Deportivo Cali Lucas PusineriMutual consent7 December 2019 Alfredo Arias13 December 2019Atlético Bucaramanga José Manuel RodríguezSacked17 February 202020th Jorge Amado Nunes (caretaker)17 February 2020Cúcuta Deportivo Jairo Patiño17 February 202016th Jorge Artigas17 February 2020Atlético Bucaramanga Jorge Amado NunesEnd of caretaker spell23 February 202017th Guillermo Sanguinetti22 February 2020Jaguares Juan Cruz RealResigned12 March 202016th Alberto Suárez17 July 2020América de Cali Alexandre GuimarãesEnd of contract14 June 20208th Juan Cruz Real13 July 2020Boyacá Chicó Jhon Jaime GómezSacked2 September 202019th Belmer Aguilar2 September 2020Junior Julio ComesañaResigned14 September 20206th Luis Amaranto Perea14 September 2020Independiente Medellín Aldo BobadillaMutual consent28 September 202013th Javier Álvarez2 October 2020Deportivo Pereira Néstor CraviottoResigned26 October 202016th Alexis Márquez (caretaker)3 November 2020Atlético Nacional Juan Carlos OsorioSacked1 November 20207th Alejandro Restrepo (caretaker)5 November 2020Cúcuta Deportivo Jorge ArtigasResigned3 November 202019th David Suárez4 November 2020Independiente Medellín Javier Álvarez15 November 202014th Humberto Sierra (caretaker)15 November 2020Alianza Petrolera César TorresSacked15 November 202015th Dayron Montesino (caretaker)15 November 2020Patriotas Nelson Gómez17 November 202018th Abel Segovia17 November 2020
Effects of the COVID-19 pandemic On 13 March 2020, after a meeting with its member clubs, DIMAYOR announced the temporary suspension of the tournament, along with the Primera B and Copa Colombia ones, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
On 29 June, and after an Assembly of its member clubs, DIMAYOR presented a timetable for the implementation of the biosecurity protocol to resume its competitions, with COVID-19 testing for players and staff members of every club scheduled to be held from 10 to 15 July, and individual training resuming the following day. The resumption of collective training sessions, scheduled for 20 August, would be subject to government approval. According to said timetable, the league was scheduled to resume on 27 August, pending the fulfillment of the previous stages as well as final approval by the Colombian government. On 25 July, it was announced that the competition would resume on 30 August with alterations in its format, and pending government approval. With the Ministry of Health authorizing stages 4 and 5 of the biosecurity protocol (collective trainings and competition, respectively) on 20 August, and due to some adjustments to the protocol requested by DIMAYOR, that date of resumption had to be pushed back for at least two weeks, to mid-September.
On 31 August, the Ministry of Health issued the resolution that approved the adjusted protocol and greenlit the start of collective training sessions for 1 September, while President of DIMAYOR Fernando Jaramillo confirmed that the tournament would resume on 19 September, with the postponed matches Deportivo Cali vs. Millonarios and Deportivo Pasto vs. Deportes Tolima to be played on 13 and 14 September, respectively. On 3 September, DIMAYOR confirmed that the league would resume on 12 September 2020, with the postponed matches as it was planned, while the rest of clubs were notified that the ninth round of the competition would be played in the weekend of 19–20 September, with a meeting to confirm the competition format to be held on 9 September.
On 18 September, the match Atlético Nacional vs. Deportes Tolima was suspended by DIMAYOR on advice from representatives from the Ministry of Health following the confirmation of positive COVID-19 cases in the latter team and despite having authorized the team's trip to Medellín to play the match. The match was scheduled to be played in the evening of that same day, and was eventually rescheduled for 30 September.
First stage Standings
Results
Knockout stage Bracket
Quarter-finals
First leg
Second leg
Semi-finals
First leg
Second leg
Finals
América de Cali won 3–2 on aggregate.
Liguilla Group stage The 12 teams that failed to qualify for the knockout stages were split into three groups of four teams according to geographical criteria and played each one of their rivals once in a single round-robin tournament, with the two highest-placed teams from the first stage in each group playing two matches at home. The three group winners and the best group runners-up advanced to the semi-finals.
The fixture for the Liguilla group stage was unveiled by DIMAYOR on 23 November. Due to the liquidation of Cúcuta Deportivo, DIMAYOR decided to exclude that club from the competition and the Liguilla was played by 11 teams as a result, with one of the groups being comprised by three teams only.
Group A
Group B
Group C
Ranking of group runners-up The best team among the three group runners-up qualified for the Liguilla semi-finals.
Semi-finals The teams with the best performance after the first stage and the Liguilla group stage hosted the match.
Final The team with the best performance after the first stage and the previous stages of the Liguilla hosted the match.
Aggregate table
Copa Sudamericana play-off The Liguilla winners played the aggregate table fourth best team not qualified for the 2021 Copa Libertadores in a single match for the Colombia 4 berth in the 2021 Copa Sudamericana. The match was hosted by the aggregate table fourth best team not qualified for the Copa Libertadores.
Top goalscorers {| class="wikitable" border="1" |- ! Rank ! Name ! Club ! Goals |- | align=center | 1 | Miguel Borja |Junior | align=center | 14 |- | align=center | 2 | Jáder Obrian |Rionegro Águilas | align=center | 13 |- | rowspan=3 align=center | 3