The 2022–23 Liga Primera de Nicaragua season was to be divided into two tournaments, Apertura and Clausura. The season will determine the 79th and 80th champions in the history of the Liga Primera de Nicaragua, the top division of football in Nicaragua. The Apertura tournament is to be played in the second half of 2022, while the Clausura is to be played in the first half of 2023.
Teams
Team information
A total of ten teams contested the league, including nine sides from the 2021–22 Primera División, and one side from the 2021–22 Segunda División.
Real Madriz finished last in the aggregate table and were relegated to the Segunda División. The champions from the Segunda División, Matagalpa FC, were promoted in their place.
The 9th place team in the aggregate table, ART Jalapa, faced the second-place team from the Segunda División, CD Junior, in a playoff for a spot in the Primera División. ART Jalapa won 4–3 over two legs, meaning ART Jalapa remained in the Primera División.
Promotion and relegation
Promoted from Segunda División as of June, 2022.
Champions: Matagalpa
Relegated to Segunda División as of June, 2022.
Last Place: Real Madriz
Stadiums and locations
Team Location Stadium CapacityART Municipal JalapaJalapaEstadio Alejandro Ramos Turcio 2,000DiriangénDiriambaEstadio Cacique Diriangén 8,500JuventusManaguaEstadio Olímpico del IND Managua 7,000Sport SébacoMatagalpaEstadio Municipal de Matagalpa 1,800ManaguaManaguaEstadio Nacional de Fútbol (UNAN) 15,000OcotalOcotalEstadio Roy Fernando Bermúdez 7,000Real EstelíEstelíEstadio Independencia 4,800MatagalpaMatagalpaEstadio Municipal de Matagalpa 1,800UNAN ManaguaManaguaEstadio Nacional de Fútbol (UNAN) 15,000Walter FerrettiManaguaEstadio Nacional de Fútbol (UNAN) 15,000
Personnel and kits Team Chairman Head coach Captain Kit manufacturer Shirt sponsor(s) ART Municipal Jalapa TBD Luis Javier Londoño * Bernardo Laureiro * Keuka AT&T Diriangén TBD Roberto Armando Chanampe * TBD Macron AT&T Juventus TBD Alexis Zepeda * Jhans Mina * Keuka AT&T HYH Sebaco TBD Glen Blanco * Luis Galeano * Keuka AT&T Matagalpa TBD Oscar Castillo * Rodolfo Forbes * Keuka AT&T Managua TBD Emilio Aburto * Kevin Serapio * Keuka AT&T Ocotal TBD Nelson Vasquez * TBD Keuka AT&T Real Estelí TBD Ramon Otoneil Olivas * Josué Quijano * Keuka AT&T UNAN Managua TBD Eduardo Urroz * Anderson Tremio * Joma AT&T Walter Ferretti TBD Luis Diaz * Denis Espinoza * Keuka AT&T
News Shirt sponsorship Keuka agreed to sponsor 8 teams in the Liga Primera (2 teams not being sponsored is Diriangén and UNAN Managua) starting in the Clausura 2023.
Managerial changes Pre-season Apertura 2022
TeamOutgoing managerManner of departureDate of vacancyReplaced byDate of appointmentPosition in table Ocotal Mario Alfaro Contract Ended June 2022 Nelson Vásquez June 2022 TBD (Apertura 2021) Diriangén Tyrone Leiva Contract Ended May 2022 Roberto Chanampe June 2022 TBD (Apertura 2021) Real Estelí José Luis Trejo Montoya Contract Ended July 2022 Ramon Otoneil Olivas July 2022 TBD (Apertura 2021)
During the Apertura season
TeamOutgoing managerManner of departureDate of vacancyReplaced byDate of appointmentPosition in table Matagalpa FC Oscar Castillo Sacked August 2022 Sting Fabricio López August 2022 TBD (Apertura 2022) Managua FC Juan Cortez Sacked August 2022 Emilio Aburto August 2022 TBD (Apertura 2022)
Pre-season Clausura 2023
TeamOutgoing managerManner of departureDate of vacancyReplaced byDate of appointmentPosition in table Managua Emilio Aburto Contract Ended December 2022 Flavio Da Silva December 15, 2022 TBD (Apertura 2022) ART Municipal Jalapa Luis Javier Londono Contract Ended December 2022 Carlos Javier Martino 28 December 2022 TBD (Apertura 2022) HYH Sebaco Glen Blanco Contract Ended December 2022 Héctor Medina December 28, 2022 TBD (Apertura 2022) Matagalpa FC Sting Lopez Contract Ended December 2022 Glen Blanco January 3, 2023 TBD (Apertura 2022) Deportivo Ocotal Nelson Vasquez Contract Ended December 2022 Sting Lopez January 3, 2023 TBD (Apertura 2022)
During Clausura 2023 TeamOutgoing managerManner of departureDate of vacancyReplaced byDate of appointmentPosition in table Municipal Jalapa Carlos Javier Martino Sacked February 22, 2023 Ricardo Gaitan February 2023 TBD (Apertura 2022)
Apertura 2022
Finals Quarterfinals
Managua progressed.
Walter Ferretti progressed.
Semi-finals
2-2 on aggregate, Walter Ferretti won 5–3 on penalties.
Real Estelí won 2–0 on aggregate.
Final First leg
Second leg
4-4 on Aggregate. Real Esteli won 4–3 on penalties
Clausura 2023
Standings
Finals Quarterfinals
Managua progressed.
Matagalpa progressed, winning 9-8 penalties.
Semifinals
Diriangén won 5–0 on aggregate.
3-3 on aggregate, Real Esteli won 4–3 on penalties.
Final First leg
Second leg
Real Esteli won 3–0 on Aggregate
List of foreign players in the league This is a list of foreign players in the 2022–23 season. The following players:
Have played at least one game for the respective club. Have not been capped for the Nicaragua national football team on any level, independently from the birthplace
A new rule was introduced this season, that clubs can have four foreign players per club and can only add a new player if there is an injury or a player/s is released, and it is before the closing of the season transfer window.
ART Jalapa Jafet del Portillo Allan Medina Bernando Laureiro * Juan Murillo Andrés Cortobarria Denier Bonilla Alfredo Oscar Rosales Josué Lozano Maykel Reyes
Diriangén Robinson Luiz Jhon Mosquera * Taufic Guarch Jonathan Pacheco Ramiro Peters Carlos Tórres Patrick Torelli
Juventus Managua Lucas Dos Santos Rafael Vieira (*) David Castrillón (*) Bernardo Gradilla (*)
CS Sebaco Miguel Pucharella (*) Franco Rondina Brayan Zúñiga (*) Miguel Soza (*) Miguel Morales
Managua Juan Sebastián Arce Diego Areco Ángel Velásquez (*) Kevin Castro (*) Carlo Vasquez Robinson Luiz Lucas Dos Santos Taufic Guarch Brian Calabrese
Matagalpa FC Willian Morales Sebastián Barquero Bryan Marín Rafael de Almeida Rogelio Robinson
Ocotal Juan Castaño Juan Marín Jean Rentería Kenverlen López New Mena Dandy Choles Yubeiquer Arenas Gabriel Ortiz Carlos Daniel Duran Edwin Castro Allan Medina Ricardo Medina
Real Estelí Fabián Monserrat Vinicius da Souza Ewerton da Silva Douglas Caé José Ortiz Castillo Alex Chandler Pablo Gállego Juan Manuel Trejo Sidney Pages
UNAM Managua Jerson Lora (*) Sebastian Alzáte Joseph Donkor Robinson Luiz Lucas Dos Santos Pedro Dos Santos Eugenio Palmero
Walter Ferretti Luciano Sanhueza (*) Ariel Torregrosa (*) Yeison Mosquera (*) Cesar Vente Contención * Maykel Reyes
(player released during the Apertura season) (player released between the Apertura and Clausura seasons) (player released during the Clausura season)
External links Fútbol de Primera – Futbol Nica