2009 Campeonato Nacional Primera División

The 2009 Primera División del Fútbol Profesional Chileno season was the 78th season of top-flight football in Chile. The season was composed of two championships: the [|Torneo Apertura] & [|Torneo Clasura].

Format changes

The format for 2009 remains largely the same as 2008, except for the advancement to the Playoff Stages. Groups will no longer be used to determine who advance to the next stage. Instead, the top-eight teams in Classification Stage will advance.

International qualification changes

Qualification to the Copa Libertadores remains the same, as well as qualification to the Chile 1 spot in the Copa Sudamericana. The Chile 2 spot will be contested between the second-best team in the first stage and the 2008-09 Copa Chile winner. The winner of the single match will qualify to the 2009 Copa Sudamericana.

Team information

The number of teams were reduced starting with this season from 20 to 18. Antofagasta, Osorno, Melipilla, and Deportes Concepción were relegated last season to the Primera B. They were replaced by Municipal Iquique and Curicó Unido.

Team

Current manager

City

Stadium

Audax Italiano

Torneo Apertura

The Torneo Apertura, officially the Campeonato Nacional de Apertura de Primera División de Fútbol Profesional, was the first tournament of the season. It began on January 31 and ended on June 28.

Classification stage

Standings

Playoff stage

Updated as of games played on July 7, 2009.
Universidad de Chile qualified to the 2010 Copa Libertadores Second Stage.

Copa Sudamericana playoff

The second-best team of the Classification Stage played a match at Estadio Municipal Francisco Sánchez Rumoroso in the city of Coquimbo against the 2008 Copa Chile champions, for the Chile 2 spot in the 2009 Copa Sudamericana.
''Universidad de Chile classified to the Chile 2 berth for the 2009 Copa Sudamericana First Stage.''

Torneo Clausura

The Torneo Clasura, officially the Campeonato Nacional de Clausura de Primera División de Fútbol Profesional, was the second tournament of the season. It began on July 12 and was ended on December 16.

Classification Stage

Standings

Playoff stage

Colo-Colo qualified to the 2010 Copa Libertadores Second Stage.

Top goalscorers

Pos

Name

Club

Goals

Relegation

Relegation for this season will be determined by an aggregate table of the Classification Stages of both the Apertura and Clausura tournaments. The teams that finish 17th and 18th will be automatically relegated to the Primera B for the next season. The teams that finish 15th and 16th will play a relegation/promotion playoff against two teams from the 2009 Primera B season.

Relegation/promotion playoff

By finishing 15th in the relegation table, Palestino was pitted against the San Marcos de Arica, the 2nd best team in the 2009 Primera B General Table. Curicó Unido, by finishing 16th in the relegation table, played against San Luis, the loser of the 2009 Primera B championship playoff. The team who obtains the most point after two legs will stay or be promoted to the Primera División. Should there be a tie on points, it will be settled as follows: 1) overall goal difference; 2) most away goal; 3) extra time of two 15-minute halves; 4) penalty shootout according to the Laws of the Game. The Primera División played the second leg at home.