Primera Nacional


Primera Nacional, popularly known as La B, is the second division of the Argentine football league system. The competition is made up of 38 teams.
It is played by teams from all over the country. Clubs from Buenos Aires surroundings, as well as some from Santa Fe Province, are promoted from or relegated to the Primera B Metropolitana while for teams from the other provinces the Torneo Federal A is the next level down. In Argentine football, Primera Nacional is the second-highest league, and from it, the three best teams are automatically promoted to Primera División.
Primera B Nacional games are often transmitted to Argentina and abroad on television by TyC Sports.
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History

It was created in 1986 to integrate unaffiliated clubs into the Argentine football structure, which until then had only participated in Nacional championships of Argentina's First Division tournament. It brought together teams from the old Primera B and regional leagues from several Argentine provinces.
After the 1985–86 season, the Primera B Nacional became the second hierarchical league in Argentina's professional football, after the Primera División, and it is above the Torneo Federal A and the Primera B Metropolitana, the last one started to act as a third division for the teams directly affiliated to AFA.
Beginning in the 2019–20 season, the name was changed dropping the B to simply be known as Primera Nacional.

Format

Thirty-six participating teams split into two zones of 18 teams, where they played against the other teams in their group twice: once at home and once away. However, interzonal matches between rival teams were played, although rival sides were still paired together for the season draw and drawn into different zones. Both zone winners played a final match on neutral ground to decide the first promoted team to the top flight for the following season, while the teams placed from second to eighth place in each zone played a knockout tournament for the second promotion berth along with the loser of the final between the zone winners. Four teams were relegated to the third-tier leagues, those being the bottom two teams from each zone.

List of champions

Since the first season held in 1986–87, the following teams have crowned champions of the division: In case of championships defined by final, they are indicated.
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Seasons in Primera Nacional

Club/sSeasons
Instituto31
Atlético de Rafaela30
Quilmes29
Chacarita Juniors, Gimnasia y Esgrima (J), Nueva Chicago27
Ferro Carril Oeste26
San Martín (SJ), San Martín (T)25
Defensa y Justicia24
All Boys, Almagro23
Almirante Brown, Atlético Tucumán22
Independiente Rivadavia, Los Andes21
Deportivo Morón20
Belgrano (C), Douglas Haig19
Aldosivi17
Unión (SF), Tigre15
Atlanta, Godoy Cruz, Temperley, Villa Dálmine14
Arsenal, Chaco For Ever, Colón, Defensores de Belgrano, Huracán13
Banfield, Deportivo Maipú, Estudiantes (BA), Guillermo Brown, Olimpo12
Brown (A), Central Córdoba (R), Racing (C), Sportivo Italiano, Talleres (C)11
Agropecuario, Boca Unidos, Central Córdoba (SdE), Cipolletti, Mitre (SdE), Patronato, Platense, Santamarina, Sarmiento (J)10
Comisión de Actividades Infantiles, Gimnasia y Esgrima (M), Gimnasia y Tiro, Juventud Antoniana, San Martín (M), Talleres (RE)9
El Porvenir8
Alvarado, Estudiantes (RC), Gimnasia y Esgrima (CdU), San Miguel, Tiro Federal (R)7
Almirante Brown (A), Deportivo Riestra, Güemes (SdE), San Telmo, Tristán Suárez6
Argentinos Juniors, Crucero del Norte, Deportivo Madryn, Huracán (TA), Laferrere, Lanús,5
Deportivo Merlo, Estudiantes (SL), Flandria, Guaraní Antonio Franco, Juventud Unida (G), Villa Mitre4
Atlético Paraná, Barracas Central, Ben Hur, Central Norte, Defensores Unidos, Deportivo Español, Huracán Corrientes, Rosario Central, Sportivo Belgrano3
Deportivo Armenio, Colegiales, Deportivo Mandiyú, Ferro Carril Oeste, Gimnasia y Esgrima (LP), Ituzaingó2
Acassuso, Atlético Concepción, Argentino (R), Ciudad de Bolívar, Desamparados, Estación Quequén, Estudiantes (LP), Ferrocarril Midland, General Paz Juniors, Independiente, Juventud Unida Universitario, River Plate, Sacachispas, Unión (MdP), Unión de Villa Krause, Villa San Carlos1

Top scorers

SeasonPlayerTeamGoals
1986–87