Liga Bantrab


The Liga Nacional de Fútbol de Guatemala, officially known as the Liga Bantrab for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Guatemala and the highest level of the Guatemalan football league system. It is controlled by the National [Football Federation of Guatemala|Federación Nacional de Fútbol de Guatemala] and contested by 12 teams.

Competition format

The league has had several different formats throughout its history; currently, the league season is divided into two tournaments. The Apertura, which is played in the fall, and the Clausura, which is played in the spring. The first 6 clubs in the standings at the end of each competition participate in the playoffs to determine the champion, 1st and 2nd place teams qualify directly to semi-finals, while the others have to play in the quarter-finals. The winners of the Apertura and Clausura tournaments participate in the CONCACAF Champions League.
At the end of 2008-2009 Apertura and Clausura tournaments the league expanded to 12 teams to compete in a larger versions of the Apertura and Clausura tournaments. Now the 12th placed team in the aggregated table standings is relegated to the Primera División de Ascenso automatically at the end of the Clausura tournament in late May. The teams that finish 10th and 11th in the aggregated table standings enter into a two-legged playoff with the second- and third-placed clubs of the Primera División de Ascenso. The playoff winners play in the top division while the losers spend the next season in the second division.

History

Its first official professional tournament took place in 1942, and succeeded what was known as the Liga Capitalina, which was an amateur tournament that started in 1919. The 1942–43 tournament was played by seven teams in a double round-robin tournament. Three teams - Municipal, Tipografía Nacional, and Guatemala FC - finished tied for the first place after the two rounds. A playoff between the three teams was conducted to determine the winner, with Municipal earning their first national title.

Clubs

TeamCityStadiumCapacity
AchuapaEl ProgresoWinston Pineda7,300
AntiguaAntigua GuatemalaPensativo10,000
AuroraAmatitlánGuillermo Slowing12,000
C.D. [Cobán Imperial|Cobán Imperial]CobánVerapaz15,000
ComunicacionesGuatemala CityCementos Progreso17,000
GuastatoyaGuastatoyaEstadio [David Cordón Hichos|David Cordón Hichos]3,100
MalacatecoMalacatánSanta Lucía8,000
MarquenseSan MarcosEstadio Marquesa de la Ensenada11,000
Atlético MictlánAsunción MitaEstadio La Asunción4,000
MixcoMixcoEstadio [Santo Domingo de Guzmán|Santo Domingo de Guzmán]5,200
MunicipalGuatemala CityEl Trébol10,000
Xelajú MC|Xelajú]QuetzaltenangoMario Camposeco11,220

Important matches

Champions

Liga Nacional de Fútbol de Guatemala

Professional Era


Titles by club in Guatemalan Football History

Champions were:
'''Amateur and Professional Champions.'''

Sponsors

Sponsorship names