2002 Torneo Descentralizado

The 2002 Torneo Descentralizado was the 86th season of the top category of Peruvian football (soccer). It was played by 12 teams. The national champion was Sporting Cristal.

Competition modus

The national championship was divided into two and half-year tournaments, the Torneo Apertura and the Torneo Clausura. Each was played on a home-and-away round-robin basis. The winners of each would play for the national title in a playoff, but a team had to finish in the top 4 in both tournaments to earn the right to play the final. If the same club had won both tournaments, it would have won the national championship automatically.
Following-season Copa Libertadores berths went to each half-year tournament winner, and the best-placed team in the aggregate table. The two bottom teams on the aggregate table were relegated, but a playoff had to be played between the 10th- and 11th-placed teams since both obtained the same number of points.

Teams

Stadia locations

Team	City	Stadium	Capacity	Field
Alianza Atlético	Sullana	Campeones del 36	8,000	Grass
Alianza Lima	Lima	Alejandro Villanueva	35,000	Grass
Cienciano	Cuzco	Garcilaso	42,056	Grass
Coopsol Trujillo	Trujillo	Mansiche	24,000	Artificial
Coronel Bolognesi	Tacna	Jorge Basadre	19,850	Grass
Deportivo Wanka	Huancayo	Huancayo	20,000	Grass
Estudiantes de Medicina	Ica	José Picasso Peratta	8,000	Grass
Juan Aurich	Chiclayo	Elías Aguirre	24,500	Grass
Melgar	Arequipa	Mariano Melgar	20,000	Grass
Sport Boys	Callao	Miguel Grau	15,000	Grass
Sporting Cristal	Lima	San Martín de Porres	18,000	Grass
Universitario	Lima	Monumental	80,093	Grass

Torneo Apertura

Apertura playoff

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Final playoff

No final playoff was played since the Apertura winner Universitario did not finish in the Clausura's top 4, while Sporting Cristal won the Clausura after placing third in the Apertura.

Aggregate table

Relegation play-off

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