Bolivian Primera División
| File:Liga Boliviana.png | |
| Founded | August 23, 1977 |
|---|---|
| Country | Bolivia |
| Confederation | CONMEBOL |
| Number of teams | 14 |
| Level on pyramid | 1 |
| Relegation to | Liga Nacional B |
| Domestic cup(s) | Aerosur Cup |
| International cup(s) | Copa Libertadores Copa Sudamericana |
| Current champions | Jorge Wilstermann (14th title) (Torneo Apertura 2018) |
| Most championships | Bolívar (28 titles) |
| TV partners | Entel Tv Canal 7 Cotel Tv Unitel.tv (Highlights only) Red PAT (Highlights only) |
| Website | LFPB |
| Current: 2018 season | |
The División de Fútbol Profesional, known as Liga de Fútbol Profesional Boliviano (Spanish pronunciation: [ˈliɣa ðe ˈfutβol pɾofesjoˈnal βoliˈβjano]; English: Bolivian Professional Football League) until 2017, is the top-flight professional football league in Bolivia. It started in 1977, though football had been played in Bolivia since the early 1900s, specifically in La Paz and Oruro.
An amateur league (which became semi-pro in 1950) started in La Paz in 1914, the LPFA (La Paz Football Association, which is currently called the Asociacion de Futbol de La Paz), the first association of football in Bolivia. The LPFA was considered for many years the top football tournament in the country.
Founded in 1925, the Federación Boliviana de Fútbol did not organize a national championship until 1958. These championships included representatives of all regional associations, although the LPFA had also included representatives of Oruro and Cochabamba in its championships. Despite this cup being considered the top Bolivian football championship, the LPFA league was still considered the most competitive one.
The creation of the Liga de Fútbol Profesional Boliviano in 1977 ended the distinction. It also resulted in the creation of three separate entities: the FBF's role was restricted to the international representation of Bolivia in the sport, the newly created LFPB became the organizer of the sole 1st Division tournament, and the LPFA, together with the rest of the regional associations, became the organizer of the Second (and lower) division regionalized tournaments. It is the first and currently the only professional sports league in the country. In 2017, after a change of statutes in the FBF, both the LFPB and the ANF were merged into the División de Fútbol Profesional, entity directly managed by the FBF.
Since 1950, a total of 16 clubs have been crowned champions of the Bolivian football league system. Out of the 35 clubs to have competed since the inception of the LFPB in 1977, ten have won the title: Bolivar (22 titles), The Strongest (11), Jorge Wilstermann (7), Blooming (5), Oriente Petrolero (4), San José (2), Universitario (2), Real Potosí (1), Aurora (1), Sport Boys (1). The current champions are Jorge Wilstermann, who won the title in the 2018 season (Torneo Apertura 2018).
Overview
The championship format has changed over the years. Beginning in 1977, the league ran with sixteen clubs divided into two series, but switched to fourteen clubs in two series playing two tournaments each year beginning in the mid 80s and economical problems with some teams led to another cut in the number of participants to twelve in 1991. Another change came in 2005 when teams decided to adapt to the International FIFA calendar, meaning the season would be played from August to June rather than from February to December, in order to avoid problems defining which teams would qualify for international tournaments. The league played a short tournament from February to June in 2005, and the official 2005-06 season started in August. This led to yet another problem — second division teams weren't keen on the idea of putting off relegation until June 2006. After negotiations, the league determined that relegation of the lowest standing club would take place after the completion of the Apertura tournament, making the Bolivian league an odd tournament where teams were relegated in the middle of the season. But this decision was overturned in November 2006 and the league switched back to a calendar-year season in 2007 starting with the Apertura tournament in March 2007. For the 2018 season, the number of teams was increased from twelve to fourteen.
Historically, teams from La Paz, Cochabamba and Santa Cruz have dominated the league. Until 2007 only San José won the league in 1995, but since then teams from the "big three" have struggled to win the league again and 3 teams from smaller cities have won it (Real Potosí, San José and Universitario).
Three teams share the record of never been relegated to "La Simón Bolivar" (2nd division): The Strongest, Oriente Petrolero and Bolívar (although they were relegated in 1969 before the LPFB era).
Current format
For the 2008 season, and for the first time, three tournaments were played instead of the usual two. The Apertura tournament was played from March to July on a round-robin system; the Clausura tournament played from August to October where the teams were divided into two series of 6 teams each, Group A comprised all western teams (plus Universitario) and Group B comprised all eastern teams (plus Wilstermann and Aurora), the top two teams of each group advanced to the semifinals and the finals. The newly instated play-off tournament consisted of home-away matches (and with away goals rule used for the first time).
An average points from the previous two seasons determines relegation, with the last placed team being directly relegated and replaced by the winner of the Liga Nacional B. With the 11th placed team playing a promotion play-off with the runner-up of the Liga Nacional B.
Current teams (2018)
| Team | Home city | Stadium | Capacity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aurora | Cochabamba | Estadio Félix Capriles | 32,000 |
| Blooming | Santa Cruz | Ramón Tahuichi Aguilera | 38,000 |
| Bolívar | La Paz | Hernando Siles | 42,000 |
| Destroyers | Santa Cruz | Ramón Tahuichi Aguilera | 38,000 |
| Guabirá | Montero | Gilberto Parada | 13,000 |
| Jorge Wilstermann | Cochabamba | Estadio Félix Capriles | 32,000 |
| Nacional Potosí | Potosí | Víctor Agustín Ugarte | 32,105 |
| Oriente Petrolero | Santa Cruz | Ramón Tahuichi Aguilera | 38,000 |
| Real Potosí | Potosí | Víctor Agustín Ugarte | 32,105 |
| Royal Pari | Santa Cruz | Ramón Tahuichi Aguilera | 38,000 |
| San José | Oruro | Jesús Bermúdez | 33,795 |
| Sport Boys | Warnes | Samuel Vaca | 9,000 |
| The Strongest | La Paz | Hernando Siles | 42,000 |
| Universitario | Sucre | Olímpico Patria | 30,700 |
List of champions
Torneo Interdepartamental (AFLP)
| Season | Champion | Runner-up | Third Place |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1950 | Bolívar (1) | Litoral | Unión Maestranza |
| 1951 | Always Ready (1) | Bolívar | Ferroviario |
| 1952 | The Strongest (1) | Always Ready | Ingavi |
| 1953 | Bolívar (2) | Always Ready | Ingavi |
Torneo Integrado (AFLP)
| Season | Champion | Runner-up | Third Place |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1954 | Litoral (1) | The Strongest | Municipal |
| 1955 | San José (1) | Chaco Petrolero | Bolívar |
| 1956 | Bolívar (2) | Municipal | Litoral |
| 1957 | Always Ready (2) | Municipal | Chaco Petrolero |
| 1957 AFC–AFO | Jorge Wilstermann (1) | Aurora | San José |
| 1958 | Jorge Wilstermann (2) | Municipal | San José |
| 1959 | Jorge Wilstermann (3) | Always Ready | Bolívar |
Copa Simón Bolívar (FBF)
| Season | Champion | Runner-up | Third Place |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1960 | Jorge Wilstermann (4) | Aurora | Municipal |
| 1961 | Municipal (1) | The Strongest | Chaco Petrolero |
| 1962 | Chaco Petrolero (1) | The Strongest | Municipal |
| 1963 | Aurora (1) | Jorge Wilstermann | |
| 1964 | The Strongest (2) | Municipal | 31 de Octubre |
| 1965 | Municipal (2) | Jorge Wilstermann | Oriente Petrolero |
| 1966 | Bolívar (4) | 31 de Octubre | Jorge Wilstermann |
| 1967 | Jorge Wilstermann (5) | Always Ready | Blooming |
| 1968 | Bolívar (5) | Guabirá | Litoral |
| 1969 | Universitario (LP) (1) | Bolívar | Oriente Petrolero |
| 1970 | Chaco Petrolero (2) | The Strongest | |
| 1971 | Oriente Petrolero (1) | Chaco Petrolero | The Strongest |
| 1972 | Jorge Wilstermann (6) | Oriente Petrolero | Petrolero |
| 1973 | Jorge Wilstermann (7) | Municipal | 31 de Octubre |
| 1974 | The Strongest (3) | Jorge Wilstermann | Bolívar |
| 1975 | Guabirá (1) | Bolívar | Oriente Petrolero |
| 1976 | Bolívar (6) | Oriente Petrolero | Guabirá |
Liga de Fútbol Profesional Boliviano
- Torneo Adecuación was celebrate to adequate seasons to European style (August–May)
División de Fútbol Profesional
| Season | Champion | Runner-up | Third Place | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Apertura | Jorge Wilstermann (14) | The Strongest | San José |
| Clausura | ||||
Titles by club
List of all-time topscorers
This is the list of the 16 all-time topscorer since the Bolivian league was established in 1977. Goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of February 2009.
| # | Name | Nationality | Career | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Víctor Hugo Antelo | 
|
1983–2000 | 350 |
| 2. | Juan Carlos Sánchez | 
|
1979–1992 | 263 |
| 3. | Luis Fernando Salinas |
|
1980–1993 | 201 |
| 4. | Jesús Reynaldo |
|
1977–1993 | 196 |
| 5. | Limberg Gutiérrez |
|
1997–2014 | 182 |
| 6. | Joaquín Botero |
|
1997–2014 | 171 |
| 7. | José Alfredo Castillo |
|
2000–present | 167 |
| 8. | Raúl Horacio Baldessari |
|
1977–1989 | 161 |
| 9. | Cristino Jara | 
|
1998–2009 | 141 |
| 10. | Silvio Edmundo Rojas |
|
1977–1992 | 140 |
| 11. | Luis William Ramallo |
|
1982–1999 | 138 |
| 12. | Juan Berthy Suárez |
|
1990–2000 | 135 |
| 13. | Erwin Romero |
|
1977–1992 | 134 |
| 14. | Carlos Fernando Borja |
|
1977–1995 | 129 |
| = | Arturo García |
|
1983–1999 | 129 |
| 16. | Jorge Hirano | 
|
1986–1992 | 124 |
External links
| National teams | |||||||
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| League system |
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| Domestic cups |
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