Primera División Peruana

Primera División Peruana

The Peruvian Primera División (English: First Division) is the top professional division of Peruvian football. It is known today as Torneo Descentralizado de Fútbol Profesional Peruano (English: Professional Decentralized Football Tournament) or Campeonato Nacional (English: National Championship). It has been referred to as Descentralizado since 1966, when the first non-capital teams were invited to compete in the first national championship.

Its sponsored name is Copa Movistar (English: Movistar Cup) because of its main sponsor, the local cable television provider Movistar. 16 teams participate in the division. The league operates a system of promotion and relegation system at the end of the season with the Segunda División and the Copa Perú. Seasons run from February to December with teams playing 44 games each. The league is organized by the Sports Association of Professional Football.

The Liga Peruana de Football (Peruvian Football League) was founded in 1912 and organized the Primera División and the Segunda División. The seasons played between 1912 and 1921 included clubs based in Lima and considered unofficial by the FPF. In 1926, the league was continued by the newly formed Peruvian Football Federation. The first division was played at an amateur level from its foundation but turned professional in 1951. In 1966, the first true national league was founded and stands today. As of 2010, the league title has been won by over 19 clubs but Universitario, Alianza Lima, and Sporting Cristal share a total of 62 titles of the 94 contested. Universitario and Alianza Lima alone account for half of the titles won. The current champions are Sporting Cristal, winning their 16th championship.