About Segunda División
History, Format, Organization, Media Coverage
The Peruvian Second División -- also known as Liga 2 or Liga 2 1xBet for sponsorship reasons -- is the second most relevant league on the Peruvian football ladder. It saw the light in 1943 as Segunda División de Lima, although it underwent various name changes as years passed. The league became Liga 2 in 2019 when the newer system was set. The Peruvian Football Federation sanctions the competition.
Peru’s Liga 2 is played with the calendar year, starting in March or April and ending in October or early November. The competition is played under a promotion-relegation system, where the teams that want to reach the upper category must go through many stages to claim a spot in the Peruvian top flight. At the same time, those who get the drop can be relegated to Liga 3 or Copa Perú, depending on the region where they are located.
The Peruvian Second División is played by eighteen teams divided into geographical zones: Zona Norte and Zona Sur. Each zone hosts nine teams, although last-minute changes have occurred in recent years. After each team has faced its zone rivals twice, the top six teams enter the second stage, while the last three from each zone enter the Grupo Descenso.
In the second stage, the teams involved in the two first groups battle for a spot in the finals. Three of the six teams from each group qualify for the final round. Meanwhile, the Grupo Descenso hands two relegation spots, while the other is decided by the aggregate table, which includes all tournament results.
The teams that make it to the final round are seeded to face those from the other group. The teams finishing in second will lock horns against the third from the other group in a one-match tie, while the top team from each group gains access to the semis. The winner of each one-match playoff enters the semi-final, where the format changes to home-and-away fixtures, with the higher-ranked team hosting the return leg. The title match, which grants promotion to the Primera División, is played at a neutral venue. Extra time and penalties determine the winner if the game is level after 90 minutes.
