About Primera Division
History, Format, Organization, Media Coverage
The Uruguayan First Division, short for Campeonato Uruguayo de Primera División Profesional, is the top-tier football category in the South American country. The competition is arranged and supervised by the Asociación Uruguaya de Fútbol (AUF). It is one of the oldest club football tournaments in America, following its establishment in 1900 with four teams playing in the competition. The Uruguayan First Division is considered as one of the most traditional in South America, mainly because it has never been suspended due to international conflicts.
This league works under a promotion-relegation system, like most football leagues in the world. The Uruguayan tournament begins in late January or early February and comes to an end in December. The Uruguayan championship is divided into three tournaments: Torneo Apertura -which begins in February and concludes in June-, Torneo Intermedio -starting in July and concluding in September- and Torneo Clausura -beginning in September and coming to an end in December-. Added to these titles, the team that earns the most points throughout the year will also get to play a decisive role in the championship.
The winner of each season in Uruguay goes down like this: the winners of the Apertura and Clausura tournaments face each other in a two-legged semi-final. The winner of said semi-final clash will play against the team that made the most points in the year. The winner of that tie will be crowned as champion, although that game will be omitted if the winner of the semi-final is also the team with the highest amount of points. Elsewhere, the winners of the Campeonato Intermedio and the Uruguayan champions will play the Supercopa Uruguaya,
Uruguay’s top-flight relegates three teams each year by dividing the amount of points between the number of games played by each team in the past two years. The winner, runners-up and third-place of the Segunda División Uruguaya will take their place in the Uruguayan top-flight.
Added to the title, the Uruguayan championship provides access to international competitions. The winners of the Apertura and Clausura tournaments will earn a spot in the subsequent year’s Copa Libertadores, where they will be joined by the two teams with the most points earned that weren’t able to win any title. Four more teams also get to play in the Copa Sudamericana depending on their performance from the previous season.
The most popular teams in this league’s history are also two of the most praised in South America: Peñarol and Nacional. Players such as Diego Godín, Luis Suárez or Pablo Bengoechea started their careers in these clubs before becoming football icons in Europe. The rivalry between these clubs is known as the Clásico Uruguayo, one of the most intense in South America and that has attracted interest across the globe.
Over the years, the Uruguayan top-flight has been available for fans to watch in the United States on GolTV, GolTV Play, and OTT platforms such as Fanatiz, and Fubo TV which carry these channels.
