2025–26 Liga Dominicana de Fútbol
| Season | 2025-26 |
|---|---|
| Matches | 126 |
← 2025 2025 → | |
The 2025–26 season of the Liga Dominicana de Futbol is the 11th season of Association football in the Dominican Republic. The Liga Dominicana de Fútbol has introduced a new yearly format designed to align the league with the international football calendar and strengthen the overall structure of professional football in the country. Instead of running from spring to late fall as in previous years, the league will now operate on an August-to-May cycle, similar to most leagues in Europe and other parts of the world. To make this transition smooth, the LDF launched a special transition tournament early in the year, the 2025 Copa Dominicana de Fútbol allowing clubs to maintain competitive rhythm and adjust their planning, recruitment, and preseason schedules to the new timeline. This shift also modernizes the league's operations and helps synchronize transfer windows, international breaks, and continental competition calendars.
In the new format, the season is divided into a Regular Season, a Liguilla (a second-phase mini-league featuring the best teams), and knockout semifinals leading to the Grand Final. The Regular Season emphasizes consistency, with clubs playing a balanced home-and-away schedule. The Liguilla raises the level of competition by concentrating the top-performing teams into a shorter, more intense round. From there, the four best clubs qualify for the semifinals, where the league transitions to direct elimination. This structure not only increases competitiveness but also creates more high-stakes matches, improving the league's entertainment value. Overall, the new format marks a major step in professionalizing the LDF, enhancing scheduling stability, and bringing the Dominican league closer to international football standards.
The order of classification of the teams will be determined in a general calculation table, as follows:
- 1) Higher number of points;
- 2) Greater goal difference in favor; in case of equality;
- 3) Higher number of goals scored; in case of equality;
- 4) Highest number of away goals scored; in case of equality;
- 5) Fewest red cards received; in case of equality;
- 6) Fewest yellow cards received; in case of equality;
- 7) Draw.
- Liguilla: The six teams classified from the regular season will play a system of all against all. Each team will play a total of five matches in their own field and in the opposite field, making a total of ten rounds. The top four teams at the end of the League will advance to the Play-offs. The ranking order will be the same as for the Regular Season.
- Play-offs: An elimination system will be played, the first place in the Liguilla will face the fourth place and the second place will face the third. Both keys will be played in two games and the winners will advance to the Grand Final, which will also be played in two games.
Atletico San Cristobal Suspension
In November 2025, the FIFA Disciplinary Committee concluded that Atlético San Cristóbal was involved in match-manipulation and "activities linked to the manipulation of football matches and competitions," a violation of Article 20 of FIFA’s Disciplinary Code. As a consequence, FIFA expelled the club from the top-flight LDF 2025-26 season and relegated its first team to the second tier, the LDF Expansión, starting the next season. The decision marks the first time a club in the LDF has been punished in such a way for match-fixing.Alongside the expulsion, FIFA ordered the country’s Dominican Football Federation, “Fedofútbol”) to implement an education plan to prevent future match-manipulation and uphold sporting integrity.
Additionally, following a meeting of the league’s board, LDF decided that the club’s last five scheduled matches (from round 14 to round 18) will be awarded as automatic 3–0 victories — and three points — to the opponents.That means every team that was supposed to play Atlético San Cristóbal in those final rounds will receive a 3-0 win by forfeit.
Participating Teams
A total of 10 teams will compete in the 2025-26 Season.
Teams by Province
Team Information
Regular Season
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Atlético Pantoja (A) | 17 | 14 | 1 | 2 | 32 | 9 | +23 | 43 |
| 2 | Cibao (A) | 17 | 12 | 2 | 3 | 35 | 11 | +24 | 38 |
| 3 | Salcedo FC (A) | 17 | 9 | 5 | 3 | 30 | 18 | +12 | 32 |
| 4 | Moca (A) | 17 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 20 | 18 | +2 | 24 |
| 5 | Delfines del Este (A) | 17 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 28 | 20 | +8 | 24 |
| 6 | Atlántico FC | 17 | 6 | 3 | 8 | 24 | 27 | −3 | 21 |
| 7 | Universidad O&M | 17 | 5 | 5 | 7 | 26 | 25 | +1 | 20 |
| 8 | Atlético Vega Real (E) | 17 | 5 | 2 | 10 | 20 | 23 | −3 | 17 |
| 9 | Jarabacoa FC (E) | 17 | 4 | 4 | 9 | 15 | 24 | −9 | 16 |
| 10 | Atlético San Cristóbal (E) | 17 | 0 | 2 | 15 | 5 | 60 | −55 | 2 |
(A) Advance to a further round; (E) Eliminated
References
- ^ Lima, Andy. "Salcedo FC". SofaScore. Retrieved 4 February 2025.
- https://www.nst.com.my/newssummary/1320441?date=1763796928&summary=1320441&utm_source=chatgpt.com
- https://www.straitstimes.com/sport/football/fifa-expels-dominican-club-from-top-flight-over-match-manipulation?utm_source=chatgpt.com
- https://futboldominicano.net/equipos-de-la-liga-dominicana-de-futbol/
- https://www.ligadominicanadefutbol.com/calendario/