2026 Liga de Primera
| Season | 2026 |
|---|---|
| Dates | 30 January – December 2026 |
← 2025 2027 → | |
The 2026 Liga de Primera, known as Liga de Primera Mercado Libre 2026 for sponsorship purposes,[1] will be the 96th season of the Liga de Primera, Chile's top-flight football league. The season is scheduled to begin on 30 January 2026.[2][3]
Coquimbo Unido will be the defending champions.
Format changes
Although the competition will retain its usual double round-robin format with teams playing each other twice for a total of 30 matchdays, changes were made to the distribution of international berths due to the introduction of a new competition named Copa de la Liga starting from 2026. The Liga de Primera champions and runners-up will still qualify for the group stage of the 2027 Copa Libertadores, whilst the team placing third in the league will face the 2026 Copa Chile champions in a play-off match for a berth into the Copa Libertadores second stage. The teams placing from fourth to sixth will qualify for the 2027 Copa Sudamericana, with the loser of the play-off match between the third-placed team and the Copa Chile champions being entitled to claim the last Copa Sudamericana berth.[4]
Teams
Santiago
Locations of the 2026 Liga de Primera teams.
Locations of the 2026 Liga de Primera teams – Santiago.
Sixteen teams will take part in the league in this season: the top 14 teams from the 2025 Liga de Primera, plus the 2025 Primera B champions Universidad de Concepción and the winners of the Primera B promotion play-offs Deportes Concepción. Universidad de Concepción returned to the top tier after five years, clinching promotion as well as winning the Primera B tournament with a 3–0 victory over Deportes Copiapó on 1 November 2025,[5] whilst Deportes Concepción confirmed their first promotion to the top flight in 17 years after defeating Cobreloa in the promotion play-off finals on 7 December 2025.[6] The promoted teams replaced Deportes Iquique, who were relegated after two seasons,[7] and Unión Española, relegated to the second tier after 28 years.[8]
Stadia and locations
| Team | City | Stadium | Capacity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Audax Italiano | Santiago (La Florida) | Bicentenario de La Florida | 11,637 |
| Cobresal | El Salvador | El Cobre | 11,240 |
| Colo-Colo | Santiago (Macul) | Monumental David Arellano | 43,667 |
| Coquimbo Unido | Coquimbo | Francisco Sánchez Rumoroso | 15,809 |
| Deportes Concepción | Concepción | Ester Roa Rebolledo | 30,448 |
| Deportes La Serena | La Serena | La Portada | 17,134 |
| Deportes Limache | Limache | Nicolás Chahuán Nazar[i] | 8,353 |
| Everton | Viña del Mar | Sausalito | 21,754 |
| Huachipato | Talcahuano | Huachipato-CAP Acero | 10,032 |
| Ñublense | Chillán | Nelson Oyarzún Arenas | 11,319 |
| O'Higgins | Rancagua | El Teniente | 12,476 |
| Palestino | Santiago (La Cisterna) | Municipal de La Cisterna | 8,000 |
| Unión La Calera | La Calera | Nicolás Chahuán Nazar | 8,353 |
| Universidad Católica | Santiago (Las Condes) | Claro Arena | 20,249 |
| Universidad de Chile | Santiago (Ñuñoa) | Nacional Julio Martínez Prádanos | 46,190 |
| Universidad de Concepción | Concepción | Ester Roa Rebolledo | 30,448 |
- Notes
Personnel and kits
| Team | Manager | Kit manufacturer | Main shirt sponsors |
|---|---|---|---|
| Audax Italiano | Gustavo Lema | Macron | Traverso |
| Cobresal | Gustavo Huerta | KS7 | Pullman Bus |
| Colo-Colo | Fernando Ortiz | Adidas | JugaBet |
| Coquimbo Unido | Hernán Caputto | Capelli Sport | RojaBet |
| Deportes Concepción | Patricio Almendra | Kelme | Coolbet |
| Deportes La Serena | Vacant | Fiume | Estelarbet |
| Deportes Limache | Víctor Rivero | Claus-7 | Pin-Up Casino, Transportes CVU |
| Everton | Javier Torrente | Skechers | Terrawind |
| Huachipato | Jaime García | Marathon | 1XBET |
| Ñublense | Juan José Ribera | Capelli Sport | Stake |
| O'Higgins | Vacant | Joma | BC.GAME |
| Palestino | Cristián Muñoz | Capelli Sport | Bank of Palestine |
| Unión La Calera | Martín Cicotello | Givova | Estelarbet, GWM, Suzuval |
| Universidad Católica | Daniel Garnero | Puma | BICE |
| Universidad de Chile | Gustavo Álvarez | Adidas | JugaBet |
| Universidad de Concepción | Juan Cruz Real | Capelli Sport | Juegalo.com |
Managerial changes
| Team | Outgoing manager | Manner of departure | Date of vacancy | Position in table | Incoming manager | Date of appointment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Universidad de Concepción | Cristián Muñoz | Resigned | 1 December 2025[9] | Pre-season | Juan Cruz Real | 16 December 2025[10] |
| Coquimbo Unido | Esteban González | 6 December 2025[11] | Hernán Caputto | 13 December 2025[12] | ||
| Palestino | Lucas Bovaglio | End of contract | 7 December 2025[13] | Cristián Muñoz | 19 December 2025[14] | |
| Ñublense | Ronald Fuentes | 8 December 2025[15] | Juan José Ribera | 18 December 2025[16] | ||
| Deportes La Serena | Mario Sciacqua | Sacked | 11 December 2025[17] | |||
| O'Higgins | Francisco Meneghini | End of contract | 22 December 2025[18] |
Standings
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Audax Italiano | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Qualification for Copa Libertadores group stage |
| 2 | Cobresal | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 3 | Colo-Colo | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Qualification for Copa Libertadores play-off |
| 4 | Coquimbo Unido | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Qualification for Copa Sudamericana first stage |
| 5 | Deportes Concepción | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 6 | Deportes La Serena | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 7 | Deportes Limache | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 8 | Everton | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 9 | Huachipato | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 10 | Ñublense | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 11 | O'Higgins | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 12 | Palestino | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 13 | Unión La Calera | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 14 | Universidad Católica | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 15 | Universidad de Chile | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Relegation to Primera B |
| 16 | Universidad de Concepción | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
First match(es) will be played: 30 January 2026. Source: Campeonato Chileno
Rules for classification: 1) Points, 2) Playoff game (only if needed to decide championship between two teams), 3) Goal difference, 4) Matches won, 5) Goals for, 6) Away goals for, 7) Red cards, 8) Yellow cards, 9) Drawing of lots.
Rules for classification: 1) Points, 2) Playoff game (only if needed to decide championship between two teams), 3) Goal difference, 4) Matches won, 5) Goals for, 6) Away goals for, 7) Red cards, 8) Yellow cards, 9) Drawing of lots.
References
- ^ Jeria, Diego (12 December 2025). "Millonario acuerdo: la Liga de Primera cambia de nombre para el 2026 con nuevo patrocinador" [Million-dollar deal: the Liga de Primera changes its name for 2026 with a new sponsor] (in Spanish). RedGol. Retrieved 12 December 2025.
- ^ Catalán, Javier (24 November 2025). "Con nuevo torneo y fútbol de enero a diciembre: ANFP fija las fechas para el inicio de las competencias de 2026" [With a new tournament and football from January to December: ANFP sets the dates for the start of the 2026 competitions] (in Spanish). ADN Radio. Retrieved 3 December 2025.
- ^ Viluñir Silva, JP (12 December 2025). "Todo listo: ANFP le pone fecha al inicio de la temporada 2026 de la Liga de Primera" [Everything set: ANFP sets a date for the start of the 2026 Liga de Primera season] (in Spanish). RedGol. Retrieved 12 December 2025.
- ^ Zúñiga, Alfonso (14 October 2025). "Oficial: Consejo de Presidentes aprueba Copa de la Liga 2026 y redistribuye cupos internacionales" [Official: Council of Presidents approves 2026 Copa de La Liga and redistributes international slots] (in Spanish). RedGol. Retrieved 3 December 2025.
- ^ Tapia, Carlos (1 November 2025). "El Campanil regresa a Primera: Universidad de Concepción se queda con la fiesta de Copiapó y con el título del Ascenso" [The Campanil returns to Primera: Universidad de Concepción claims both Copiapó's party and the Ascenso's title] (in Spanish). La Tercera. Retrieved 3 December 2025.
- ^ "Deportes Concepción derrotó a Cobreloa y firmó su retorno a la Liga de Primera" [Deportes Concepción defeated Cobreloa and secured their return to the Liga de Primera] (in Spanish). ESPN. 7 December 2025. Retrieved 7 December 2025.
- ^ Bastidas, Juan Miguel (6 December 2025). "Everton se salva en la última jornada y Deportes Iquique desciende sin obrar el milagro" [Everton avoid relegation on the final day, while Deportes Iquique are relegated without pulling off a miracle] (in Spanish). TNT Sports. Retrieved 6 December 2025.
- ^ "Tras 28 años de su último descenso: Unión Española perdió duelo clave ante O'Higgins y condenó su caída a la Liga de Ascenso 2026" [After 28 years since their last relegation: Unión Española lost a key match against O'Higgins and sealed their fall to the 2026 Liga de Ascenso] (in Spanish). Onefootball. 1 December 2025. Retrieved 3 December 2025.
- ^ Catalán, Bastián (1 December 2025). ""Debemos recuperar el tiempo perdido": U de Conce anuncia la salida de su DT con duro descargo" ["We must make up for the lost time": U de Conce announce the departure of their coach with a harsh statement] (in Spanish). Al Aire Libre. Retrieved 3 December 2025.
- ^ Urrutia, Joaquín (16 December 2025). "Juan Cruz Real asumió la dirección técnica de la UdeC para la temporada 2026" [Juan Cruz Real took over the technical direction of UdeC for the 2026 season] (in Spanish). Radio UdeC. Retrieved 17 December 2025.
- ^ González, Christian; Parker, Matías (6 December 2025). "Duro mazazo al campeón: Esteban González le anuncia su salida a Coquimbo Unido" [Major blow to the champion: Esteban González informs Coquimbo Unido of his departure] (in Spanish). La Tercera. Retrieved 7 December 2025.
- ^ González, Vicente (13 December 2025). "Con la Copa Libertadores por delante: Coquimbo Unido presenta a Hernán Caputto como su DT para el 2026" [With the Copa Libertadores on the horizon: Coquimbo Unido present Hernán Caputto as their manager for 2026] (in Spanish). La Tercera. Retrieved 13 December 2025.
- ^ "Palestino oficializó la salida de Lucas Bovaglio" [Palestino made official the exit of Lucas Bovaglio] (in Spanish). Radio Cooperativa. 7 December 2025. Retrieved 7 December 2025.
- ^ López Castro, Magdalena (19 December 2025). "Cristián Muñoz llega a Palestino con una señal potente que ya mira a la U de Chile en la Sudamericana" [Cristián Muñoz arrives at Palestino with a strong signal that he already has his sights set on U de Chile in the Copa Sudamericana] (in Spanish). Al Aire Libre. Retrieved 19 December 2025.
- ^ Bustos, Daniel (8 December 2025). ""Valoramos profundamente su trabajo": Ñublense comunica la salida de Ronald Fuentes" ["We deeply value his work": Ñublense announce the departure of Ronald Fuentes] (in Spanish). La Tercera. Retrieved 9 December 2025.
- ^ "Ñublense oficializó la contratación de Juan José Ribera como nuevo director técnico" [Ñublense made official the signing of Juan José Ribera as new head coach] (in Spanish). Radio Cooperativa. 18 December 2025. Retrieved 19 December 2025.
- ^ Rivera Valencia, Carlos (11 December 2025). "Mario Sciacqua deja CD La Serena tras solo nueve fechas y un duro cierre de temporada" [Mario Sciacqua leaves CD La Serena after only nine matches and a tough end to the season] (in Spanish). El Día. Retrieved 13 December 2025.
- ^ García, Javier (22 December 2025). "Se acabó: O'Higgins comunica oficialmente el fin de ciclo de Francisco Meneghini" [It's over: O'Higgins officially inform the end of Francisco Meneghini's cycle] (in Spanish). En Cancha. Retrieved 22 December 2025.
External links
- Primera División on ANFP's website (in Spanish)