Categoría Primera A

File:Deportivo Independiente Medellin 1922.jpg squad in 1922]]

Before 1948 there was no professional football league in Colombia. The first clubs were formed in Barranquilla and Bogotá: Barranquilla FC, Polo Club, Escuela Militar and Bartolinos, although the game took a while to develop in popularity.{{cite web |url=https://www.rsssf.org/tablesc/colfound.html |title=Colombia - Foundation Dates of Clubs |access-date=2023-02-02 |archive-date=2022-09-27 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220927221618/https://www.rsssf.org/tablesc/colfound.html |url-status=live }} The 1918 Campeonato Nacional was the first tournament played between Colombian clubs, followed by the Copa Centenario Batalla de Boyacá. Independiente Medellín, founded on 15 April 1913, is the oldest club that remains as a professional club.{{cite book |last=Ruíz Bonilla |first=Guillermo |title=La gran historia del Fútbol Profesional Colombiano |year=2008 |publisher=Ediciones Dayscript |isbn=978-958-987-1300 |pages=12–14; 19}}

The first tournament was organised by the Colombian Football Federation and DIMAYOR in 1948. Ten teams signed up for this first tournament, paying the required fee of 1,000 pesos). Two teams each signed on from Bogotá, Cali, Manizales, and Pereira, plus one from Barranquilla.{{cite book |last=Ruíz Bonilla |first=Guillermo |title=La gran historia del Fútbol Profesional Colombiano |year=2008 |publisher=Ediciones Dayscript |isbn=978-958-987-1300 |page=51}} 252 players were registered for that year's tournament, 182 of which were Colombians, 13 were Argentine, 8 Peruvian, 5 Uruguayan, 2 Chilean, 2 Ecuadorian, 1 Dominican, and 1 Spanish.

Soon after the league's foundation, disputes between Adefútbol (the body governing amateur football in Colombia) and DIMAYOR (the organizing body behind the new national league) erupted. DIMAYOR broke away from Adefútbol, announcing that it would operate independently of FIFA rules and regulations. In response, FIFA sanctioned Colombian football, banning the national team and all its clubs from international competition. This period, which lasted from 1949 to 1954, is known as El Dorado.

File:Cali vs Nacional 16.jpg vs Atlético Nacional]]

Far from being a dark time in Colombian football, this was its golden age. No longer required to pay transfer fees to clubs from other nations, Colombian clubs began importing stars from all over South America and Europe. The most aggressive signer of international players was Millonarios, which won consecutive championships with stars such as Alfredo di Stéfano. Attendances boomed, and the expanding appetite for club competitions resulted in the creation of the Copa Colombia in 1950. That knockout competition was played sporadically over the next 58 years and only became an annual tournament in 2008.{{cite web | last =Acosta | first =Andrés | title =Colombia - List of Cup Winners | work =Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation | publisher =Andrés Acosta and RSSSF | date =2013-01-10 | url =https://www.rsssf.org/tablesc/colcuphist.html | access-date =2013-11-15 | archive-date =2022-09-26 | archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20220926093952/https://www.rsssf.org/tablesc/colcuphist.html | url-status =live }} Although the stars returned to their nations when Colombia rejoined the international fold in 1954, the era was never forgotten.{{cite web |url=http://www.eltiempo.com/100/dk100/cronologia_centenario/ARTICULO-WEB-PLANT_NOTA_INTERIOR_100-7821763.html |title=El Tiempo - Colombia entra en la élite del fútbol mundial con 'la época de El Dorado' |language=es |access-date=2015-04-12 |archive-date=2012-06-29 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120629014029/http://www.eltiempo.com/100/dk100/cronologia_centenario/ARTICULO-WEB-PLANT_NOTA_INTERIOR_100-7821763.html |url-status=live }}

In 1968 the league started following the pattern emerging in South America by replacing its year-long tournament with two shorter ones. From this point forward, Colombian clubs would compete in two tournaments a year; the Apertura from February to June and the Finalización from July to December, which became independent championships in 2002. Another league restructuring came in 1991, with the addition of second and third divisions. The third division had its 2002 edition cancelled for economic reasons, and stopped awarding promotion to the professional tiers in 2003 until it was finally dropped in 2010.

The current format of Colombian football was adopted for the 2019 season. The top flight features 20 teams, all of which play through the Apertura and Finalización tournaments each year. Both tournaments are conducted according to an identical three-stage format, and have been independent title-awarding tournaments since 2002.

The first stage is conducted on a single round-robin basis, with each team playing the other teams once for a total of 19 matches, although an extra round of regional derbies has been included in most seasons. The top eight teams then advance to a semi-final round consisting of two groups of four teams, each team playing the others in their group twice in a double round-robin format. The two group winners advance to the final, which is played in a home-and-away double-legged fashion.

Relegation to Categoría Primera B is determined by averaging the point totals achieved by teams in the first stage of the competition over the previous three seasons. Each year, the bottom two teams drop out and are replaced by the top two from Primera B.{{cite web|url=https://ligadeportiva.com/organization-of-colombian-football-league/|title=The Organization Of The Colombian Football League|publisher=Liga Deportiva|language=en|date=April 19, 2022|access-date=April 25, 2022|archive-date=April 27, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220427025947/https://ligadeportiva.com/organization-of-colombian-football-league/|url-status=live}}

{{Categoría Primera A teams table}}

This is the complete list of the clubs that have taken part in at least one Categoría Primera A season, founded in 1948, until the 2025 season.{{cite web|url=https://www.rsssf.org/tablesc/colchamp.html|title=Colombia - List of Champions and Runners-Up|last1=Andres|first1=Juan Pablo|last2=Ballesteros|first2=Frank|date=22 May 2014|website=RSSSF|access-date=22 September 2014|archive-date=7 February 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230207020018/https://www.rsssf.org/tablesc/colchamp.html|url-status=live}} Teams that currently play are indicated in bold.

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• 78 seasons: Atlético Nacional (Atlético Municipal)
• 78 seasons: Millonarios
• 78 seasons: Santa Fe
• 75 seasons: Deportivo Cali
• 74 seasons: Independiente Medellín
• 72 seasons: América de Cali
• 72 seasons: Once Caldas (Deportes Caldas, Deportivo Manizales, Atlético Manizales, Cristal Caldas, Varta Caldas, Once Philips)
• 70 seasons: Deportes Tolima
• 66 seasons: Atlético Bucaramanga
• 65 seasons: Junior
• 64 seasons: Deportivo Pereira
• 62 seasons: Deportes Quindío (Atlético Quindío)
• 57 seasons: Cúcuta Deportivo
• 53 seasons: Unión Magdalena (Samarios)
• 33 seasons: Envigado
• 27 seasons: Atlético Huila
• 25 seasons: Deportivo Pasto
• 19 seasons: Boyacá Chicó (Bogotá Chicó)
• 19 seasons: La Equidad
• 16 seasons: Cortuluá
• 15 seasons: Águilas Doradas (Itagüí Ditaires, Águilas Pereira, Rionegro Águilas)

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• 12 seasons: Patriotas
• 12 seasons: Real Cartagena
• 11 seasons: Alianza Petrolera
• 10 seasons: Jaguares
• 9 seasons: Boca Juniors
• 8 seasons: Sporting
• 5 seasons: Universidad
• 4 seasons: Fortaleza
• 4 seasons: Once Deportivo
• 3 seasons: Huracán
• 2 season: Alianza
• 2 seasons: Uniautónoma
• 2 seasons: Unicosta
• 1 season: Deportivo Barranquilla
• 1 season: Centauros Villavicencio
• 1 season: Leones
• 1 season: Libertad
• 1 season: Llaneros
• 1 season: Oro Negro
• 1 season: Tigres

{{col-end}}

The same trophy has been used to commemorate the annual champion since 1948. Made of German silver, weighing roughly 5 kilos and measuring approximately 90 centimeters tall, in its upper part it has the figure of the Winged Victory of Samothrace, which has been used to represent sporting triumph with the passing of history. The original trophy, which is engraved with the names of all the champion clubs, is kept at the headquarters of DIMAYOR and is only exhibited for fixture draws or events with sponsors, with the champions being awarded an exact replica.{{cite web |title=La historia del trofeo de la Dimayor y que se les entrega a los campeones |trans-title=The history of Dimayor's trophy which is awarded to the champions |url=https://elcincocero.com/la-historia-del-trofeo-de-la-dimayor-y-que-se-les-entrega-a-los-campeones/ |publisher=El Cinco Cero |language=es |date=4 June 2023 |access-date=8 March 2024}} Along with the competition's official trophy, the champions are also awarded an additional trophy handed over by the league's sponsor.{{cite web|url=http://www.caracol.com.co/noticias/deportes/estos-son-los-trofeos-que-reciben-los-campeones/20120715/nota/1722666.aspx|title=Estos son los trofeos que reciben los campeones|editor=Caracol Radio|language=es|date=14 July 2012|access-date=12 April 2015|archive-date=15 April 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150415084450/http://www.caracol.com.co/noticias/deportes/estos-son-los-trofeos-que-reciben-los-campeones/20120715/nota/1722666.aspx|url-status=dead}}

{{main|Colombian football clubs in international competitions}}

{{updated|13 March 2016}}{{cite web|url=https://www.semana.com/imprimir/94906|title=Semana.com - Imprimir|website=www.semana.com|access-date=2019-02-10|archive-date=2019-02-12|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190212011402/https://www.semana.com/imprimir/94906|url-status=live}}

{{updated|16 April 2025}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.futbolred.com/futbol-colombiano/liga-betplay/asi-quedo-tabla-de-goleadores-del-fpc-tras-el-record-hecho-por-dayro-moreno-204677|title=Dayro, en la punta: así quedó tabla de goleadores históricos del FPC|trans-title=Dayro, at the top: this is how the FPC′s table of historical scorers ended up|publisher=Futbolred|language=es|date=16 March 2024|access-date=17 March 2024}}

The only tournament that was not awarded to a champion occurred in 1989, after the assassination of referee Álvaro Ortega on October 1 in Medellín. All games, post-season games and international representation for the following year were cancelled.{{cite book |last=Ruiz Bonilla |first=Guillermo |title=La gran historia del Fútbol Profesional Colombiano |trans-title=The Grand History of Colombian Professional Football |date=October 2008 |publisher=Ediciones Dayscript |language=es |isbn=978-958-98713-0-0 |pages=223}}{{cite web|url=https://www.rsssf.org/tablesc/col89.html|title=Colombia 1989|website=RSSSF|access-date=2023-02-02|archive-date=2023-03-23|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230323151443/https://www.rsssf.org/tablesc/col89.html|url-status=live}}

Source for champions and runners-up by season: RSSSF

• Teams in bold compete in the Categoría Primera A as of the 2025 season.
• Italics indicates clubs that no longer exist or disaffiliated from Dimayor.

Source: [https://www.rsssf.org/tablesc/colchamp.html RSSSF]

{{Reflist|30em}}

{{commons category}}

• [http://dimayor.com.co/ Dimayor Official Website]
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20191016205956/https://fcf.com.co/ Colombian Federation] (archived 16 October 2019)
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20080626100846/http://www.fifa.com/associations/association=col/ FIFA Association] (archived 26 June 2008)
• [https://int.soccerway.com/national/colombia/primera-a/2013/clausura/r20196/ Primera A – current season league table, recent results and upcoming fixtures at Soccerway]

{{Colombian Primera A}}

{{Categoría Primera A top scorers}}

{{Football in Colombia}}

{{South American Football}}

{{CONMEBOL Leagues}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Categoria Primera A}}

Colombia

1

Category:Sports leagues established in 1948

Category:1948 establishments in Colombia