Liga 1 (Peru)

What is Liga 1?

Liga 1 — sold as Liga1 Te Apuesto after its betting sponsor — is the top division of Peruvian men’s football, run by the Liga de Fútbol Profesional of the Federación Peruana de Fútbol under regulations the FPF approves. Eighteen clubs contest two tournaments a year and, through them, the national title and Peru’s places in the Copa Libertadores and Copa Sudamericana.^[1] [2]

How does it work?

The Apertura and the Clausura are each a single round-robin of 17 rounds. If one club wins both it is national champion outright, as Universitario were in 2025. Otherwise the title goes to playoffs: a two-leg semifinal between the third and fourth clubs in the accumulated table, then a final against the second, with the tournament winners needing a top-seven accumulated finish to take part. The champion goes to the Libertadores group stage as Perú 1; the other continental places follow the playoffs and the accumulated table. Relegation to Liga 2 is decided on the accumulated table. From 2026 clubs may register up to seven foreign players and field all seven at once, up from six.^[2] [3]

Since when does it exist?

Peru has had a first division since 1912. Universitario’s 2025 title — a tricampeonato, won without a final because the club took both tournaments — followed their 2023 and 2024 championships; Alianza Lima, champions in 2021 and 2022, then took the Apertura 2026, clinching on 23 May 2026 with a 3–0 win over Los Chankas that put them six points clear with a match to spare. Universitario and Alianza Lima are the league’s two dominant clubs.^[4] [5]

Champions of the last ten seasons; the Apertura 2026 winner is shown pending the 2026 title.

Why does it matter?

Universitario, 32nd, is Peru’s highest-placed club on CONMEBOL’s 2026 club ranking. Liga 1 is the highest level of the sport in Peru and the route to continental competition for its clubs, and its foreign-player quota — seven on the field from 2026 — is among the most open in South America.^[3] [6]