World Football Badges News: Nicaragua - 2017/18 Primera División

Wednesday, 27 December 2017

Nicaragua - 2017/18 Primera División

Liga Nicaragüense de Futbol is the top division of the Federación Nicaragüense de Fútbol, it was created in 1933.

It is played in two parts, Torneo de Apertura from August through November and Torneo de Clausura from January through May. Each of the regular seasons is followed by a play-off of the top 4 teams over a 2-legged semi-final and subsequent final. The relegation end has the bottom team of the aggregate table dropped as well as the loser of the play-off of the 8th and 9th places.

The 2017–18 season in Primera División de Nicaragua will be divided into two tournaments (Apertura and Clausura) and will determine the 69th and 70th champions in the history of the league. The Apertura tournament will be played in the second half of 2017, while the Clausura will be played in the first half of 2018

The Apertura play-off format was changed from previous years, while the Clausura will use the same 4-team play-off format. For the Apetura, the top four teams from the regular stage advanced to a "quadrangular" double-round robin instead of a play-off stage. The regular stage and quadrangular winners would have played to decide the tournament's champion, but ultimately the same team won both and the final was not necessary.

A total of 10 teams will contest the league, including 8 sides from the 2016–17 Primera División 2 sides from the 2016–17 Segunda División.

At the end of the 2016–17 Primera División, Nandasmo finished last in the aggregate table and were relegated to the Segunda División. Taking their place was the champions from the Segunda División, Deportivo Ocotal.

The 9th place team in the aggregate table, Deportivo Sebaco, faced the second place team from the Segunda División, San Francisco Masachapa, in a playoff for a spot in the Primera División. San Francisco Masachapa won the playoff 3-2 on agggregate and were promoted, while Deportivo Sebaco were relegated.