The Superliga Colombiana (Colombian Superleague), officially known as Superliga BetPlay Dimayor due to sponsorship by online betting company BetPlay, is an official competition contested between the winners of the Apertura and Finalización tournaments of the Colombian Categoría Primera A. The tournament is organized by the División Mayor del Fútbol Colombiano, DIMAYOR. The competition was created in 2012 and is played by the end of January of every year, at the start of each season. Its current champion is Millonarios, who won their second title in 2024, while the most successful club is Santa Fe, with four titles.
 | |
| Founded | 2012 |
|---|---|
| Country | Colombia |
| Confederation | CONMEBOL |
| Number of teams | 2 |
| Current champions | Millonarios (2nd title) (2024) |
| Most championships | Santa Fe (4 titles) |
| TV partners | Win+ Fútbol |
| Website | dimayor |
| Current: 2024 Superliga Colombiana | |
History
editBy early 2012, the idea of a super cup competition between the champions of the Copa Colombia and one of the Categoría Primera A champions was being considered for implementation by DIMAYOR as well as Postobón, who sponsored the competitions organized by DIMAYOR at the time. According to the then chairman of DIMAYOR Ramón Jesurún, the competition would be played in January prior to the start of each season, but the project was yet to be approved.[1]
The Superliga was eventually greenlit by the Assembly of DIMAYOR held on 27 March 2012, in which it was decided that it would be contested by the champions of the two Primera A tournaments played in the previous season (Apertura and Finalización), instead of the Copa Colombia champions as it was originally planned. The first edition of the competition was played by Atlético Nacional and Junior, champions of the 2011 Apertura and 2011 Finalización respectively, in July 2012.[2]
Starting from the 2014 edition, the Superliga champions were awarded a berth to the Copa Sudamericana, qualifying for the Colombia 2 berth of that competition.[3] This arrangement lasted until 2016, due to the change of format of the CONMEBOL club competitions, which started being played simultaneously year-round as well as the fact that both of the Primera A champions are already entitled to play the Copa Libertadores. Due to this, the competition went to only offer an economic incentive to both participants.[4]
For 2020, and due to the schedule saturation caused by the 2020 CONMEBOL Pre-Olympic Tournament which was held in January 2020 as well as the 2020 Copa América which Colombia was originally selected to co-host and was scheduled for June, DIMAYOR considered playing the Superliga in May 2020 as a single match at a neutral venue outside the country, with Miami as the tentative host city,[5] however, those plans were cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the competition kept its usual home-and-away format.
Format
editThe competition is played as a double-legged series between the champions of the Categoría Primera A tournaments of the preceding season (Apertura and Finalización). The better placed team in the aggregate table of the previous season hosts the second leg.[2] If both teams are tied in points at the end of the second leg, the team with the better goal difference will be the champion, and if still drawn the winner is decided in a penalty shootout.
In the event one team wins both tournaments of the season, its rival in the competition will be the best-placed team in the aggregate table of the previous season.
Editions
edit| Ed. | Year | Apertura Champions | Scores | Finalización Champions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
1
|
2012 | Atlético Nacional | 3–1 3–0 |
Junior |
2
|
2013 | Santa Fe | 2–1 1–0 |
Millonarios |
3
|
2014 | Atlético Nacional | 1–2 1–0 (3–4 p) |
Deportivo Cali[note 1] |
4
|
2015 | Atlético Nacional | 2–1 0–2 |
Santa Fe |
5
|
2016 | Deportivo Cali | 0–2 0–3 |
Atlético Nacional |
6
|
2017 | Independiente Medellín | 0–0 0–1 |
Santa Fe |
7
|
2018 | Atlético Nacional | 0–0 1–2 |
Millonarios |
8
|
2019 | Deportes Tolima | 2–1 0–1 (0–3 p) |
Junior |
9
|
2020 | Junior | 1–2 2–0 |
América de Cali |
10
|
2021 | América de Cali[note 2] | 1–2 2–3 |
Santa Fe[note 2] |
11
|
2022 | Deportes Tolima | 1–1 1–0 |
Deportivo Cali |
12
|
2023 | Atlético Nacional | 1–0 4–3 |
Deportivo Pereira |
13
|
2024 | Millonarios | 0–1 2–0 |
Junior |
- ^ Since Atlético Nacional won both the Apertura and Finalización tournaments, Deportivo Cali qualified for being the second best team in the aggregate table of the 2013 season.
- ^ a b Since the 2020 Primera A season only had one tournament played instead of the usual two due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2021 Superliga was played by América de Cali as Primera A champions and Santa Fe as the best-placed team in the aggregate table of the 2020 season.
Performance by club
edit| Club | Titles | Runners-up | Seasons won | Seasons runner-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Santa Fe | 4
|
— | 2013, 2015, 2017, 2021 | — |
| Atlético Nacional | 3
|
3
|
2012, 2016, 2023 | 2014, 2015, 2018 |
| Junior | 2
|
2
|
2019, 2020 | 2012, 2024 |
| Millonarios | 2
|
1
|
2018, 2024 | 2013 |
| Deportivo Cali | 1
|
2
|
2014 | 2016, 2022 |
| Deportes Tolima | 1
|
1
|
2022 | 2019 |
| América de Cali | — | 2
|
— | 2020, 2021 |
| Independiente Medellín | — | 1
|
— | 2017 |
| Deportivo Pereira | — | 1
|
— | 2023 |
References
edit- ^ "En proyecto la Supercopa Postobón" [In project the Supercopa Postobón] (in Spanish). RCN Televisión. Archived from the original on 2 January 2012. Retrieved 20 January 2022.
- ^ a b "Conclusiones Asamblea 27 de marzo 2012" [27 March 2012 Assembly Conclusions] (in Spanish). División Mayor del Fútbol Colombiano. 27 March 2012. Archived from the original on 30 March 2012. Retrieved 20 January 2022.
- ^ "Dimayor determinó que desde 2014 el ganador de la Superliga irá a Sudamericana" [Dimayor determined that since 2014 the Superliga winner will go to the Sudamericana] (in Spanish). Gol Caracol. 1 November 2012. Retrieved 20 January 2022.
- ^ "Así han cambiado los premios de la Superliga en Colombia ¿Vale la pena seguirla haciendo?" [This is how the Superliga awards have changed in Colombia. Is it worth keeping it?] (in Spanish). Comutricolor. 8 February 2018. Retrieved 20 January 2022.
- ^ "Lista la fecha y sede para la Superliga entre América y Junior" [The date and venue for the Superliga between América and Junior are ready] (in Spanish). RCN Radio. 17 February 2020. Retrieved 20 January 2022.