2018 Venezuelan Primera División season


The 2018 Primera División season, officially Liga de Fútbol Profesional Venezolano or Liga FUTVE, was the 37th professional season of Venezuela's top-flight football league. Monagas were the defending champions, but did not qualify to the Serie Final, after being eliminated in the regular season of the Torneo Apertura and by Caracas in the quarter-finals of the Torneo Clausura.
Zamora were the champions, defeating Deportivo Lara on the Serie Final, 5–1 on aggregate.

Teams

Stadia and locations

reached the final of the Segunda División and earned promotion to the Primera División, but the team was suspended "temporarily" by the Honorary Council of the FVF after forfeiting the second leg of the final. On 15 January, Academia Puerto Cabello was announced as the replacement.
TeamManagerCityStadiumCapacity
Academia Puerto Cabello Pedro DepablosPuerto CabelloLa Bombonerita7,500
Aragua Enrique GarcíaMaracayOlímpico Hermanos Ghersi Páez14,000
Atlético VenezuelaVacantCaracasBrígido Iriartec10,000
Carabobo Jhonny FerreiraValenciaMisael Delgadod10,400
Caracas Noel SanvicenteCaracasOlímpico de la UCVa23,940
Deportivo Anzoátegui Jobanny RiveroPuerto La CruzJosé Antonio Anzoátegui37,485
Deportivo La Guaira Daniel FaríasCaracasOlímpico de la UCVa23,940
Deportivo Lara Leonardo GonzálezCabudareMetropolitano de Cabudare47,913
Deportivo Táchira Giovanny PérezSan CristóbalPolideportivo de Pueblo Nuevo38,755
Estudiantes de Caracas José María MorrCaracasBrígido Iriartec10,000
Estudiantes de Mérida Martín BrignaniMéridaMetropolitano de Méridab42,200
Metropolitanos Jhon GiraldoCaracasOlímpico de la UCVc23,940
Mineros Horacio MatuszyczkCiudad GuayanaPolideportivo Cachamay41,600
Monagas José Manuel ReyMaturínMonumental de Maturín51,796
Portuguesa Raymond PáezAcariguaGeneral José Antonio Páez18,000
Trujillanos José Nabor GavidiaValeraJosé Alberto Pérez25,000
Zamora Alí CañasBarinasAgustín Tovar29,800
Zulia Francesco StifanoMaracaiboJosé "Pachencho" Romero40,800

Managerial changes

Torneo Apertura

The Torneo Apertura is the first tournament of the season. The regular season started on 28 January and ended on 19 May.

Standings

Results

Knockout stage

Quarter-finals

First leg
Second leg

Semi-finals

First leg
Second leg

Final

----
Zamora won 2–1 on aggregate.

Top goalscorers

RankPlayerClubGoals
1 Tommy TobarCarabobo12
2 Edwuin PerníaCaracas11
3 Fernando AristeguietaCaracas8
3 Manuel ArteagaDeportivo La Guaira8
5 Jhonder CádizMonagas7
5 Richard BlancoMineros7
5 Cristian AlessandriniAtlético Venezuela7
5 Anthony UribeZamora7
5 Maurice CovaCarabobo7
5 Danny PérezZamora7

Torneo Clausura

The Torneo Clausura is the second tournament of the season. The regular season started on 21 July and ended on 28 October.

Standings

Results

Knockout stage

Quarter-finals

First leg
Second leg

Semi-finals

First leg
Second leg

Final

----
Deportivo Lara won 1–0 on aggregate.

Top goalscorers

RankPlayerClubGoals
1 Darwin GonzálezDeportivo La Guaira13
2 Gustavo AsconaTrujillanos10
3 Anthony UribeZamora9
3 Enzo MaidanaAcademia Puerto Cabello9
3 Víctor AquinoDeportivo Táchira9
6 Junior ParedesZulia7
6 Rubén RojasMonagas7
6 Edder FaríasAtlético Venezuela7
6 Jesús ArrietaCaracas7
6 Robert HernándezCaracas7

Serie Final

The Serie Final is held between the champions of the Torneo Apertura and the Torneo Clausura to determine the champions of the season. The best team of the finalists in the aggregate table chose the order of the legs.

First leg

Second leg

Zamora won 5–1 on aggregate.

Aggregate table