2019–20 Liga Primera de Nicaragua


The 2019–20 Liga Primera de Nicaragua season was be divided into two tournaments and will determine the 73rd and 74th champions in the history of the Liga Primera de Nicaragua, the top division of football in Nicaragua. The Apertura tournament was played in the second half of 2019, while the Clausura was played in the first half of 2020.
The league is one of the only football leagues in the world, along with the Belarus, that did not suspend their season due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

Format

The Apertura play-off format was changed from previous years, while the Clausura will use the same 4-team play-off format. For the Apertura, 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. The same format was recently adopted by the Costa Rican Primera División, but for both half seasons.

Team information

A total of ten teams contested the league, including nine sides from the 2018–19 Primera División, and one side from the 2018–19 Segunda División.
UNAN Managua finished last in the aggregate table and were relegated to the Segunda División. The champions from the Segunda División, Deportivo Las Sabanas were promoted in their place.
The 9th place team in the aggregate table, Chinandega FC, faced the second place team from the Segunda División, FC Gutiérrez, in a playoff for a spot in the Primera División. Chinandega won 4-3 over two legs, meaning Chinandega remained in Primera División.

Promotion and relegation

Promoted from Segunda División as of July, 2019.
Relegated to Segunda División as of July, 2019.
TeamLocationStadiumCapacity
ChinandegaChinandegaEstadio Efraín Tijerino
Deportivo Las SabanasLas SabanasMunicipal de Las Sabanas
Deportivo OcotalOcotalEstadio Roy Fernando Bermúdez
DiriangénDiriambaEstadio Cacique Diriangén
Juventus ManaguaManaguaEstadio Olímpico del IND Managua
ManaguaManaguaEstadio Olímpico del IND Managua
Municipal JalapaJalapaEstadio Alejandro Ramos
Real EstelíEstelíEstadio Independencia
Real MadrizSomotoEstadio Solidaridad
Walter FerrettiManaguaEstadio Olímpico del IND Managua

Managerial changes

During the Apertura season

TeamOutgoing managerManner of departureReplaced byPosition in table
Diriangen FC Mauricio CruzSackedSeptember 2019 Flavio da SilvaSeptember 20199th
CD Ocotal Mario AlfaroSackedOctober 2019 Marcos Rivera October 201910th
CD Ocotal Marcos RiveraInterimship finishedOctober 2019 Reynaldo ClavasquínOctober 201910th
ART Jalapa Leonidas RodríguezSackedOctober 2019 Angel OrellanaOctober 20199th
Real Esteli Sergio Ivan RodriguezResignedNovember 2019 Holver Flores ‘’’Interim’’’November 20193rd
Real Madriz Miguel Angel SanchezResignedNovember 2019 Carlos Matamoros ‘’’Interim’’’November 20199th

Between the Aperutra and Clasura season

TeamOutgoing managerManner of departureDate of vacancyReplaced byDate of appointmentPosition in table
Juventus Managua Roberto Armando ChanampeSackedDecember 2019 Héctor MedinaDecember 2019TBD
Real Madriz Carlos MatamorosInterimship finishedDecember 2019 Juan RamirezJanuary 2020TBD

Apertura

Personnel and sponsoring

Standings

Results

Finals

Bracket

Key: ' = Wins because of away goals rule, ' = Wins after extra time in second leg, = Wins after penalty shoot-out.

Quarterfinals

Managua progressed.
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Real Estelí progressed.

Semi-finals

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1–1, Real Estelí won on away goals.
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4–4, Managua won 5–3 on penalties.

Final

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Real Estelí won 2–1 on aggregate.

Statistics

Top scorers

Records

Personnel and sponsoring

Standings

Results

Finals

Bracket

Key: ' = Wins because of away goals rule, ' = Wins after extra time in second leg, = Wins after penalty shoot-out.

Quarterfinals

Diriangén progressed.
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Walter Ferretti progressed.

Semi-finals

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Real Estelí won 1–0 on aggregate.
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Managua won 4–2 on aggregate.

Final

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Real Estelí won 4–2 on aggregate.

Statistics

Top scorers

Discipline

Relegation play-offs

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List of foreign players in the league

This is a list of foreign players in the 2019–20 season. The following players:
  1. Have played at least one game for the respective club.
  2. Have not been capped for the Nicaragua national football team on any level, independently from the birthplace
A new rule was introduced this season, that clubs can have four foreign players per club and can only add a new player if there is an injury or a player/s is released and it is before the close of the season transfer window.
ART Jalapa
Chinandega
Diriangén
Juventus Managua
Managua
Ocotal
Real Estelí
Real Madriz
Deportivo Las Sabanas
Walter Ferretti
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