Football in Colombia was introduced in 1900 by some English engineers hired to build the railway from Barranquilla to Puerto Salgar.
Some local championships were played in Barranquilla and later in Bogotá, and then the first teams were founded: Barranquilla FC (which preceded Atlético Junior) and, in 1902, El Polo Club in Bogotá. Two members of El Polo Club, Jose Maria and Carlos Obregon, founded the Football Club of Bogota and provided the field on which the first official game (and second in the country's history) was played on September 7, 1902, between the "Red" and "White" teams; the match was divided into two halves of 35 minutes each and in order to win the match, a team should be victorious in both halves. In case of a draw, a secon game was to be played and so until one of the teams defeats the rival on both halves. After three games the "Red" team was declared the winners of the first football tournament in Colombia.
Different rules were translated in Colegio de San Bartolomé in Bogotá and a team called "Bartolinos" was organized there in 1907.
Between 1912 and 1914 a few tournaments were played in Bogotá, and in 1918 and 1919, some more short tournaments were held in Bogotá and Cali.
Little by little football became popular in the whole country, but only in 1924 was a Colombian asociation of football under the name of "Liga de Fútbol" founded and later recognized by Fifa and Conmebol in 1936.
In 1947 the President of Adefútbol, Mr Alfonso Senior Quevedo, proposed to begin a professional championship (he was the person who in 1973 got Colombia to be the host of the World Cup 1986. However, in 1982 the President of Colombia refused to organize it). Due to some political problems between 1947 and 1948, the championship began on August of 1948 when División Mayor del Fútbol Colombiano (Dimayor) was founded to organize it.
The league began with 10 teams and until 1959 the number of teams changed many times. For 4 years the number stabilized in 12 teams but, in 1963 it increased to 13 teams and in 1966 to 14 teams.
The years from 1949 to 1953 were the "golden years" of the Colombian teams because the important players in the clubs came from Argentina. That time is well known as "El Dorado".
Since 1968 the format of the championship was split into two tournaments: Apertura (from February to June) and Finalización (from July to December); the end of the season is played in a little league between a smaller number of teams wich decides the champion of the year.
Since 1991 a professional second division was created and then the number of teams in the first division extended to 16 teams because the champion of the second division is promoted to the first division and since 1993 the worst team in the first division is relegated to the second.
Up to 1999 16394 matches have been played and 46427 goals scored.
Champions Runners Up
1948 Independiente Santa Fe Atlético Junior
1949 Millonarios Deportivo Cali
1950 Once Caldas Millonarios
1951 Millonarios Boca Juniors (Cali)
1952 Millonarios Boca Juniors (Cali)
1953 Millonarios Atlético Quindio
1954 Atlético Nacional Atlético Quindio
1955 D. Independiente Medellín Atlético Nacional
1956 Atlético Quindio Millonarios
1957 D. Independiente Medellín Deportes Tolima
1958 Independiente Santa Fe Millonarios
1959 Millonarios D. Independiente Medellín
1960 Independiente Santa Fe América de Cali
1961 Millonarios D. Independiente Medellín
1962 Millonarios Deportivo Cali
1963 Millonarios Independiente Santa Fe
1964 Millonarios Cúcuta Deportivo
1965 Deportivo Cali Atlético Nacional
1966 Independiente Santa Fe D. Independiente Medellín
1967 Deportivo Cali Millonarios
1968 Unión Magdalena Deportivo Cali
1969 Deportivo Cali América de Cali
1970 Deportivo Cali Atlético Junior
1971 Independiente Santa Fe Atlético Nacional
1972 Millonarios Deportivo Cali
1973 Atlético Nacional Millonarios
1974 Deportivo Cali Atlético Nacional
1975 Independiente Santa Fe Millonarios
1976 Atlético Nacional Deportivo Cali
1977 Atlético Junior Deportivo Cali
1978 Millonarios Deportivo Cali
1979 América de Cali Independiente Santa Fe
1980 Atlético Junior Deportivo Cali
1981 Atlético Nacional Deportes Tolima
1982 América de Cali Deportes Tolima
1983 América de Cali Atlético Junior
1984 América de Cali Millonarios
1985 América de Cali Deportivo Cali
1986 América de Cali Deportivo Cali
1987 Millonarios América de Cali
1988 Millonarios Atlético Nacional
1989 championship not awarded
1990 América de Cali Atlético Nacional
1991 Atlético Nacional América de Cali
1992 América de Cali Atlético Nacional
1993 Atlético Junior D. Independiente Medellín
1994 Atlético Nacional Millonarios
1995 Atlético Junior América de Cali
1995/96 Deportivo Cali Millonarios
1996/97 América de Cali Atlético Bucaramanga
1998 Deportivo Cali Once Caldas
1999 Atlético Nacional América de Cali
2000 América de Cali Atlético Junior
2001 América de Cali D. Independiente Medellín
2002 Ap América de Cali Atlético Nacional
Fi D. Independiente Medellín Deportivo Pasto
2003 Ap Once Caldas Atlético Junior
Fi Deportes Tolima Deportivo Cali
2004 Ap D. Independiente Medellín Atlético Nacional
Fi Atlético Junior Atlético Nacional
2005 Ap Atlético Nacional Independiente Santa Fe
Fi Deportivo Cali Real Cartagena
2006 Ap Deportivo Pasto Deportivo Cali
Fi Cúcuta Deportivo Deportes Tolima
2007 Ap Atlético Nacional Atlético Huila
Fi Atlético Nacional CD La Equidad
2008 Ap Boyacá Chicó FC América de Cali
Fi América de Cali D. Independiente Medellín
2009 Ap Once Caldas Atlético Junior
Fi D. Independiente Medellín Atlético Huila
2010 Ap Atlético Junior CD La Equidad
Cl Once Caldas Deportes Tolima
2011 Ap Atlético Nacional CD La Equidad
Cl Atlético Junior Once Caldas
2012 Ap Independiente Santa Fe Deportivo Pasto
Cl Millonarios D. Independiente Medellín
2013 Ap Atlético Nacional Independiente Santa Fe
Cl Atlético Nacional Deportivo Cali
2014 Ap Atlético Nacional Atlético Junior
Cl Independiente Santa Fe D. Independiente Medellín
2015 Ap Deportivo Cali D. Independiente Medellín
Cl Atlético Nacional Atlético Junior
2016 Ap D. Independiente Medellín Atlético Junior
Cl Independiente Santa Fe Deportes Tolima
2017 Ap Atlético Nacional Deportivo Cali
Cl Millonarios Independiente Santa Fe
2018 Ap Deportes Tolima Atlético Nacional
Cl Atlético Junior D. Independiente Medellín
2019 Ap Atlético Junior Deportivo Pasto
Cl América de Cali Atlético Junior
2020 Ap América de Cali Independiente Santa Fe
Cl cancelled
2021 Ap Deportes Tolima Millonarios
Cl Deportivo Cali Deportes Tolima
2022 Ap Atlético Nacional Deportes Tolima
Cl Deportivo Pereira D. Independiente Medellín
2023 Ap Millonarios Atlético Nacional
Cl Atlético Junior D. Independiente Medellín
2024 Ap Atlético Bucaramanga Independiente Santa Fe
Cl
Total Championships (97; runners-up finishes between square brackets)
17 [12] Atlético Nacional (Medellín)
16 [10] Millonarios (Bogotá)
15 [ 7] América de Cali
10 [14] Deportivo Cali
10 [10] Atlético Junior (Barranquilla)
9 [ 7] Independiente Santa Fe (Bogotá)
6 [12] Deportivo Independiente Medellín
4 [ 2] Once Caldas (Manizales)
3 [ 8] Deportes Tolima (Ibagué)
1 [ 3] Deportivo Pasto
1 [ 2] Atlético Quindio (Armenia)
1 [ 1] Atlético Bucaramanga
1 [ 1] Cúcuta Deportivo
1 Boyacá Chicó FC
1 Deportivo Pereira
1 Unión Magdalena (Santa Marta)
[ 3] CD La Equidad
[ 2] Boca Juniors (Cali)
[ 2] Atlético Huila (Neiva)
[ 1] Real Cartagena
Historical overview and corrections thanks to Frank Ballesteros and Hans Schöggl; partial source: [Car 10]
Prepared and maintained by Juan Pablo Andrés for the Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation
Author: Juan Pablo Andrés
Last updated: 16 Jun 2024
(C) Copyright Juan Pablo Andrés and RSSSF 1996/2024
You are free to copy this document in whole or part provided that proper
acknowledgement is given to the author. All rights reserved.