Primera División is a men’s football league associated with Costa-Rica. This competition page brings together live scores, fixtures, results and standings, alongside player and team statistics. Visitors can use it to follow matches, compare team and player figures, and review competition information across its recorded seasons in one place.
Upcoming matches, Primera División
Apertura - 1
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- Apertura - 1
San Carlos
Municipal Liberia
Apertura - 2
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- Apertura - 2
LD Alajuelense
Municipal Liberia
Estadio Alejandro Morera Soto
Apertura - 3
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- Apertura - 3
Municipal Liberia
Perez Zeledon
Estadio Edgardo Baltodano Briceño
Apertura - 4
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- Apertura - 4Sporting San Jose
Municipal Liberia
Apertura - 9
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- Apertura - 9
Perez Zeledon
Sporting San Jose
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- Apertura - 9
Puntarenas FC
Escorpiones Belén
Estadio Municipal de Puntarenas Miguel Ángel Lito Pérez Treacy -
- Apertura - 9
Deportivo Saprissa
CS Herediano
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- Apertura - 9
LD Alajuelense
Inter San Carlos
Estadio Alejandro Morera Soto -
- Apertura - 9
San Carlos
CS Cartagines
Apertura - 10
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- Apertura - 10
Inter San Carlos
Perez Zeledon
Latest played matches, Primera División
Apertura - 8
Apertura - 7
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Apertura - 7Estadio Municipal de Puntarenas Miguel Ángel Lito Pérez Treacy
Primera División Standings
Primera Division: Apertura
| Rank | Club | MP | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Last 5 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
|
CS Cartagines | 8 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 18 | 9 | 9 | 18 | WWWWL |
| 2 |
|
Deportivo Saprissa | 8 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 18 | 10 | 8 | 18 | LWWLW |
| 3 | Sporting San Jose | 8 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 14 | 7 | 7 | 14 | WLWWW | |
| 4 |
|
Inter San Carlos | 8 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 9 | 7 | 2 | 14 | DWLWW |
| 5 |
|
San Carlos | 8 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 7 | 9 | -2 | 12 | WWLWW |
| 6 |
|
LD Alajuelense | 8 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 10 | 10 | 0 | 11 | LLDLW |
| 7 |
|
Puntarenas FC | 8 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 7 | 13 | -6 | 8 | DLWWL |
| 8 |
|
Perez Zeledon | 8 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 12 | -6 | 8 | LWDLL |
| 9 |
|
CS Herediano | 8 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 8 | 12 | -4 | 7 | WLLLL |
| 10 |
|
Escorpiones Belén | 8 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 6 | 14 | -8 | 4 | LLLLL |
Primera División Statistics
Top scorers 2026
| # | Player | Goals |
|---|
Top assists 2026
| # | Player | Assists |
|---|
Top key passes
Top tackles
Top yellow cards
Top red cards
Primera División teams participation since 2016
History
| Team | Nb participations |
|---|---|
| CS Herediano | 10 |
| Deportivo Saprissa | 10 |
| Perez Zeledon | 10 |
| CS Cartagines | 10 |
| LD Alajuelense | 10 |
| San Carlos | 9 |
| Santos DE Guapiles | 9 |
| Guadalupe FC | 8 |
| Municipal Grecia | 7 |
| Sporting San Jose | 6 |
| Limon FC | 5 |
| Municipal Liberia | 5 |
| Univ. DE Costa Rica | 4 |
| AD Guanacasteca | 4 |
| Puntarenas FC | 4 |
| AD Carmelita | 3 |
| ADR Jicaral | 3 |
| Santa Ana | 1 |
Primera División top scorer teams
Primera División About
Primera División, currently branded Liga Promérica, is Costa Rica’s top professional men’s football league and the country’s premier national club competition. Also recorded as Costa-Rica Liga FPD, it determines the national champions, provides a platform for elite domestic players and connects Costa Rican clubs with CONCACAF’s regional competitions.
Identity and purpose
Founded in 1921, the competition is one of Central America’s longest-established top-flight leagues. It sits at the summit of Costa Rica’s domestic football pyramid, above the Liga de Ascenso, and combines regular league competition with a decisive championship play-off structure. The league’s sporting purpose is twofold: to identify the country’s best club over each tournament and to provide routes into major regional events, including the CONCACAF Champions Cup and the CONCACAF Central American Cup.
The competition is administered by the Unión de Clubes de Fútbol de la Primera División (UNAFUT), under the oversight of Costa Rica’s football authorities. Its established status has helped make it the principal stage for national talent, while its leading clubs have represented Costa Rica across the wider Central American and North American football landscape.
Teams, promotion and relegation
The league has historically been composed of 12 teams. Access is primarily determined by sporting merit: the champion of the second tier, the Liga de Ascenso, earns promotion, while a Liga FPD club loses its place at the top level through relegation. Relegation is generally decided using performance across the Apertura and Clausura tournaments, with the lowest aggregate record dropping to the second tier.
This system gives the competition significance beyond the title race. Clubs must compete for immediate tournament success while also protecting their wider seasonal position. Promotion offers the second-tier champion entry to the country’s highest level, whereas established top-flight teams face the continuing pressure of maintaining their aggregate performance.
Apertura and Clausura format
Primera División uses a split-season structure built around two separate tournaments each year. The Apertura, or Opening tournament, generally runs from July to December. The Clausura, or Closing tournament, usually follows from January to May. Each tournament has its own regular phase and championship play-offs, so the season produces two official national champions.
During the regular phase, teams play a double round-robin schedule, meeting each opponent at home and away. In the traditional 12-team structure, this produces 22 matchdays for each club before the play-offs. The regular-season table rewards consistent performance across the full schedule, but finishing first does not always end the title race.
The leading four teams advance to the knockout phase. The semi-finals are played over two legs, with the regular-season order determining the pairings: first faces fourth and second faces third. The semi-final winners then meet in a two-legged final to decide the play-off winner.
A further Grand Final is required when the regular-phase winner and the play-off winner are different clubs. This two-legged series determines the tournament champion. If one team wins both the regular phase and the play-offs, it is crowned automatically without a separate Grand Final. The arrangement creates a balance between sustained league form and success in high-pressure knockout matches.
Points, standings and decisive matches
League matches use the standard points system: three points for a win, one for a draw and none for a defeat. Teams are ranked first by total points, then by goal difference and goals scored. These criteria make every goal potentially important, particularly when clubs are competing for a top-four play-off place, regional qualification or safety from relegation.
Play-off ties are normally contested over two matches, one at each club’s ground, with the aggregate score deciding which team progresses. Where the aggregate score remains level after the second leg, the tie can proceed to extra time and, if necessary, a penalty shoot-out. The two-legged format adds a tactical dimension that differs from the regular phase: teams must manage both the individual match and the wider contest across the series.
Honours and regional importance
The Apertura and Clausura winners are recognized as Costa Rican national champions for their respective tournaments. Their performances also influence access to CONCACAF competitions. In general, the champion with the stronger aggregate record across the relevant tournaments is best placed to secure the most valuable regional pathway, including a direct route to the CONCACAF Champions Cup, while other successful clubs may qualify for the CONCACAF Central American Cup.
The league’s competitive identity is strongly associated with Deportivo Saprissa, Liga Deportiva Alajuelense and Club Sport Herediano. These three historic powers are widely regarded as Costa Rica’s “Big Three”, having dominated the title race and supplied much of the country’s regional representation over time. Their rivalries provide the competition with enduring national interest, but the split-season format also gives ambitious challengers two opportunities each year to break that established order.
Xtra-Stats records ten seasons of the competition, from 2016 through 2025. Across that coverage, the league’s defining characteristics are clear: a historic Costa Rican top-flight institution, two annual championship tournaments, a regular phase that rewards consistency, and play-offs that turn league position into a route toward national and regional honours.