Competition: | División Profesional |
Season: | 2023 |
Dates: | 4 February – 6 December 2023 |
Winners: | The Strongest (16th title) |
Relegated: | Libertad Gran Mamoré Vaca Díez Palmaflor del Trópico |
Continentalcup1: | Copa Libertadores |
Continentalcup1 Qualifiers: | The Strongest Bolívar Always Ready Aurora |
Continentalcup2: | Copa Sudamericana |
Continentalcup2 Qualifiers: | Jorge Wilstermann (via Copa División Profesional) Nacional Potosí Real Tomayapo Universitario de Vinto |
League Topscorer: | Dorny Romero (25 goals) |
Matches: | 272 |
Total Goals: | 751 |
Biggest Home Win: | (10 November) |
Biggest Away Win: | Palmaflor 1–7 Bolívar (25 November) |
Highest Scoring: | Nacional Potosí 6–3 The Strongest (24 June) |
Prevseason: | 2022 |
Nextseason: | 2024 |
The 2023 Bolivian Primera División season, known as the 2023 Liga Tigo season for sponsorship reasons, was the 46th season of the División Profesional del Fútbol Boliviano, Bolivia's top-flight football league and the sixth season under División de Fútbol Profesional management. The season started on 4 February and ended on 6 December 2023.[1]
The competition was suspended at a meeting of the División Profesional's Council on 5 September 2023, along with the 2023 Copa de la División Profesional, after the Bolivian Football Federation president Fernando Costa denounced suspicions of match-fixing, bribery, illegal betting and alterations to VAR.[2] [3] However, the suspension was lifted per suggestion from Costa on 27 September after reforms to the referee commission were performed and an agreement with CONMEBOL for monitoring was reached, as well as to allow the FBF's Sports Disciplinary Court to finish the investigations on the matter.[4]
The Strongest were the champions, clinching their sixteenth league title with two games in hand and a 1–1 draw against Always Ready on 26 November 2023.[5] Bolívar were the defending champions.
On 11 November 2022, the Bolivian Football Federation announced that the 2023 season of the División Profesional would have 17 teams, as the division's Higher Council decided that no club would be directly relegated to the Bolivian Football Regional Leagues. With this, the 2022 Copa Simón Bolívar earned a direct spot in the top tier, while the runners-up played a promotion/relegation play-off against the last-placed team in the aggregate table, Universitario de Sucre.[6]
The format for the season was confirmed after a meeting of the División Profesional's Council held on 13 January 2023. Teams played two parallel tournaments in the season: a double round-robin league tournament which was played on weekends and crowned the season's only champion and a league cup tournament which was played on weekdays with a group stage and an eight-team knockout stage.[7] The champions of both tournaments will qualify for the 2024 Copa Libertadores, whilst the league cup runners-up will qualify for the 2024 Copa Sudamericana. The remaining international berths as well as relegation were decided by an aggregate table which considered the performance of teams in both the league tournament and the group stage of the División Profesional cup.[8] The two teams with the lowest average at the end of the season were directly relegated to the regional leagues, while the team with the next lowest average will play a relegation play-off series, this in order to return to 16 teams in the league for the following season.[9]
17 teams competed in the league for the 2023 season, 15 of which took part in 2022. Vaca Díez took part in the top flight for the first time ever, ensuring their promotion on 24 November 2022 after winning the 2022 Copa Simón Bolívar,[10] whilst Libertad Gran Mamoré were also promoted after winning the promotion/relegation play-off against Universitario de Sucre, who were relegated after one season in the top flight.[11]
Team | Manager | Kit manufacturer | Shirt sponsor | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Always Ready | Óscar Villegas (caretaker) | Marathon | UTB, Suzuki | |
Aurora | Mauricio Soria | Marathon | Tigo | |
Blooming | Carlos Bustos | Marathon | Kia | |
Bolívar | Vladimir Soria Wálter Flores (caretakers) | Puma | Suzuki | |
Guabirá | Humberto Viviani | Forte | Celina, Ingenio Guabirá, Grupo Paz | |
Independiente Petrolero | Marcelo Robledo | Forte | Tigo, Fancesa, UTB | |
Jorge Wilstermann | Christian Díaz | Forte | Campero, BC Towers, BoA | |
Libertad Gran Mamoré | Marcelo Straccia | Parabero Sport | Aqua Level, UTB, Coca-Cola | |
Nacional Potosí | Flavio Robatto | Forte | BCP | |
Oriente Petrolero | Rodrigo Venegas | Marathon | Chevrolet | |
Palmaflor del Trópico | Joaquín Pérez | Forte | Maxus, Centro Comercial Privado Av. G77 | |
Real Santa Cruz | Miguel Ángel Zahzú | Arce | GAC Motor | |
Real Tomayapo | Martín Brignani | LEA | Altavida | |
Royal Pari | David de la Torre | Marathon | Grupo SION | |
The Strongest | Pablo Cabanillas | Marathon | ||
Universitario de Vinto | Pablo Godoy | Oxígeno Wear | Lucana, UTB | |
Vaca Díez | Rodrigo Santana | IAN | Raulino y Nolvia |
Team | Outgoing manager | Manner of departure | Date of vacancy | Position in table | Incoming manager | Date of appointment | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Palmaflor del Trópico | Vacant | Pre-season | Daniel Brizuela | 5 December 2022[12] | |||
Bolívar | Antônio Carlos Zago | End of contract | 12 November 2022[13] | Beñat San José | 12 November 2022[14] | ||
Nacional Potosí | Flavio Robatto | Mutual agreement | 13 November 2022[15] | Víctor Hugo Andrada | 17 November 2022[16] | ||
The Strongest | Claudio Biaggio | End of contract | 18 November 2022[17] | Ismael Rescalvo | 8 December 2022[18] | ||
Blooming | Víctor Hugo Antelo | Mutual agreement | 20 November 2022[19] | Thiago Leitão | 16 December 2022[20] | ||
Real Santa Cruz | Andrés Marinangeli | 21 November 2022[21] | Miguel Abrigo | 3 January 2023[22] | |||
Independiente Petrolero | Rodrigo Venegas | End of contract | 22 November 2022 | Juan Pablo Grass | 22 November 2022[23] | ||
Vaca Díez | Carlos Hurtado | Resigned | 25 November 2022 | José Aurelio Gay | 24 December 2022[24] | ||
Universitario de Vinto | Pablo Godoy | 27 December 2022[25] | Alberto Illanes | 5 January 2023[26] | |||
Always Ready | Óscar Villegas | End of caretaker spell | 28 December 2022 | Pablo Godoy | 28 December 2022[27] | ||
Jorge Wilstermann | Alberto Illanes | Resigned | 31 December 2022[28] | Christian Díaz | 23 January 2023[29] | ||
Independiente Petrolero | Juan Pablo Grass | Sacked | 16 February 2023[30] | 16th | Álvaro Peña | 16 February 2023[31] | |
Libertad Gran Mamoré | Cristian Reynaldo | 16 February 2023[32] | 11th | Andrés Marinangeli | 17 February 2023[33] | ||
Blooming | Thiago Leitão | 18 February 2023[34] | 13th | Carlos Bustos | 19 February 2023[35] | ||
Always Ready | Pablo Godoy | 6 March 2023[36] | 9th | Claudio Biaggio | 10 March 2023[37] | ||
Libertad Gran Mamoré | Andrés Marinangeli | 13 March 2023[38] | 13th | José Peña | 13 March 2023 | ||
Nacional Potosí | Víctor Hugo Andrada | 13 March 2023[39] | 5th | Flavio Robatto | 14 March 2023[40] | ||
Real Tomayapo | Richard Rojas | 14 March 2023[41] | 14th | Juan Vita | 15 March 2023[42] | ||
Royal Pari | Luis Marín Camacho | End of caretaker spell | 15 March 2023[43] | 10th | Roberto Mosquera | 15 March 2023[44] | |
Oriente Petrolero | Erwin Sánchez | Resigned | 15 April 2023[45] | 7th | Leonardo Egüez | 20 April 2023[46] | |
Guabirá | Mauricio Soria | Mutual agreement | 17 April 2023[47] | 14th | Miguel Ángel Portugal | 21 April 2023[48] | |
Vaca Díez | José Aurelio Gay | Resigned | 1 May 2023[49] | 13th | Marcos Pastor | 2 May 2023[50] | |
Oriente Petrolero | Leonardo Egüez | End of caretaker spell | 7 May 2023 | 10th | Ángel Guillermo Hoyos | 4 May 2023[51] | |
Always Ready | Claudio Biaggio | Mutual agreement | 4 May 2023[52] | 6th | Óscar Villegas | 5 May 2023[53] | |
Vaca Díez | Marcos Pastor | End of caretaker spell | 6 May 2023 | 14th | Carlos Fonseca | 6 May 2023[54] | |
Palmaflor del Trópico | Daniel Brizuela | Resigned | 7 May 2023[55] | 6th | Joaquín Pérez | 8 May 2023 | |
The Strongest | Ismael Rescalvo | 8 May 2023[56] | 1st | Claudio Biaggio | 8 May 2023[57] | ||
Royal Pari | Roberto Mosquera | Mutual agreement | 22 May 2023[58] | 13th | David de la Torre | 23 May 2023[59] | |
Guabirá | Miguel Ángel Portugal | 22 May 2023[60] | 10th | Gualberto Mojica | 23 May 2023[61] | ||
Gualberto Mojica | End of caretaker spell | 1 June 2023 | 13th | José Aurelio Gay | 1 June 2023[62] | ||
The Strongest | Claudio Biaggio | Mutual agreement | 12 June 2023[63] | 1st | Ricardo Formosinho | 17 June 2023[64] | |
Real Tomayapo | Juan Vita | Resigned | 22 June 2023[65] | 9th | Pablo Rubinich | 22 June 2023 | |
Pablo Rubinich | End of caretaker spell | 24 June 2023 | 8th | David González | 24 June 2023[66] | ||
Universitario de Vinto | Alberto Illanes | Sacked | 13 July 2023[67] | 10th | Pablo Godoy | 14 July 2023[68] | |
Oriente Petrolero | Ángel Guillermo Hoyos | Resigned | 18 July 2023[69] | 13th | Antonio Puche | 19 July 2023[70] | |
Libertad Gran Mamoré | José Peña | Sacked | 20 July 2023[71] | 17th | Humberto Viviani | 20 July 2023 | |
Vaca Díez | Carlos Fonseca | 21 July 2023[72] | 15th | Rodrigo Santana | 27 July 2023[73] | ||
The Strongest | Ricardo Formosinho | Resigned | 10 August 2023[74] | 1st | Pablo Cabanillas | 11 August 2023[75] | |
Guabirá | José Aurelio Gay | Mutual agreement | 14 August 2023[76] | 16th | Andrés Marinangeli | 15 August 2023[77] | |
Real Santa Cruz | Claudio Rodríguez and Miguel Abrigo | Resigned | 21 August 2023[78] | 6th | Miguel Ángel Zahzú | 23 August 2023[79] | |
Independiente Petrolero | Álvaro Peña | 21 August 2023 | 7th | Marcelo Robledo | 23 August 2023[80] | ||
Always Ready | Óscar Villegas | Demoted to the reserve squad | 30 August 2023[81] | 4th | Rodrigo Venegas | 30 August 2023 | |
Real Tomayapo | David González | Resigned | 29 September 2023[82] | 10th | Pablo Rubinich | 1 October 2023[83] | |
Pablo Rubinich | End of caretaker spell | 11 October 2023 | 7th | Martín Brignani | 11 October 2023[84] | ||
Always Ready | Rodrigo Venegas | Mutual agreement | 30 October 2023[85] | 4th | Óscar Villegas | 30 October 2023 | |
Libertad Gran Mamoré | Humberto Viviani | Resigned | 6 November 2023[86] | 16th | Marcelo Straccia | 9 November 2023[87] | |
Oriente Petrolero | Antonio Puche | Sacked | 6 November 2023[88] | 10th | Rodrigo Venegas | 8 November 2023[89] | |
Guabirá | Andrés Marinangeli | 8 November 2023[90] | 15th | Humberto Viviani | 8 November 2023[91] | ||
Aurora | Roberto Pérez | 14 November 2023[92] | 5th | Mauricio Soria | 15 November 2023 | ||
Bolívar | Beñat San José | Resigned | 19 November 2023[93] | 2nd | Vladimir Soria and Wálter Flores | 19 November 2023[94] |
Rank | Player | Club | Goals | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
align=center | 1 | Dorny Romero | Always Ready | align=center | 25 |
2 | Martín Prost | Nacional Potosí | 22 | ||
Enrique Triverio | The Strongest | ||||
align=center | 4 | Tommy Tobar | Nacional Potosí | align=center | 21 |
5 | Ronnie Fernández | Bolívar | 18 | ||
Jair Reinoso | Aurora | ||||
7 | José Erick Correa | Royal Pari | 10 | ||
Gastón Rodríguez | Blooming | ||||
Thomaz Santos | Independiente Petrolero | ||||
10 | Junior Arias | The Strongest | 9 | ||
Diego Cuadros | Vaca Díez | ||||
Rafinha | Blooming |
Source: Soccerway
For this season, the aggregate table considered the performance of teams in the 2023 División Profesional league tournament as well as the group stage of the 2023 Copa de la División Profesional. Given the odd number of teams in the league for the season and the uneven size of groups in the Copa de la División Profesional, this table was based on averages, dividing the sum of points in both tournaments by the total number of games played in both tournaments for each team.[95]
width=28 | width=190 | Team | width=28 | width=28 | width=28 | width=28 | width=28 | width=28 | width=30 | width=28 | width=28 | Qualification or relegation | ||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Bolívar | 42 | 25 | 6 | 11 | 108 | 49 | +59 | 81 | Qualification for Copa Libertadores group stage | ||||||||||||
2 | The Strongest (C) | 40 | 22 | 11 | 7 | 75 | 40 | +35 | 77 | |||||||||||||
3 | Always Ready | 42 | 20 | 12 | 10 | 74 | 53 | +21 | 72 | |||||||||||||
4 | Aurora | 40 | 17 | 13 | 10 | 50 | 35 | +15 | 64 | Qualification for Copa Libertadores first stage | ||||||||||||
5 | Nacional Potosí | 42 | 19 | 9 | 14 | 92 | 63 | +29 | 66 | Qualification for Copa Sudamericana first stage | ||||||||||||
6 | Real Tomayapo | 42 | 16 | 13 | 13 | 44 | 48 | −4 | 61 | |||||||||||||
7 | Jorge Wilstermann | 42 | 17 | 15 | 10 | 59 | 38 | +21 | 60 | |||||||||||||
8 | Universitario de Vinto | 42 | 13 | 17 | 12 | 47 | 45 | +2 | 56 | |||||||||||||
9 | Blooming | 42 | 16 | 7 | 19 | 53 | 64 | −11 | 55 | |||||||||||||
10 | Real Santa Cruz | 40 | 14 | 10 | 16 | 35 | 53 | −18 | 52 | |||||||||||||
11 | Oriente Petrolero | 42 | 12 | 13 | 17 | 51 | 61 | −10 | 49 | |||||||||||||
12 | Guabirá | 40 | 13 | 7 | 20 | 43 | 56 | −13 | 46 | |||||||||||||
13 | Royal Pari | 42 | 12 | 12 | 18 | 54 | 68 | −14 | 48 | |||||||||||||
14 | 42 | 15 | 3 | 24 | 43 | 62 | −19 | 48 | ||||||||||||||
15 | 42 | 13 | 7 | 22 | 42 | 82 | −40 | 46 | Qualification for Promotion/relegation play-off | |||||||||||||
16 | Vaca Díez (R) | 42 | 12 | 8 | 22 | 56 | 82 | −26 | 44 | Relegation to Bolivian Football Regional Leagues | ||||||||||||
17 | Palmaflor del Trópico (R) | 40 | 10 | 9 | 21 | 37 | 64 | −27 | 39 |
The relegation play-off was played by:
The winners will play in the top flight in the 2024 season.
----Tied 2–2 on aggregate, San Antonio Bulo Bulo won on penalties and was promoted to the División Profesional.