| Season | 1971 |
|---|---|
| Dates | 30 May 1971 – 8 January 1972 |
| Champions | Universitario 14th Primera División title |
| Relegated | ADO Octavio Espinosa Porvenir Miraflores |
| 1972 Copa Libertadores | Universitario Alianza Lima |
← 1970 1972 → | |
The 1971 Torneo Descentralizado was the 55th season of the highest division of Peruvian football. The number of teams increased from 14 to 16 teams as four teams gained promotion. The last three teams were relegated from the first division.
The national champion was Universitario. ADO, Octavio Espinosa and Porvenir Miraflores were relegated.
| Promoted from 1970 Segunda División | Promoted from 1971 Copa Perú | Relegated from 1970 Primera División |
|---|---|---|
 ADO (1st) | Melgar (1st) Unión Tumán (2nd) José Gálvez (3rd) |  Deportivo SIMA (13th) Atlético Grau (14th) |
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Universitario | 30 | 18 | 10 | 2 | 57 | 20 | +37 | 46 | 1972 Copa Libertadores |
| 2 | Alianza Lima | 30 | 16 | 8 | 6 | 50 | 25 | +25 | 40 | |
| 3 | Defensor Lima | 30 | 14 | 11 | 5 | 48 | 30 | +18 | 39 | |
| 4 | Sporting Cristal | 30 | 13 | 12 | 5 | 50 | 36 | +14 | 38 | |
| 5 | Deportivo Municipal | 30 | 14 | 9 | 7 | 47 | 34 | +13 | 37 | |
| 6 | Juan Aurich | 30 | 15 | 6 | 9 | 48 | 37 | +11 | 36 | |
| 7 | Melgar | 30 | 10 | 14 | 6 | 40 | 30 | +10 | 34 | |
| 8 | Atlético Torino | 30 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 30 | 38 | −8 | 30 | |
| 9 | Sport Boys | 30 | 9 | 11 | 10 | 30 | 27 | +3 | 29 | |
| 10 | Unión Tumán | 30 | 9 | 8 | 13 | 38 | 50 | −12 | 26 | |
| 11 | Carlos A. Mannucci | 30 | 7 | 10 | 13 | 43 | 49 | −6 | 24 | |
| 12 | Defensor Arica | 30 | 8 | 8 | 14 | 30 | 46 | −16 | 24 | |
| 13 | José Gálvez | 30 | 5 | 10 | 15 | 27 | 50 | −23 | 20 | |
| 14 | ADO | 30 | 5 | 10 | 15 | 32 | 56 | −24 | 20 | 1972 Segunda División |
| 15 | Octavio Espinosa | 30 | 6 | 7 | 17 | 26 | 43 | −17 | 19 | 1972 Copa Perú |
| 16 | Porvenir Miraflores | 30 | 3 | 12 | 15 | 38 | 63 | −25 | 18 | 1972 Segunda División |
| Player | Nationality | Goals | Club |
|---|---|---|---|
| Manuel Mellán |  Peru | 25 | Deportivo Municipal |
