| Season | 2026 |
|---|---|
| Dates | 16 January – December 2026 |
| Matches | 44 |
| Goals | 108 (2.45 per match) |
| Top goalscorer | Apertura: Jorge Rivaldo (5 goals) |
| Biggest home win | Atl. Bucaramanga 5–0 Alianza (1 February) |
| Biggest away win | Dep. Pereira 0–2 Llaneros (16 January) Junior 0–2 Dep. Tolima (18 January) |
| Highest scoring | Jaguares 2–3 Inter Bogotá (29 January) Atl. Bucaramanga 5–0 Alianza (1 February) Dep. Pereira 2–3 Junior (2 February) Águilas Doradas 3–2 Cúcuta Deportivo (7 February) |
← 2025 2027 → All statistics correct as of 7 February 2026. | |
The 2026 Liga DIMAYOR (officially known as the 2026 Liga BetPlay DIMAYOR for sponsorship purposes) is the 79th season of the first division league of Colombian football. The season began on 16 January 2026. [1]
Two tournaments (Apertura and Finalización) will be played in the season, each one of them being an independent championship. Junior entered the season as defending champions, having won the 2025 Finalización tournament.
The competition format for the season was determined at the Extraordinary Assembly of Dimayor, held on 10 and 11 December 2025. Due to the 2026 FIFA World Cup and the need to end the Torneo Apertura by 5 June 2026, the format proposed and eventually approved for the Torneo Apertura consisted in playing a round-robin first stage with 19 matchdays (without the extra regional derby matchday), with the top eight teams advancing to a final stage to be played as single-elimination playoffs instead of the semifinal group stage played in recent seasons, thus returning to the format last used in the 2021 Apertura tournament. [2] [3]
Unlike the Apertura, the Torneo Finalización will be played under the usual format, with a round-robin first stage in which teams will play each other once (with reversed fixtures) and the top eight teams from the first stage advancing to the following phase. Instead of play-offs, the eight qualified teams will be drawn into two semi-final groups, with the two group winners advancing to play the tournament finals. [4]
Twenty teams take part in the season, the top 18 teams in the relegation table of the previous season as well as the 2025 Torneo DIMAYOR champions Jaguares and Cúcuta Deportivo, who returned to the top flight after one year and six years, respectively. Both teams promoted after winning the season's short tournaments and securing the top two places of the aggregate table. [5] [6] The promoted teams replaced Envigado and Unión Magdalena, the bottom two teams in the relegation table of the 2025 season, who were relegated to the second tier after sixteen and one year in the top flight, respectively. [7]
Starting from this season, La Equidad rebranded to Internacional de Bogotá, following the club's takeover by the Tylis-Porter Group in early 2025 and the decision by its former owners Seguros La Equidad to keep the name, symbols and colors to themselves. [8] [9] The club's new identity was officially presented on 10 December 2025. [10]
| Team | Manager | Kit manufacturer | Main shirt sponsor(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Águilas Doradas | | Aerosport | Colanta, Pool |
| Alianza | | Pin-Go | Gobernación del Cesar, Pool, Fundación Universitaria San Mateo |
| América de Cali | | Reebok | Águila, BetPlay |
| Atlético Bucaramanga | | Lotto | Financiera Comultrasan |
| Atlético Nacional | | Nike | Betsson |
| Boyacá Chicó | | Geus | Pool |
| Cúcuta Deportivo | | Boman | Colanta |
| Deportes Tolima | | Umbro | BetPlay, Pool, Mercacentro |
| Deportivo Cali | | Hillside | Wplay, Pastas La Muñeca |
| Deportivo Pasto | | Boman | Aguardiente Nariño, Banco AV Villas, Pool |
| Deportivo Pereira | | Oto | |
| Fortaleza | | Roott+Co | Stake |
| Independiente Medellín | | Adidas | Colanta, Wplay, Pool |
| Internacional de Bogotá | | Umbro | BetPlay, TaDa, Bogotá |
| Jaguares | | Kimo | Colanta, Pool |
| Junior | | Adidas | BetPlay, Águila |
| Llaneros | | Aerosport | Maxi Cola, Aitabü Hotel Campestre, Gobernación del Meta |
| Millonarios | | Adidas | Cerveza Andina |
| Once Caldas | | Reebok | Colanta, BetPlay, Wakate |
| Santa Fe | | Fila | Colanta, BetPlay |
| Team | Outgoing manager | Manner of departure | Date of vacancy | Position in table | Incoming manager | Date of appointment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Torneo Apertura | ||||||
| Deportivo Pereira | | End of caretaker spell | 12 November 2025 | Pre-season | | 30 December 2025 [15] |
| Internacional de Bogotá | | 12 November 2025 | | 21 December 2025 [16] | ||
| Deportivo Pasto | | 13 November 2025 | | 1 December 2025 [17] | ||
| Jaguares | | Resigned | 24 November 2025 [18] | | 28 November 2025 [19] | |
| Águilas Doradas | | 26 November 2025 [20] | | 17 December 2025 [21] | ||
| Santa Fe | | End of caretaker spell | 8 December 2025 [22] | | 2 December 2025 [23] | |
| Millonarios | | Sacked | 28 January 2026 [24] | 20th | | 29 January 2026 [25] |
| | End of caretaker spell | 2 February 2026 | 18th | | 1 February 2026 [26] | |
| Cúcuta Deportivo | | Sacked | 3 February 2026 [27] | 15th | | 5 February 2026 [29] |
The Torneo Apertura, officially known as Liga BetPlay Dimayor 2026–I, is the 102nd first division football championship and the first tournament of the 2026 season. It began on 16 January and is scheduled to end on 5 June 2026. [30]
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Internacional de Bogotá | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 10 | Advance to the knockout stage |
| 2 | Deportivo Pasto | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 10 | |
| 3 | Atlético Bucaramanga | 5 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 10 | 4 | +6 | 9 | |
| 4 | Junior | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 5 | +3 | 9 | |
| 5 | Llaneros | 5 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 6 | 3 | +3 | 9 | |
| 6 | Deportes Tolima | 5 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 6 | 3 | +3 | 8 | |
| 7 | Águilas Doradas | 5 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 8 | 7 | +1 | 8 | |
| 8 | América de Cali | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 3 | +3 | 7 | |
| 9 | Santa Fe | 5 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 6 | 5 | +1 | 7 | |
| 10 | Fortaleza | 5 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 3 | +1 | 7 | |
| 11 | Atlético Nacional | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 1 | +5 | 6 | |
| 12 | Deportivo Cali | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 7 | 4 | +3 | 6 | |
| 13 | Once Caldas | 4 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 4 | +1 | 6 | |
| 14 | Jaguares | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 4 | |
| 15 | Cúcuta Deportivo | 5 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 7 | 10 | −3 | 2 | |
| 16 | Deportivo Pereira | 4 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 7 | −3 | 2 | |
| 17 | Independiente Medellín | 5 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 8 | −4 | 2 | |
| 18 | Millonarios | 4 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 6 | −3 | 1 | |
| 19 | Alianza | 4 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 9 | −8 | 1 | |
| 20 | Boyacá Chicó | 5 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 10 | −9 | 1 |
| Rank | Player | Club | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | | Águilas Doradas | 5 |
| 2 | | Internacional de Bogotá | 4 |
| | Deportivo Pasto | ||
| | Atlético Bucaramanga | ||
| 5 | | Cúcuta Deportivo | 3 |
| | Deportivo Cali | ||
| | Cúcuta Deportivo | ||
| | Once Caldas | ||
| | Junior | ||
| 10 | | Junior | 2 |
| | Deportes Tolima | ||
| | América de Cali | ||
| | Millonarios | ||
| | Atlético Bucaramanga | ||
| | Llaneros | ||
| | Deportes Tolima | ||
| | Santa Fe |
Source: BeSoccer [32]
A separate table is kept to determine the teams that will be relegated to Torneo DIMAYOR for the next season. This table is elaborated from a sum of all first stage games played in the three most recent seasons (including the 2024–I, 2024–II, 2025–I, 2025–II, 2026–I, and 2026–II tournaments), with the points earned being averaged per match played. The bottom two teams of the relegation table at the end of the season will be relegated to Torneo DIMAYOR.
| Pos | Team | 2024 Pts | 2025 Pts | 2026 Pts | 2026 GF | 2026 GA | 2026 GD | Total Pld | Total Pts | Avg. | Relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Deportes Tolima | 72 | 74 | 8 | 6 | 3 | +3 | 83 | 154 | 1.855 | |
| 2 | Junior | 60 | 72 | 9 | 8 | 5 | +3 | 82 | 141 | 1.720 | |
| 3 | Santa Fe | 71 | 64 | 7 | 6 | 5 | +1 | 83 | 142 | 1.711 | |
| 4 | Atlético Bucaramanga | 66 | 66 | 9 | 10 | 4 | +6 | 83 | 141 | 1.699 | |
| 5 | Atlético Nacional | 56 | 72 | 6 | 6 | 1 | +5 | 80 | 134 | 1.675 | |
| 6 | América de Cali | 62 | 68 | 7 | 6 | 3 | +3 | 82 | 137 | 1.671 | |
| 7 | Millonarios | 66 | 64 | 1 | 3 | 6 | −3 | 82 | 131 | 1.598 | |
| 8 | Independiente Medellín | 58 | 72 | 2 | 4 | 8 | −4 | 83 | 132 | 1.590 | |
| 9 | Once Caldas | 60 | 60 | 6 | 5 | 4 | +1 | 82 | 126 | 1.537 | |
| 10 | Fortaleza | 51 | 55 | 7 | 4 | 3 | +1 | 83 | 113 | 1.361 | |
| 11 | Jaguares | — | — | 4 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 4 | 1.333 | |
| 12 | Deportivo Pereira | 61 | 46 | 2 | 4 | 7 | −3 | 82 | 109 | 1.329 | |
| 13 | Deportivo Pasto | 49 | 48 | 10 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 83 | 107 | 1.289 | |
| 14 | Águilas Doradas | 46 | 48 | 8 | 8 | 7 | +1 | 83 | 102 | 1.229 | |
| 15 | Llaneros | — | 45 | 9 | 6 | 3 | +3 | 45 | 54 | 1.200 | |
| 16 | Alianza | 33 | 58 | 1 | 1 | 9 | −8 | 82 | 92 | 1.122 | |
| 17 | Deportivo Cali | 38 | 45 | 6 | 7 | 4 | +3 | 82 | 89 | 1.085 | |
| 18 | Internacional de Bogotá | 55 | 24 | 10 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 83 | 89 | 1.072 | |
| 19 | Boyacá Chicó | 33 | 36 | 1 | 1 | 10 | −9 | 83 | 70 | 0.843 | Relegation to Torneo DIMAYOR |
| 20 | Cúcuta Deportivo | — | — | 2 | 7 | 10 | −3 | 5 | 2 | 0.400 |
Updated to match(es) played on 7 February 2026. Source: Dimayor
Rules for classification: 1) average, 2) 2026 points, 3) 2026 goal difference, 4) 2026 goals for, 5) 2026 away goals for, 6) 2026 goals against, 7) 2026 away goals against, 8) 2026 wins, 9) play-off match (only if needed to decide relegation). [31]