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| Campeonato Nacional (Chile) | |
|---|---|
| Name | Campeonato Nacional (Chile) |
| Country | Chile |
| Confed | CONMEBOL |
| Founded | 1933 |
| Teams | 16 |
| Relegation | Primera B de Chile |
| Domestic cup | Copa Chile |
| Confed cup | Copa Libertadores |
| Champions | Colo-Colo |
| Most successful club | Colo-Colo (33) |
Campeonato Nacional (Chile) The Campeonato Nacional is the top professional football league in Chile and the preeminent club competition administered within the Chilean football pyramid. Established in 1933, the competition has featured clubs from Santiago, Valparaíso, Concepción, Antofagasta, and other Chilean cities and has strong historical links to continental tournaments managed by CONMEBOL. The league has produced players who starred at Copa América, FIFA World Cup and contributed to transfers involving clubs like Real Madrid, FC Barcelona, Manchester United, Juventus, and Boca Juniors.
The professional era began after the 1933 championship when clubs from Federación Nacional de Fútbol structures unified efforts alongside influential teams such as Colo-Colo, Universidad de Chile, and Universidad Católica. The postwar decades saw rivalries escalate with major derbies including the Clásico Universitario and Superclásico de Chile between Universidad de Chile and Colo-Colo. The 1960s and 1970s brought continental competition expansion as Chilean clubs contested the Copa Libertadores and the national scene was impacted by national events tied to figures like Salvador Allende and institutions in Santiago. The 1980s and 1990s featured professionalization waves with corporate sponsorships from entities such as LAN Airlines, Banco de Chile, and Coca-Cola while managers such as Mirko Jozić, Arturo Salah, Óscar Tabárez, Mario Salas, and players like Elías Figueroa, Iván Zamorano, Marcelo Salas rose to prominence. The 21st century introduced formats influenced by CONMEBOL scheduling, television contracts with DirecTV and TVN, and infrastructural investments tied to events including Copa América 2015 and the FIFA Club World Cup participation of Chilean clubs.
The league has alternated formats: single-season, Apertura-Clausura, and split tournaments influenced by calendar alignment with CONMEBOL competitions. Typical formats feature 16 to 18 clubs engaging in round-robin schedules with home-and-away fixtures, playoff stages akin to systems used in Argentina and Mexico, and relegation determined by aggregated tables connected to the Primera B de Chile and Segunda División Profesional. Continental qualification slots follow CONMEBOL allocations to Copa Libertadores and Copa Sudamericana tied to season standings and domestic cup outcomes in tournaments such as the Copa Chile. Points systems mirror international norms implemented by FIFA member associations, while disciplinary and refereeing frameworks are overseen by the Federación de Fútbol de Chile with referees often participating in programs coordinated with CONMEBOL and FIFA Referees Committee initiatives.
Historic participants include Colo-Colo, Universidad de Chile, Universidad Católica, Cobreloa, Unión Española, Everton de Viña del Mar, Deportes Iquique, O'Higgins, Huachipato, Audax Italiano, Palestino, Santiago Wanderers, Ñublense, Deportes Antofagasta, Cobresal, and Deportes La Serena. Qualification for continental play has granted berths to champions and high-placed teams, affecting transfers involving clubs like River Plate and Flamengo. Promotion and relegation often involve playoff ties stocking Primera B sides such as Rangers de Talca, Universidad de Concepción, and Deportes Copiapó while sustaining regional representation across Araucanía and Tarapacá regions.
All-time success is led by Colo-Colo with record national titles, while clubs such as Universidad Católica and Universidad de Chile have multiple championships and notable unbeaten runs. Individual records include goal-scoring tallies by strikers like Carlos Caszely, Iván Zamorano, and Marcelo Salas and appearance records by long-serving players associated with Cobreloa and Huachipato. Historic seasons such as Colo-Colo's treble-winning campaigns intersect with continental successes including Colo-Colo's 1991 Copa Libertadores triumph. Statistical archives kept by organizations like RSSSF and media outlets including El Mercurio and La Tercera document seasonal top scorers, longest winning streaks, and highest-scoring fixtures.
Prominent players developed in the league include Elías Figueroa, Iván Zamorano, Marcelo Salas, Arturo Vidal, Alexis Sánchez, Gary Medel, Claudio Bravo, Eugenio Mena, and Jean Beausejour. Managers with significant impact include Mirko Jozić, Manuel Pellegrini, Mario Salas, Jorge Garcés, Fernando Carvallo, Francisco Valdés, and Hernán Caputto. Many alumni moved to European powerhouses such as AC Milan, Inter Milan, Liverpool F.C., and Paris Saint-Germain or returned to influence coaching at national level with roles in Chile national football team setups and youth programs affiliated with institutions like ANFP.
Major venues hosting fixtures include Estadio Monumental David Arellano in Macul, Estadio Nacional Julio Martínez Prádanos in Santiago, Estadio Regional Chiledeportes in Concepción, Estadio Sausalito in Viña del Mar, Estadio El Teniente in Rancagua, and Estadio Tierra de Campeones in Iquique. Attendance fluctuates with derby matches such as the Superclásico de Chile, continental fixtures, and international windows tied to FIFA dates. Infrastructure improvements for tournaments like Copa América and investments from municipal authorities in Valparaíso and Antofagasta shaped capacity upgrades and safety regulations overseen in coordination with the Instituto Nacional del Deporte.
Television rights have been negotiated with broadcasters including DirecTV Sports, Canal 13, CHV, Mega, TVN, and streaming platforms linked to media conglomerates such as Grupo Copesa and La Red. Sponsorship deals with corporations like BancoEstado, Cristal (beer), Puma, Adidas, and Nike influence kit manufacturing and commercial revenues. The league's commercial structure coordinates with the Asociación Nacional de Fútbol Profesional (ANFP) and engages agents and agencies operating internationally, affecting transfer markets connecting Chilean talent with clubs in Europe, Argentina, Mexico, and Brazil.
Category:Football competitions in Chile Category:1933 establishments in Chile