2018–19 Liga Primera de Nicaragua


The 2018–19 Liga Primera de Nicaragua season will be divided into two tournaments and will determine the 71st and 72th champions in the history of the Liga Primera de Nicaragua, the top division of football in Nicaragua. The Apertura tournament will be played in the second half of 2018, while the Clausura will be played in the first half of 2019.

Format

The Apertura play-off format was changed from previous years, while the Clausura will use the same 4-team play-off format. For the Apertura, the top four teams from the regular stage advanced to a "quadrangular" double-round robin instead of a play-off stage. The regular stage and quadrangular winners would have played to decide the tournament's champion, but ultimately the same team won both and the final was not necessary. The same format was recently adopted by the Costa Rican Primera División, but for both half seasons.

Team information

A total of ten teams will contest the league, including eight sides from the 2017–18 Primera División, and two sides from the 2017–18 Segunda División.
FC San Francisco Masachapa finished last in the aggregate table and were relegated to the Segunda División. The champions from the Segunda División, ART Municipal Jalapa were promoted in their place.
The 9th place team in the aggregate table, Chinandega FC, faced the second place team from the Segunda División, Deportivo Sebaco, in a playoff for a spot in the Primera División. However due to Sebaco's financial problems, they were not allowed in the playoff, meaning Chinandega remained in Primera División.

Promotion and relegation

Promoted from Segunda División as of July, 2018.
Relegated to Segunda División as of July, 2018.

Before the start of the season

TeamOutgoing managerManner of departureDate of vacancyReplaced byDate of appointmentPosition in table
Walter Ferretti Flavio da SilvaResignedJune 2018 Henry UrbinaJune 29, 20183rd & Semifinalist
Real Esteli Ramon OtenelContract finishedJune 2018 Washington Fernando AraújoJuly 22, 20184th & Quarterfinalist
Juventus Managua Héctor MedianaResignedJune 2018 Roberto ChanampeJuly 20183rd & Semifinalist
Ocotal Randall MorenoResignedJune 2018 Jorge Luis VanegasJuly 2018TBD
Real Madriz Tyrone AcevedoResignedJune 2018 Carlos MatamorosJuly 2018TBD

During the Apertura season

TeamOutgoing managerManner of departureReplaced byPosition in table
Real Madriz Carlos MatamorosTBD2018 Miguel Ángel Sánchez2018TBD

Between Apertura and Clausura seasons

TeamOutgoing managerManner of departureDate of vacancyReplaced byDate of appointmentPosition in table
Ocotal Jorge Luis VangeasSackedDecember 2018 Mario AlfaroDecember 20189th
Real Esteli Washington Fernando AraújoResignedDecember 2018 Sergio Ivan RodríguezDecember 20182nd & finalist
Real Madriz Miguel Ángel SánchezResignedDecember 2018 Sindulio CastellanosJanuary 20197th
UNAN Managua Luis VegaresignedDecember 2018 Daniel GarcíaJanuary 2019

Clausura 2019 seasons

TeamOutgoing managerManner of departureDate of vacancyReplaced byDate of appointmentPosition in table
Real Madriz Sindulio CastellanosSackedFebruary 2019 Angel OrellanaFebruary 20199th

Apertura

Personnel and sponsoring

Standings

Results

Records

Top goalscorers

Playoffs

Quarterfinals

Juventus Managua progressed.
----
Diriangén progressed.

Semifinals

TBD wins on away goals
First leg
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Second leg
Real Esteli won 7-3 on aggregate.
----
Managua won 4-1 on aggregate.

Final

First leg
Second leg
Managua won 1-0 on aggregate.

Clausura

Personnel and sponsoring

Standings

Results

Records

Top goalscorers

Playoffs

Quarterfinals

Walter Ferretti progressed.
----
Diriangén progressed.

Semifinals

First leg
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Second leg
Real Esteli progressed 3-1 on aggregate.
----
Managua F.C. advances 1-0 on away goals.

Final

First leg
Second leg
3-3, Real Esteli won on away goal.

Aggregate table

List of foreign players in the league

This is a list of foreign players in the 2018–19 season. The following players:
  1. Have played at least one game for the respective club.
  2. Have not been capped for the Nicaragua national football team on any level, independently from the birthplace
A new rule was introduced this season, that clubs can have four foreign players per club and can only add a new player if there is an injury or a player/s is released and it is before the close of the season transfer window.
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