2022–23 Liga Guate
70th professional season of the top-flight football league in Guatemala
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The 2022–23 Liga Guate, also known as Liga Guate Banrural for sponsorship reasons,[1] was the 70th professional season of the top-flight football league in Guatemala. The season was divided into two championships—the 2022 Apertura and the 2023 Clausura—each in an identical format and each contested by the same 12 teams.[2]
Cobán Imperial (2nd title)
Clausura:
Xelajú (6th title)
Santa Lucía
| Season | 2022–23 |
|---|---|
| Dates | 23 July 2022 – 27 May 2023 |
| Champions | Apertura: Cobán Imperial (2nd title) Clausura: Xelajú (6th title) |
| Relegated | Iztapa Santa Lucía |
| CONCACAF Central American Cup | Cobán Imperial Xelajú Comunicaciones |
| Top goalscorer | Apertura: Lucas Gómez (12 goals) Clausura: Matías Rotondi (14 goals) |
← 2021–22 2023–24 → | |
Competition format
Same as previous years, the season was divided into two short tournaments: Torneo Apertura (opening) and Torneo Clausura (closing), each of which crowning its own champion. Both Apertura and Clausura tournaments were played under the same format which consisted in a Classification phase and a Final phase.[3]
In the classification phase, teams played each other twice on a home-and-away round-robin basis. The top eight teams at the conclusion of the classification stage advanced to the quarter-finals of the final stage.
The final phase was played on a single-elimination format and consisted of the quarter-finals, semi-finals and the finals. All rounds were played on a home-and-away two-legged basis, with the higher-ranked team in the classification phase of each tie hosting the second leg. The quarter-final pairings were pre-determined based on the teams' final position in the classification phase. In the semi-finals the teams were re-seeded based also on their final position in the classification phase in order to determine the two pairings. The quarter-finals and semi-finals matchups were determined as follows:
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Both champions of the Apertura and Clausura tournaments plus the best placed team on the aggregate table (excluding the two champions) at the end of the season qualified for the 2023 CONCACAF Central American Cup.
Format changes
The following changes were adopted as of this season:[4]
- The away goals rule was abolished and was no longer taken into account as a tie-breaker criterion in the final phase series.
- The tie-breaker criterion based on the seeds used to determine a qualification in the event of a tie on aggregate was also abolished. Instead, it was decided to play extra time and a penalty shoot-out if necessary.
Teams
Promotion and relegation (pre-season)
A total of 12 teams took part in this season: the top ten teams from the aggregate table of the 2021–22 season as well as two promoted teams from the 2021–22 Primera División season, which were Deportivo Mixco and Xinabajul-Huehue. Deportivo Mixco earned promotion for being finalists in both Apertura and Clausura tournaments of the 2021–22 season,[5] while Xinabajul-Huehue ensured promotion to the Liga Nacional on 4 June 2022, after winning the promotion play-off against Deportivo Marquense.[6]
- Teams relegated to Primera División de Ascenso
The two promoted teams replaced Sololá and Nueva Concepción, the bottom two teams in the aggregate table of the 2021–22 season, who were relegated to Primera División.
Stadiums and locations
| Team | City | Stadium | Capacity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Achuapa | El Progreso | Winston Pineda | 6,000 |
| Antigua | Antigua Guatemala | Pensativo | 10,000 |
| Cobán Imperial | Cobán | Verapaz | 15,000 |
| Comunicaciones | Guatemala City | Doroteo Guamuch Flores | 26,000 |
| Guastatoya | Guastatoya | David Cordón Hichos | 3,100 |
| Iztapa | Iztapa | El Morón | 4,800 |
| Malacateco | Malacatán | Santa Lucía | 7,000 |
| Mixco | Mixco | Santo Domingo de Guzmán | 5,200 |
| Municipal | Guatemala City | El Trébol | 7,500 |
| Santa Lucía | Santa Lucía Cotzumalguapa | Santa Lucía Cotzumalguapa | 9,000 |
| Xelajú | Quetzaltenango | Mario Camposeco | 11,220 |
| Xinabajul-Huehue | Huehuetenango | Los Cuchumatanes | 5,340 |
Personnel and kits
| Team | Head coach | Captain | Kit manufacturer | Shirt sponsor(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Achuapa |  Hamilton López (caretaker) |
Rigoberto Hernández |
NS Sport | |
| Antigua |  Ramiro Cepeda |
 José Mena |
Joma | |
| Cobán Imperial |  César Méndez |
 Janderson |
MG Sports | |
| Comunicaciones | Willy Coito |
José Manuel Contreras |
Kelme | |
| Guastatoya |  Mario Acevedo |
Rubén Morales |
Guza−Sport | |
| Iztapa | Pablo Garabello |
Pedro Samayoa |
Tuto Sport | |
| Malacateco | Walter Claverí |
Jorge Sánchez |
Silver Sport | |
| Mixco | Fabricio Benítez |
Jean Márquez |
JM12 | |
| Municipal |  José Cardozo |
Marlon Sequén |
Umbro | |
| Santa Lucía | Rónald Gómez |
Mafre Icuté |
Silver Sport | |
| Xelajú | Amarini Villatoro |
Kenner Gutiérrez |
MR | |
| Xinabajul-Huehue | Pablo Centrone |
Kristian Guzmán |
Orion |
Managerial changes
| Team | Outgoing manager | Manner of departure | Date of vacancy | Position in table | Incoming manager | Date of appointment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Torneo Apertura | ||||||
| Xelajú |  Irving Rubirosa |
End of contract | 13 May 2022[7] | Pre-season | Amarini Villatoro |
24 May 2022[8] |
| Cobán Imperial | Sebastián Bini |
15 May 2022[9] | Roberto Montoya |
6 June 2022[10][11] | ||
| Municipal | José Cardozo |
Mutual agreement | 30 May 2022[12] | Juan Antonio Torres |
21 June 2022[13] | |
| Iztapa |  Richard Parra |
11 August 2022[14] | 10th | Milton García[i][ii] |
12 August 2022[17] | |
| Santa Lucía | Matías Tatangelo |
Sacked | 1 September 2022[18] | 12th |  Juan Cortés |
6 September 2022[19] |
| Achuapa | Adrián García |
Resigned | 14 September 2022[20] | 8th |  Ramón Maradiaga |
14 September 2022[21] |
| Malacateco | Israel Hernández |
Mutual agreement | 18 September 2022[22] | 8th | Adrián García |
21 September 2022[23] |
| Mixco | Julio Gómez |
3 October 2022[24] | 11th | Douglas Sequeira |
5 October 2022[25] | |
| Municipal | Juan Antonio Torres |
17 October 2022[26] | 7th | José Cardozo |
20 October 2022[27] | |
| Xinabajul-Huehue | Silvio Fernández |
12 December 2022[28] | 10th | Pablo Centrone |
16 December 2022[29] | |
| Santa Lucía | Juan Cortés |
17 December 2022[30] | 12th | Rónald Gómez |
19 December 2022[31] | |
| Torneo Clausura | ||||||
| Achuapa | Ramón Maradiaga |
Mutual agreement | 2 February 2023[32] | 12th | Hamilton López[iii] |
2 February 2023[33] |
| Achuapa | Hamilton López |
End of caretaker spell | 7 February 2023 | 12th | Raúl Arias |
7 February 2023[34] |
| Iztapa | Milton García |
Mutual agreement | 20 February 2023[35] | 8th | Pablo Garabello |
20 February 2021[36] |
| Mixco | Douglas Sequeira |
Resigned | 6 March 2023[37] | 8th | Fabricio Benítez |
7 March 2023[38] |
| Cobán Imperial | Roberto Montoya |
Sacked | 13 March 2023[39][40] | 12th | César Méndez |
16 March 2023[41] |
| Malacateco | Adrián García Arias |
Sacked | 10 April 2023[42][43] | 8th | Walter Claverí |
11 April 2023[44] |
| Achuapa | Raúl Arias |
Resigned | 17 April 2023[45] | 8th | Hamilton López[iii] |
17 April 2023[46] |
- Notes
Apertura
The Apertura 2022 tournament began on 23 July and ended on 18 December 2022.[2] Comunicaciones were the defending champions, having won the Clausura 2022 tournament at the previous season.
Classification phase – Apertura 2022
The classification phase of the Apertura tournament ran from 23 July to 27 November 2022.[47]
Standings
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Antigua | 22 | 12 | 5 | 5 | 47 | 27 | +20 | 41 | Advance to Quarter-finals |
| 2 | Cobán Imperial | 22 | 11 | 6 | 5 | 35 | 27 | +8 | 39 | |
| 3 | Comunicaciones | 22 | 11 | 6 | 5 | 33 | 25 | +8 | 39 | |
| 4 | Malacateco | 22 | 10 | 4 | 8 | 30 | 26 | +4 | 34 | |
| 5 | Municipal | 22 | 9 | 6 | 7 | 31 | 22 | +9 | 33 | |
| 6 | Guastatoya | 22 | 7 | 9 | 6 | 20 | 18 | +2 | 30 | |
| 7 | Xelajú | 22 | 7 | 8 | 7 | 29 | 22 | +7 | 29 | |
| 8 | Achuapa | 22 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 27 | 37 | −10 | 28 | |
| 9 | Iztapa | 22 | 7 | 6 | 9 | 31 | 35 | −4 | 27 | |
| 10 | Xinabajul-Huehue | 22 | 7 | 5 | 10 | 23 | 29 | −6 | 26 | |
| 11 | Mixco | 22 | 2 | 10 | 10 | 17 | 35 | −18 | 16 | |
| 12 | Santa Lucía | 22 | 3 | 6 | 13 | 20 | 40 | −20 | 15 |
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Goals for; 4) Away goals for; 5) Matches won; 6) Away matches won; 7) Head-to-head results; 8) Fair play points; 9) Drawing of lots.[3]
Results
The match schedule was decided based on the draw which was held on 17 June 2022.[48][49]
Top goalscorers
Players sorted first by goals scored, then by last name. Goals scored during the final phase are not included as the tournament top scorer award only takes into account goals scored in the classification phase.[3]
| Rank | Player | Club | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lucas Gómez[A] |
Antigua | 12 |
| Nicolás Martínez |
Cobán Imperial | ||
| 3 | Darwin Lom |
Xelajú | 10 |
| 4 | Jhony Cano |
Iztapa | 9 |
| 5 | Janderson |
Cobán Imperial | 8 |
| Luis Ángel Landín |
Comunicaciones | ||
| Isaac Acuña |
Santa Lucía | ||
| 8 | Kevin Bordón |
Achuapa | 7 |
| Dewinder Bradley |
Antigua | ||
| Paolo Dantaz |
Xinabajul-Huehue | ||
| Oscar Santis |
Comunicaciones |
Source: Soccerway
- Note
Final phase – Apertura 2022
The final phase of the Apertura tournament ran from 30 November to 18 December 2022.[51][52]
Bracket
| Quarter-finals | Semi-finals | Finals | ||||||||||||||||||
| 6 | Guastatoya | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||||||||||||||
| 3 | Comunicaciones | 0 | 2 | 2 | ||||||||||||||||
| 3 | Comunicaciones | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||||||||||||||
| 2 | Cobán Imperial | 1 | 2 | 3 | ||||||||||||||||
| 7 | Xelajú | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||||||||||||||
| 2 | Cobán Imperial | 0 | 1 | 1 | ||||||||||||||||
| 2 | Cobán Imperial | 1 | 0 | 1 | ||||||||||||||||
| 1 | Antigua | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||||||||||||||
| 5 | Municipal | 2 | 0 | 2 | ||||||||||||||||
| 4 | Malacateco | 0 | 1 | 1 | ||||||||||||||||
| 5 | Municipal | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||||||||||||||
| 1 | Antigua | 1 | 1 | 2 | ||||||||||||||||
| 8 | Achuapa | 1 | 0 | 1 | ||||||||||||||||
| 1 | Antigua | 1 | 2 | 3 | ||||||||||||||||
Quarter-finals
| Comunicaciones | 2–0 | Guastatoya |
|---|---|---|
| Report Referee report |
Comunicaciones won 2–0 on aggregate and advanced to the semi-finals.
| Municipal | 2–0 | Malacateco |
|---|---|---|
|
Report Referee report |
| Malacateco | 1–0 | Municipal |
|---|---|---|
Córdoba  85' |
Report Referee report |
Municipal won 2–1 on aggregate and advanced to the semi-finals.
| Achuapa | 1–1 | Antigua |
|---|---|---|
| Lemus 56' |
Report Referee report |
Bradley 60' |
| Antigua | 2–0 | Achuapa |
|---|---|---|
|
Report Referee report |
Antigua won 3–1 on aggregate and advanced to the semi-finals.
| Cobán Imperial | 1–0 | Xelajú |
|---|---|---|
| Álvarez 23' |
Report Referee report |
Cobán Imperial won 1–0 on aggregate and advanced to the semi-finals.
Semi-finals
| Comunicaciones | 0–1 | Cobán Imperial |
|---|---|---|
| Report Referee report |
Thales 51' |
| Cobán Imperial | 2–0 | Comunicaciones |
|---|---|---|
|
Report Referee report |
Cobán Imperial won 3–0 on aggregate and advanced to the finals.
| Antigua | 1–0 | Municipal |
|---|---|---|
| Bradley 61' |
Report Referee report |
Antigua won 2–0 on aggregate and advanced to the finals.
Finals
| Antigua | 0–0 | Cobán Imperial |
|---|---|---|
| Report Referee report |
Cobán Imperial won 1–0 on aggregate. As Torneo Apertura champions they qualified for the 2023 CONCACAF Central American Cup.
Clausura
The Clausura 2023 tournament began on 21 January and ended on 27 May 2023.[53] The defending champions were Cobán Imperial, who had won the previous Apertura 2022 tournament.
As of this tournament, the Liga Nacional was renamed "Liga Guate Banrural" for sponsorship reasons due to a three-year agreement signed with the Banco de Desarrollo Rural.[1]
Classification phase – Clausura 2023
The classification phase of the Clausura tournament ran from 21 January to 7 May 2023.[54][53]
Standings
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Comunicaciones | 22 | 12 | 9 | 1 | 37 | 16 | +21 | 45 | Advance to Quarter-finals |
| 2 | Municipal | 22 | 13 | 4 | 5 | 44 | 21 | +23 | 43 | |
| 3 | Xelajú | 22 | 12 | 7 | 3 | 29 | 8 | +21 | 43 | |
| 4 | Xinabajul-Huehue | 22 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 27 | 29 | −2 | 31 | |
| 5 | Guastatoya | 22 | 7 | 8 | 7 | 28 | 22 | +6 | 29 | |
| 6 | Mixco | 22 | 7 | 8 | 7 | 23 | 22 | +1 | 29 | |
| 7 | Antigua | 22 | 8 | 5 | 9 | 33 | 37 | −4 | 29 | |
| 8 | Achuapa | 22 | 7 | 5 | 10 | 24 | 45 | −21 | 26 | |
| 9 | Cobán Imperial | 22 | 6 | 7 | 9 | 16 | 17 | −1 | 25 | |
| 10 | Iztapa | 22 | 5 | 5 | 12 | 30 | 49 | −19 | 20 | |
| 11 | Malacateco | 22 | 4 | 7 | 11 | 24 | 33 | −9 | 19 | |
| 12 | Santa Lucía | 22 | 5 | 4 | 13 | 14 | 30 | −16 | 19 |
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Goals for; 4) Away goals for; 5) Matches won; 6) Away matches won; 7) Head-to-head results; 8) Fair play points; 9) Drawing of lots.[3]
Results
The match schedule was decided based on the draw which took place during the Extraordinary General Assembly of the Liga Nacional held on 20 December 2022.[55][56][54]
Top goalscorers
Players sorted first by goals scored, then by last name. Goals scored during the final phase are not included as the tournament top scorer award only takes into account goals scored in the classification phase.[3]
| Rank | Player | Club | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Matías Rotondi |
Municipal | 14 |
| 2 |  Azarías Londoño |
Comunicaciones | 9 |
| 3 | Marcelo Ferreira |
Iztapa | 8 |
| Erick Lemus |
Iztapa | ||
 Yasnier Matos |
Municipal | ||
| Gerson Tinoco |
Xinabajul-Huehue | ||
| Óscar Villa |
Xelajú | ||
| 8 | Cristian Albizures |
Iztapa | 7 |
| Eliser Quiñones |
Achuapa | ||
| 10 | Feiver Mercado |
Malacateco | 6 |
Source: Soccerway
Final phase – Clausura 2023
The final phase of the Clausura tournament ran from 10 to 27 May 2023.[59][60]
Bracket
| Quarter-finals | Semi-finals | Finals | ||||||||||||||||||
| 7 | Antigua | 2 | 1 | 3 (3) | ||||||||||||||||
| 2 | Municipal (p) | 1 | 2 | 3 (1) | ||||||||||||||||
| 7 | Antigua (p) | 0 | 1 | 1 (3) | ||||||||||||||||
| 1 | Comunicaciones | 0 | 1 | 1 (2) | ||||||||||||||||
| 8 | Achuapa | 2 | 1 | 3 | ||||||||||||||||
| 1 | Comunicaciones (a.e.t.) | 0 | 4 | 4 | ||||||||||||||||
| 7 | Antigua | 2 | 0 | 2 | ||||||||||||||||
| 3 | Xelajú | 0 | 3 | 3 | ||||||||||||||||
| 5 | Guastatoya | 2 | 0 | 2 | ||||||||||||||||
| 4 | Xinabajul-Huehue | 0 | 1 | 1 | ||||||||||||||||
| 5 | Guastatoya | 1 | 1 | 2 | ||||||||||||||||
| 3 | Xelajú | 1 | 2 | 3 | ||||||||||||||||
| 6 | Mixco | 0 | 1 | 1 | ||||||||||||||||
| 3 | Xelajú | 1 | 1 | 2 | ||||||||||||||||
Quarter-finals
| Xelajú | 1–1 | Mixco |
|---|---|---|
| Cardona 28' |
Report Referee report |
García 36' |
Xelajú won 2–1 on aggregate and advanced to the semi-finals.
| Guastatoya | 2–0 | Xinabajul-Huehue |
|---|---|---|
|
Report Referee report |
| Xinabajul-Huehue | 1–0 | Guastatoya |
|---|---|---|
| Tinoco 55' |
Report Referee report |
Guastatoya won 2–1 on aggregate and advanced to the semi-finals.
| Achuapa | 2–0 | Comunicaciones |
|---|---|---|
|
Report Referee report |
Comunicaciones won 4–3 on aggregate and advanced to the semi-finals.
Tied 3–3 on aggregate, Antigua won on penalties and advanced to the semi-finals.
Semi-finals
| Guastatoya | 1–1 | Xelajú |
|---|---|---|
| Ortiz 26' |
Report Referee report |
Villa 83' |
| Xelajú | 2–1 | Guastatoya |
|---|---|---|
| Report Referee report |
Vargas 71' |
Xelajú won 3–2 on aggregate and advanced to the finals.
Tied 1–1 on aggregate, Antigua won on penalties and advanced to the semi-finals.
Finals
| Xelajú | 3–0 | Antigua |
|---|---|---|
|
Report Referee report |
Xelajú won 3–2 on aggregate. As Torneo Clausura champions they qualified for the 2023 CONCACAF Central American Cup.
Aggregate table
The aggregate table was used to determine the third qualified team for the 2023 CONCACAF Central American Cup, besides the Apertura and Clausura champions, and the two relegated teams to the 2023–24 Primera División.[3]
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Comunicaciones | 44 | 23 | 15 | 6 | 70 | 41 | +29 | 84 | Qualification for the CONCACAF Central American Cup |
| 2 | Municipal | 44 | 22 | 10 | 12 | 75 | 43 | +32 | 76 | |
| 3 | Xelajú (C) | 44 | 19 | 15 | 10 | 58 | 31 | +27 | 72 | Qualification for the CONCACAF Central American Cup |
| 4 | Antigua | 44 | 20 | 10 | 14 | 80 | 64 | +16 | 70 | |
| 5 | Cobán Imperial (C) | 44 | 17 | 13 | 14 | 51 | 44 | +7 | 64 | Qualification for the CONCACAF Central American Cup |
| 6 | Guastatoya | 44 | 14 | 17 | 13 | 48 | 40 | +8 | 59 | |
| 7 | Xinabajul-Huehue | 44 | 15 | 12 | 17 | 50 | 58 | −8 | 57 | |
| 8 | Achuapa | 44 | 14 | 12 | 18 | 51 | 81 | −30 | 54 | |
| 9 | Malacateco | 44 | 13 | 11 | 20 | 52 | 62 | −10 | 50 | |
| 10 | Mixco | 44 | 10 | 18 | 16 | 43 | 55 | −12 | 48 | |
| 11 | Iztapa (R) | 44 | 12 | 11 | 21 | 61 | 84 | −23 | 47 | Relegation to Primera División |
| 12 | Santa Lucía (R) | 44 | 8 | 10 | 26 | 34 | 70 | −36 | 34 |
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Goals for; 4) Away goals for; 5) Matches won; 6) Away matches won; 7) Head-to-head results; 8) Fair play points; 9) Drawing of lots.[3]
(C) Champions; (R) Relegated