2023–24 Liga Guate
71st professional season of the top-flight football league in Guatemala
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The 2023–24 Liga Guate, also known as Liga Guate Banrural for sponsorship reasons,[1] was the 71st professional season of the top-flight football league in Guatemala. The season was divided into two championships—the 2023 Apertura and the 2024 Clausura—each in an identical format and each contested by the same 12 teams.[2]
Comunicaciones (32nd title)
Clausura:
Municipal (32nd title)
Coatepeque
| Season | 2023–24 |
|---|---|
| Dates | 28 July 2023 – 19 May 2024 |
| Champions | Apertura: Comunicaciones (32nd title) Clausura: Municipal (32nd title) |
| Relegated | Zacapa Coatepeque |
| CONCACAF Central American Cup | Comunicaciones Municipal Antigua |
| Matches | 220 |
| Goals | 543 (2.47 per match) |
| Top goalscorer | Apertura: José Carlos Martínez (9 goals) Clausura: Diego Casas (9 goals) |
| Highest attendance | Apertura: 20,000 Comunicaciones 1–0 Guastatoya (23 December 2023) |
← 2022–23 2024–25 →
Stats are from the regular season onlyAttendance does not include matches played behind closed doors. | |
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.[3] In May 2023, President of the Liga Nacional Rodolfo Puertas announced a change in the competition format for the 2023–24 season in order to reduce the number of games to be played, adopting one similar to that implemented in the 2020–21 season during the COVID-19 pandemic.[4][5] The new format was approved on 13 June 2023 during the Ordinary Assembly of the Liga Nacional with the Apertura and Clausura tournaments being played under the same format consisting of a Classification phase, which was now played with two groups of 6 teams, and a Final phase, which remained unchanged.[6][7]
The classification phase consisted of two groups of 6 teams each, which were formed based on the position of the teams in the cumulative table of the previous season, with the teams placed in odd position plus one promoted team in group A and the teams placed in even position plus the other promoted team in group B:
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Each team played twice against the opponents in their group on a home-and-away round-robin basis, but also played once against the 6 teams in the opposing group (intergroup matches) for a total of 16 matches per team. The top eight teams in an overall table 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 2024 CONCACAF Central American Cup.
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 2022–23 season as well as the two promoted teams from the 2022–23 Primera División season, Coatepeque and Zacapa. Both teams were promoted as finalists in both the Apertura and Clausura tournaments of the 2022–23 Primera División,[8]
- Teams relegated to Primera División de Ascenso
The two promoted teams replaced Santa Lucía and Iztapa, the bottom two teams in the aggregate table of the 2022–23 season, who were relegated to Primera División in the previous season.[9][10]
Stadiums and locations
| Team | City | Stadium | Capacity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Achuapa | El Progreso | Winston Pineda | 6,000 |
| Antigua | Antigua Guatemala | Pensativo | 10,000 |
| Coatepeque | Coatepeque | Israel Barrios | 20,000 |
| Cobán Imperial | Cobán | Verapaz | 15,000 |
| Comunicaciones | Guatemala City | Doroteo Guamuch Flores | 26,000 |
| Guastatoya | Guastatoya | David Cordón Hichos | 3,100 |
| Malacateco | Malacatán | Santa Lucía | 7,000 |
| Mixco | Mixco | Santo Domingo de Guzmán | 5,200 |
| Municipal | Guatemala City | El Trébol | 7,500 |
| Xelajú | Quetzaltenango | Mario Camposeco | 11,220 |
| Xinabajul-Huehue | Huehuetenango | Los Cuchumatanes | 5,340 |
| Zacapa | Zacapa | David Ordoñez Bardales | 8,500 |
Personnel and kits
| Team | Head coach | Captain | Kit manufacturer | Shirt sponsor(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Achuapa |  Rónald Gómez |
 Rigoberto Hernández |
Guza−Sport | |
| Antigua | Dwight Pezzarossi |
José Mena |
Nino | |
| Coatepeque |  Silvio Fernández |
Pedro Samayoa |
Nevimar | |
| Cobán Imperial |  Adrián García Arias |
 Janderson |
MG Sports | |
| Comunicaciones | William Coito |
José Manuel Contreras |
Kelme | |
| Guastatoya | Roberto Montoya |
Rubén Morales |
Guza−Sport | |
| Malacateco |  Gabriel Pereyra |
Jorge Sánchez |
Silver Sport | |
| Mixco | Fabricio Benítez |
Jean Márquez |
JM12 | |
| Municipal | Sebastián Bini |
Marlon Sequén |
Umbro | |
| Xelajú | Amarini Villatoro |
Kenner Gutiérrez |
Kelme | |
| Xinabajul-Huehue | Pablo Centrone |
Kristian Guzmán |
Orion | |
| Zacapa | Gerson Voss |
Mafre Icuté |
Guza−Sport |
Managerial changes
| Team | Outgoing manager | Manner of departure | Date of vacancy | Position in table | Incoming manager | Date of appointment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Torneo Apertura | ||||||
| Achuapa | Walter Claverí |
End of contract | 7 May 2023 | Pre-season | Gabriel Pereyra |
25 May 2023[11] |
| Achuapa | Hamilton López |
End of caretaker spell | 14 May 2023 | Adrián García Arias |
31 May 2023[12] | |
| Municipal |  José Cardozo |
End of contract | 15 May 2023[13] | Sebastián Bini |
29 May 2023[14] | |
| Antigua | Ramiro Cepeda |
29 May 2023[15] | Ronald González |
1 June 2023[16] | ||
| Guastatoya |  Mario Acevedo |
2 June 2023[17] | Roberto Montoya |
2 June 2023[18] | ||
| Zacapa | Erick González |
Mutual agreement | 19 September 2023[19] | 8th | Martín García |
23 September 2023[20] |
| Antigua | Ronald González |
Sacked | 22 September 2023[21] | 2nd | Dwight Pezzarossi[i] |
22 September 2023[23] |
| Coatepeque | Joaquín Álvarez |
Mutual agreement | 4 October 2023[24][25] | 11th | Paco Ramírez |
5 October 2023[26] |
| Torneo Clausura | ||||||
| Cobán Imperial | César Méndez |
Sacked | 28 November 2023[27] | Pre-tournament | Adrián García Arias |
9 December 2023[28][29] |
| Coatepeque | Paco Ramírez |
Mutual agreement | 29 November 2023[30][31] | Silvio Fernández |
December 2023[32] | |
| Achuapa | Adrián García Arias |
Signed by Cobán Imperial | 9 December 2023[28][29] |  Milton García |
29 December 2023[33] | |
| Zacapa | Martín García |
Mutual agreement | 21 December 2023[34] | Adrián Fernández |
22 December 2023[35] | |
| Comunicaciones | William Coito |
Mutual agreement | 26 December 2023[36] | Iván Sopegno |
27 December 2023[37] | |
| Zacapa | Adrián Fernández |
Mutual agreement | 17 February 2024[38][39] | 11th | Héctor Vargas |
17 February 2024[38][39] |
| Achuapa | Milton García |
Sacked | 1 March 2024[40] | 9th | Rónald Gómez[ii] |
5 March 2024[42] |
| Zacapa | Héctor Vargas |
Mutual agreement | 11 March 2024[43][44] | 11th | Julio Laínez |
11 March 2024[45][46] |
| Julio Laínez |
Sacked | 4 April 2024[47] | 12th | Gerson Voss |
4 April 2024[48] | |
| Comunicaciones | Iván Sopegno |
Demoted to the youth levels | 18 April 2024[49][50] | 5th | William Coito |
19 April 2024[49][50] |
- Notes
Apertura
The Apertura 2023 tournament began on 28 July and ended on 23 December 2023.[2] Xelajú were the defending champions, having won the Clausura 2023 tournament at the previous season.
Classification phase – Apertura 2023
The classification phase of the Apertura tournament ran from 28 July to 12 November 2023.[51][52]
Standings
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Achuapa | 16 | 9 | 3 | 4 | 27 | 23 | +4 | 30 | Advance to Quarter-finals |
| 2 | Municipal | 16 | 8 | 4 | 4 | 27 | 17 | +10 | 28 | |
| 3 | Antigua | 16 | 8 | 4 | 4 | 24 | 19 | +5 | 28 | |
| 4 | Comunicaciones | 16 | 7 | 5 | 4 | 27 | 20 | +7 | 26 | |
| 5 | Malacateco | 16 | 7 | 3 | 6 | 24 | 24 | 0 | 24 | |
| 6 | Guastatoya | 16 | 7 | 2 | 7 | 21 | 16 | +5 | 23 | |
| 7 | Zacapa | 16 | 7 | 1 | 8 | 22 | 20 | +2 | 22 | |
| 8 | Xelajú | 16 | 5 | 4 | 7 | 10 | 13 | −3 | 19 | |
| 9 | Mixco | 16 | 5 | 4 | 7 | 15 | 20 | −5 | 19 | |
| 10 | Cobán Imperial | 16 | 4 | 6 | 6 | 19 | 25 | −6 | 18 | |
| 11 | Xinabajul-Huehue | 16 | 3 | 7 | 6 | 18 | 25 | −7 | 16 | |
| 12 | Coatepeque | 16 | 2 | 5 | 9 | 12 | 24 | −12 | 11 |
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 Ordinary Assembly of the Liga Nacional held on 13 June 2023.[51]
Top goalscorers
Players sorted first by goals scored, then by last name. José Carlos Martínez won the Torneo Apertura top scorer award (known as Juan Carlos Plata Trophy) after scoring 9 goals for Municipal.[53][note 1]
| Rank | Player | Club | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | José Carlos Martínez[A] |
Municipal | 9 |
| 2 | Dewinder Bradley |
Antigua | 8 |
| Elíser Quiñones |
Achuapa | ||
| 4 | Pedro Báez |
Malacateco | 7 |
| Luis Túnchez |
Achuapa | ||
| 6 | Keyshwen Arboine |
Comunicaciones | 5 |
| José Espinoza |
Zacapa | ||
| Lynner García |
Comunicaciones | ||
| Esteban García |
Mixco | ||
| Erick Lemus |
Achuapa | ||
| Gabriel Leyes |
Muncicipal | ||
| Ángel López |
Malacateco | ||
| Yonathan Morán |
Malacateco | ||
| Matías Rotondi |
Municipal |
Source: Soccerway, Guatefutbol
Final phase – Apertura 2023
The final phase of the Apertura tournament ran from 29 November to 23 December 2023.[54][55][56]
Bracket
| Quarter-finals | Semi-finals | Finals | ||||||||||||||||||
| 7 | Zacapa | 1 | 2 | 3 | ||||||||||||||||
| 2 | Municipal | 0 | 1 | 1 | ||||||||||||||||
| 7 | Zacapa | 1 | 1 | 2 | ||||||||||||||||
| 6 | Guastatoya | 1 | 3 | 4 | ||||||||||||||||
| 6 | Guastatoya | 2 | 0 | 2 | ||||||||||||||||
| 3 | Antigua | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||||||||||||||
| 6 | Guastatoya | 1 | 0 | 1 | ||||||||||||||||
| 4 | Comunicaciones | 1 | 1 | 2 | ||||||||||||||||
| 8 | Xelajú | 3 | 3 | 6 | ||||||||||||||||
| 1 | Achuapa | 1 | 1 | 2 | ||||||||||||||||
| 8 | Xelajú | 2 | 0 | 2 (2) | ||||||||||||||||
| 4 | Comunicaciones (p) | 2 | 0 | 2 (4) | ||||||||||||||||
| 5 | Malacateco | 2 | 0 | 2 | ||||||||||||||||
| 4 | Comunicaciones | 0 | 5 | 5 | ||||||||||||||||
Quarter-finals
| Guastatoya | 2–0 | Antigua |
|---|---|---|
|
Report Referee report |
| Antigua | 0–0 | Guastatoya |
|---|---|---|
| Report Referee report |
Guastatoya won 2–0 on aggregate and advanced to the semi-finals.
| Malacateco | 2–0 | Comunicaciones |
|---|---|---|
|
Report Referee report |
| Comunicaciones | 5–0 | Malacateco |
|---|---|---|
|
Report Referee report |
Comunicaciones won 5–2 on aggregate and advanced to the semi-finals.
Xelajú won 6–2 on aggregate and advanced to the semi-finals.
| Zacapa | 1–0 | Municipal |
|---|---|---|
Espinoza  47' |
Report Referee report |
| Municipal | 1–2 | Zacapa |
|---|---|---|
| Méndez 24' |
Report Referee report |
|
Zacapa won 3–1 on aggregate and advanced to the semi-finals.
Semi-finals
| Zacapa | 1–1 | Guastatoya |
|---|---|---|
| Arboine 47' |
Report Referee report |
Domínguez 4' |
| Guastatoya | 3–1 | Zacapa |
|---|---|---|
| Report Referee report |
Espinoza 9' |
Zacapa won 4–2 on aggregate and advanced to the finals.
Tied 2–2 on aggregate, Comunicaciones won on penalties and advanced to the finals.
Finals
| Guastatoya | 1–1 | Comunicaciones |
|---|---|---|
| Morán 40' |
Report Referee report |
López 15' |
| Comunicaciones | 1–0 | Guastatoya |
|---|---|---|
| Cardozo 64' |
Report Referee report |
Comunicaciones won 2–1 on aggregate. As Torneo Apertura champions they qualified for the 2024 CONCACAF Central American Cup.
Clausura
The Clausura 2024 tournament began on 19 January and ended on 19 May 2024.[58][59] The defending champions were Comunicaciones, who had won the previous Apertura 2023 tournament.
Classification phase – Clausura 2024
The classification phase of the Apertura tournament ran from 19 January to 21 April 2024.[60][61]
Standings
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Municipal | 16 | 10 | 2 | 4 | 29 | 14 | +15 | 32 | Advance to Quarter-finals |
| 2 | Antigua | 16 | 10 | 2 | 4 | 25 | 12 | +13 | 32 | |
| 3 | Mixco | 16 | 8 | 3 | 5 | 18 | 10 | +8 | 27 | |
| 4 | Cobán Imperial | 16 | 7 | 6 | 3 | 29 | 22 | +7 | 27 | |
| 5 | Comunicaciones | 16 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 16 | 17 | −1 | 23 | |
| 6 | Achuapa | 16 | 7 | 1 | 8 | 17 | 20 | −3 | 22 | |
| 7 | Xinabajul-Huehue | 16 | 5 | 6 | 5 | 19 | 19 | 0 | 21 | |
| 8 | Malacateco | 16 | 6 | 3 | 7 | 21 | 26 | −5 | 21 | |
| 9 | Xelajú | 16 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 14 | 15 | −1 | 20 | |
| 10 | Guastatoya | 16 | 4 | 6 | 6 | 21 | 23 | −2 | 18 | |
| 11 | Zacapa | 16 | 2 | 5 | 9 | 12 | 25 | −13 | 11 | |
| 12 | Coatepeque | 16 | 3 | 2 | 11 | 13 | 31 | −18 | 11 |
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Goals for.[3]
Results
The match schedule was the same as the one drawn for the Torneo Apertura (with the order of the intergroup matches reversed).[62]
Top goalscorers
Players sorted first by goals scored, then by last name. Diego Casas (1,129 minutes played) and Matías Rotondi (1,292 minutes played) tied in goals scored with 9 goals each. Diego Casas won the Clausura 2024 goal scorer's award (known as Juan Carlos Plata Trophy) for having played fewer minutes.[63][note 1]
| Rank | Player | Club | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Diego Casas |
Cobán Imperial | 9 |
| Matías Rotondi |
Municipal | ||
| 3 | Erick Lemus |
Achuapa | 5 |
| Ángel López |
Malacateco | ||
| Nicolás Mazzola |
Xinabajul-Huehue | ||
| Jonatan Morán |
Xelajú | ||
| Tomás Pizarro |
Xinabajul-Huehue | ||
| 8 |  Juan Luis Anangonó |
Comunicaciones | 4 |
| Keyshwen Arboine |
Zacapa | ||
| Víctor Avalos |
Coatepeque | ||
| Pedro Báez |
Malacateco | ||
| Robin Betancourth |
Guastatoya | ||
| Edwin Bol Coc |
Cobán Imperial | ||
| Dewinder Bradley |
Antigua | ||
| Roque Caballero |
Mixco | ||
| Romario Luiz Da Silva |
Antigua | ||
| Denilson Ochaeta |
Coatepeque | ||
| Elíser Quiñones |
Achuapa | ||
| Óscar Villa |
Guastatoya |
Source: Guatefutbol
Final phase – Clausura 2024
The final phase of the Clausura tournament ran from 24 April to 19 May 2024.[64][65][66][67]
Bracket
| Quarter-finals | Semi-finals | Finals | ||||||||||||||||||
| 6 | Achuapa | 0 | 1 | 1 | ||||||||||||||||
| 3 | Mixco | 2 | 2 | 4 | ||||||||||||||||
| 3 | Mixco (p) | 1 | 0 | 1 (4) | ||||||||||||||||
| 2 | Antigua | 0 | 1 | 1 (2) | ||||||||||||||||
| 7 | Xinabajul-Huehue | 2 | 0 | 2 | ||||||||||||||||
| 2 | Antigua | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||||||||||||||
| 3 | Mixco | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||||||||||||||
| 1 | Municipal | 0 | 2 | 2 | ||||||||||||||||
| 5 | Comunicaciones | 1 | 2 | 3 | ||||||||||||||||
| 4 | Cobán Imperial | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||||||||||||||
| 5 | Comunicaciones | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||||||||||||||
| 1 | Municipal | 0 | 3 | 3 | ||||||||||||||||
| 8 | Malacateco | 2 | 0 | 2 | ||||||||||||||||
| 1 | Municipal | 0 | 5 | 5 | ||||||||||||||||
Quarter-finals
| Achuapa | 0–2 | Mixco |
|---|---|---|
| Report Referee report |
|
| Mixco | 2–1 | Achuapa |
|---|---|---|
| Pozuelos 27', 38' |
Report Referee report |
Lemus 59' |
Mixco won 4–1 on aggregate and advanced to the semi-finals.
| Cobán Imperial | 0–2 | Comunicaciones |
|---|---|---|
| Report Referee report |
Comunicaciones won 3–0 on aggregate and advanced to the semi-finals.
| Malacateco | 3–2 | Municipal |
|---|---|---|
| Report Referee report |
|
| Municipal | 4–0 | Malacateco |
|---|---|---|
| Report Referee report |
Municipal won 6–3 on aggregate and advanced to the semi-finals.
| Antigua | 2–1 | Xinabajul-Huehue |
|---|---|---|
| Da Silva 20', 56' |
Report Referee report |
Pizarro 68' |
Antigua won 3–1 on aggregate and advanced to the semi-finals.
Semi-finals
| Mixco | 1–0 | Antigua |
|---|---|---|
| Caballero 42' |
Report Referee report |
| Antigua | 1–0 (a.e.t.) | Mixco |
|---|---|---|
| Gálvez 55' |
Report Referee report |
|
| Penalties | ||
|
2–4 |
|
Tied 1–1 on aggregate, Antigua won on penalties and advanced to the finals.
| Municipal | 3–0 | Comunicaciones |
|---|---|---|
| Report Referee report |
Municipal won 3–0 on aggregate and advanced to the finals.
Finals
| Municipal | 2–0 | Mixco |
|---|---|---|
| Report Referee report |
Municipal won 2–0 on aggregate. As Torneo Clausura champions they qualified for the 2025 CONCACAF Central American Cup.
Aggregate table
The aggregate table was used to determine the third qualified team for the 2024 CONCACAF Central American Cup, besides the Apertura and Clausura champions, and the two relegated teams to the 2024–25 Primera División.[3]
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Municipal (C) | 32 | 18 | 6 | 8 | 56 | 31 | +25 | 60 | Qualification for the CONCACAF Central American Cup |
| 2 | Antigua | 32 | 18 | 6 | 8 | 49 | 31 | +18 | 60 | |
| 3 | Achuapa | 32 | 16 | 4 | 12 | 44 | 43 | +1 | 52 | |
| 4 | Comunicaciones (C) | 32 | 13 | 10 | 9 | 43 | 37 | +6 | 49 | Qualification for the CONCACAF Central American Cup |
| 5 | Mixco | 32 | 13 | 7 | 12 | 33 | 30 | +3 | 46 | |
| 6 | Cobán Imperial | 32 | 11 | 12 | 9 | 49 | 48 | +1 | 45 | |
| 7 | Malacateco | 32 | 13 | 6 | 13 | 45 | 50 | −5 | 45 | |
| 8 | Guastatoya | 32 | 11 | 8 | 13 | 42 | 39 | +3 | 41 | |
| 9 | Xelajú | 32 | 10 | 9 | 13 | 24 | 28 | −4 | 39 | |
| 10 | Xinabajul-Huehue | 32 | 8 | 13 | 11 | 37 | 44 | −7 | 37 | |
| 11 | Zacapa (R) | 32 | 9 | 6 | 17 | 34 | 45 | −11 | 33 | Relegation to Primera División |
| 12 | Coatepeque (R) | 32 | 5 | 7 | 20 | 26 | 56 | −30 | 22 |
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
Notes
- Comunicaciones played their home match at Estadio Carlos Salazar Hijo, Mazatenango instead of their regular stadium Estadio Doroteo Guamuch Flores, Guatemala City which was occupied for a match of Guatemala for the 2024 CONCACAF W Gold Cup qualification on 3 December 2023.[57]