2025–26 Liga Primera
Football league season
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The 2025–26 Liga Primera de Nicaragua football season was to be divided into two tournaments, Apertura and Clausura. The season will determine the 81st and 82nd champions in the history of the Liga Primera de Nicaragua, the top division of football in Nicaragua. The Apertura tournament is to be played in the second half of 2025, while the Clausura is to be played in the first half of 2026.
| Season | 2025–26 |
|---|---|
| Champions | Diriangén (Apertura) Real Esteli (Clausura) |
| Relegated | Real Madriz |
| CONCACAF Central American Cup | Diriangén |
| CONCACAF Central American Cup | Real Esteli |
| Top goalscorer | Apertura: José Montiel (11 goals) Clausura:  Emanuel Casado (10 goals) |
| Biggest home win | Apertura: TBD 6–0 TBD |
| Biggest away win | Apertura: TBD 3-4 TBD (3 November 2024) |
| Highest scoring | Apertura: TBD 4-4 TBD (5 October 2024) |
← 2024–25 2026–27 →
All statistics correct as of 7 November 2024. | |
Teams
Team information
A total of ten teams contested the league, including nine sides from the 2024–25 Primera División, and one side from the 2024–25 Segunda División.
Ocotal finished last in the aggregate table and were relegated to the Segunda División.[1] The champions from the Segunda División, Real Madriz, were promoted in their place.[2]
The 9th place team in the aggregate table, Rancho Santana FC, faced the second-place team from the Segunda División, Rio Blanco, in a playoff for a spot in the Primera División. Rancho Santana FC won 2–1 over two legs, meaning they remained in the Primera División.
Promotion and relegation
Promoted from Segunda División as of June, 2025.
- Champions: Real Madriz
Relegated to Segunda División as of June, 2025.
- Last Place: Ocotal
Personnel and kits
| Team | Chairman | Head coach | Captain | Kit manufacturer | Shirt sponsor(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ART Jalapa | TBD |  Jairo Basabe |
 TBD |
Huriver | Ferreter Lenar, Noelito |
| Diriangén | TBD | Jose Giacone |
TBD |
Macron | Credifacil, Doradobet, Claro, Proplisa |
| CS Sebaco | TBD | Sergio Ivan rodriguez |
TBD |
La Cabra Sport | Cafe OX, Siles, Transporte Tovel |
| Managua | TBD | Emilio Aburto |
TBD |
Orion Elite | Claro, Chevron, Fetesa |
| Matagalpa FC | TBD |  Héctor Medina |
 Robinson Luiz |
El Brother | Standard Chontal Central Gas Segruidad Aguila La Bodeguita Distarija |
| Rancho Santana FC | TBD | Alexis Santana |
 Johan Padilla |
Mi Ropa Favorita.com | Miropa Favorito.com, BlackSwan |
| Real Esteli | TBD | Otoniel Olivas |
TBD |
Orion Elite | Tigo, Cafe Ox, Baterias KOBE, |
| Real Madriz | TBD | Jorge Vanegas |
Ender Rivas |
La Cabra Sport | Liver Hotels, Alacadia Municipal Somoto Nadriz, |
| UNAN Managua | TBD | Oscar Blanco |
TBD |
Joma | Universided de Managua |
| Walter Ferretti | TBD | Sting Lopez |
TBD |
La Cabra Sport | Claro Nica Logistics INiser |
Managerial Changes
Before the start of the season
| Team | Outgoing manager | Manner of departure | Date of vacancy | Replaced by | Date of appointment | Position in table |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Walter Ferretti | Mauricio Cruz |
Mutual Consent | May, 2025 | Sting Lopez |
May, 2025 | th (2025 Clausura) |
| UNAN Managua | Luis Vega |
Resigned due to health reason | June, 2025 | Oscar Blanco |
July, 2025 | |
| Rancho Santana | Cristian Taberna |
End of interimship | July, 2024 | Alexis Sanchez |
July, 2024 | th (2025 Clausura) |
During the Apertura season
| Team | Outgoing manager | Manner of departure | Date of vacancy | Replaced by | Date of appointment | Position in table |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ART Jalapa | Jairo Basabe |
Resigned | August, 2025 | Danny Rosales (Interim) |
August, 2025 | th (2024 Apertura) |
| Rancho Santana | Alexis Sanchez |
Sacked | August 2025 | Flavio da Silva |
August 2025 | 9th (2025 Apertura) |
| ART Jalapa | Danny Rosales |
Interimship ended | September 2025 | Luis Javier Londoño |
September 2025 | 9th (2025 Apertura) |
| Rancho Santana | Flavio da Silva |
Mutual Consent | September 2025 | Mauricio Cruz |
September 2025 | 9th (2025 Apertura) |
| Real Madriz | Jorge Luis Vanegas |
Sacked | September 2025 | Glen Blanco |
September 2025 | th (2025 Apertura) |
| Matagalpa FC | Hector Medina |
Mutual Consent | October 2025 | Roberto Chanampe |
October 2025 | th (2025 Apertura) |
Between the Apertura and Clausura season
| Team | Outgoing manager | Manner of departure | Date of vacancy | Replaced by | Date of appointment | Position in table |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Real Estelí | Ramón Otoniel Olivas |
Mutual Consent | December, 2025 | Diego Vásquez |
December, 2025 | th (2025 Apertura) |
| Diriangén FC | José Giacone |
Contract Finished | December, 2025 | Alexander Vargas |
December, 2025 | th (2025 Apertura) |
During the Clausura season
| Team | Outgoing manager | Manner of departure | Date of vacancy | Replaced by | Date of appointment | Position in table |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Real Madriz | Glen Blanco |
Sacked | February, 2026 | Carlos Matamoros |
February, 2026 | 10th (2026 Clausura) |
| Rancho Santana | Mauricio Cruz |
Sacked | March 5, 2026 | Kenneth Barrantes |
March 6, 2026 | 8th (2026 Clausura) |
| Real Madriz | Carlos Matamoros |
Sacked | March, 2026 |  Angel Orellana |
March, 2026 | 10th (2026 Clausura) |
Apertura 2025
Standings
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Diriangén | 18 | 10 | 6 | 2 | 48 | 15 | +33 | 36 | Advance to Playoffs semi-finals |
| 2 | Managua | 18 | 11 | 3 | 4 | 32 | 13 | +19 | 36 | |
| 3 | Real Estelí | 18 | 9 | 6 | 3 | 26 | 14 | +12 | 33 | Advance to Playoffs quarter-finals |
| 4 | Club Sébaco | 18 | 9 | 3 | 6 | 30 | 29 | +1 | 30 | |
| 5 | Matagalpa | 18 | 8 | 4 | 6 | 29 | 26 | +3 | 28 | |
| 6 | Walter Ferretti | 18 | 7 | 5 | 6 | 31 | 26 | +5 | 26 | |
| 7 | Municipal Jalapa | 18 | 7 | 3 | 8 | 33 | 33 | 0 | 24 | |
| 8 | Rancho Santana | 18 | 5 | 2 | 11 | 17 | 47 | −30 | 17 | |
| 9 | UNAN Managua | 18 | 3 | 3 | 12 | 20 | 41 | −21 | 12 | |
| 10 | Real Madriz | 18 | 3 | 1 | 14 | 16 | 38 | −22 | 10 |
Playoffs
Bracket
Quarterfinals
| Real Esteli | 2-1 | Deportivo Walter Ferretti |
|---|---|---|
Josué Mitchell  30' Ronaldo Espinoza 97' |
Henry Niño 115' |
Real Esteli progressed.
| Club Sébaco | 2-0 | Matagalpa |
|---|---|---|
| William Palacios 47' 60' |
Nil |
Sebaco progressed.
Semi-finals
| Team 1 | Agg. | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Diriangen | 6-0 | Club Sébaco | 1-0 | 5-0 |
| Managua | 5-2 | Real Esteli | 4-1 | 1-1 |
First leg
| Club Sébaco | 0-1 | Diriangen |
|---|---|---|
| Nil | Junior Arteaga 93' |
| Real Esteli | 0-2 | Managua |
|---|---|---|
| Nil | Carlos Hernandez 80' Mauro Verón 98' |
Second leg
| Diriangen | 5-0 | Club Sébaco |
|---|---|---|
| Junio Arteaga 39' 55' 62' Germán Aguirre 50' Luis Coronel 77' |
Nil |
Diriangen won on 6-0 aggregate.
| Managua | 0-2 | Real Esteli |
|---|---|---|
| Nil | Byron Bonilla 17' Bancy Hernández 43' |
2-2 aggregate. Managua won 5-4 on penalties.
Final
First leg
Second leg
Diriangen won 1-0 on aggregate.
| Apertura 2025 champions |
|---|
| 34th title |
Clausura 2026
Standings
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Diriangén | 18 | 12 | 3 | 3 | 40 | 19 | +21 | 39 | Advance to Playoffs semi-finals |
| 2 | Real Estelí | 18 | 11 | 4 | 3 | 41 | 19 | +22 | 37 | |
| 3 | Municipal Jalapa | 18 | 9 | 6 | 3 | 29 | 16 | +13 | 33 | Advance to Playoffs quarter-finals |
| 4 | Managua | 18 | 8 | 5 | 5 | 22 | 18 | +4 | 29 | |
| 5 | Matagalpa | 18 | 5 | 7 | 6 | 30 | 24 | +6 | 22 | |
| 6 | Walter Ferretti | 18 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 18 | 28 | −10 | 21 | |
| 7 | Club Sébaco | 18 | 6 | 2 | 10 | 23 | 24 | −1 | 20 | |
| 8 | UNAN Managua | 18 | 4 | 4 | 10 | 21 | 34 | −13 | 16 | |
| 9 | Rancho Santana | 18 | 4 | 4 | 10 | 20 | 43 | −23 | 16 | |
| 10 | Real Madriz | 18 | 4 | 3 | 11 | 14 | 33 | −19 | 15 |
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored; 4) head-to-head points; 5) head-to-head goal difference; 6) head-to-head goals scored; 7) draw.
Playoffs
Bracket
Quarterfinals
| Managua | 2-4 | Matagalpa |
|---|---|---|
| Juan Medrano 70' Carlos Small 74' |
Nazareno Gómez 30' 87' Robinson Luiz da Silva 73' Lesnar Davila 91' |
Matagalpa progressed.
| ART Municipal Jalapa | 3-0 | Deportivo Walter Ferretti |
|---|---|---|
| Oscar Villalobos 53' Kleyver Gonzalez 64' Bayron Salinas 73' |
Nil |
Municipal Jalapa progressed.
Semi-finals
| Team 1 | Agg. | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Diriangen | 4-1 | Matagalpa | 1-0 | 3-1 |
| Real Esteli | 3-1 | ART Municipal Jalapa | 0-0 | 3-1 |
First leg
| ART Municipal Jalapa | 0-0 | Real Esteli |
|---|---|---|
| Nil | Nil |
Second leg
| Diriangen | 3-1 | Matagalpa |
|---|---|---|
| Josimar Pemberton 45' Jonathan Moncada 57' Matías Galvaliz 69' |
Nazareno Gómez 79' |
Diriangen won on 4-1 aggregate.
| Real Esteli | 3-1 | ART Municipal Jalapa |
|---|---|---|
| Joab Gutiérrez 3' Emanuel Casado 5' Nicolas Morinigo 95' |
Oscar Villalobos 32' |
Real Esteli won 3-1 on aggregate.
Final
First leg
| Real Esteli | 1-1 | Diriangen |
|---|---|---|
| Emanuel Casado 21' |
Josimar Pemberton 44' |
Second leg
| Diriangen | 1-1 | Real Esteli |
|---|---|---|
| Germán Aguirre 35' |
Juan Barrera 79' |
2-2. Real Esteli won 5-4 on penalties.
| Clausura 2026 champions |
|---|
| 34th title |
List of foreign players
This is a list of foreign players in the 2025–26 season. The following players:
- Have played at least one game for the respective club.
- 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 closing of the season transfer window.
|
ART Jalapa
Diriangén
CS Sebaco
Managua
Matagalpa FC
Real Madriz
Rancho Santana FC
Real Estelí
UNAN Managua
Walter Ferretti
|
(player released during the Apertura season)
(player released between the Apertura and Clausura seasons)
(player released during the Clausura season)