Colombia - List of Champions and Runners-Up


The Early Years

Football in Colombia was introduced in 1900 by some English engineers hired to build the railway from Barranquilla to Puerto Salgar.

Some local championships were played in Barranquilla and later in Bogotá, and then the first teams were founded: Barranquilla FC (which preceded Atlético Junior) and, in 1902, El Polo Club in Bogotá. Two members of El Polo Club, Jose Maria and Carlos Obregon, founded the Football Club of Bogota and provided the field on which the first official game (and second in the country's history) was played on September 7, 1902, between the "Red" and "White" teams; the match was divided into two halves of 35 minutes each and in order to win the match, a team should be victorious in both halves. In case of a draw, a secon game was to be played and so until one of the teams defeats the rival on both halves. After three games the "Red" team was declared the winners of the first football tournament in Colombia.

Different rules were translated in Colegio de San Bartolomé in Bogotá and a team called "Bartolinos" was organized there in 1907.

Between 1912 and 1914 a few tournaments were played in Bogotá, and in 1918 and 1919, some more short tournaments were held in Bogotá and Cali.

Little by little football became popular in the whole country, but only in 1924 was a Colombian asociation of football under the name of "Liga de Fútbol" founded and later recognized by Fifa and Conmebol in 1936.

In 1947 the President of Adefútbol, Mr Alfonso Senior Quevedo, proposed to begin a professional championship (he was the person who in 1973 got Colombia to be the host of the World Cup 1986. However, in 1982 the President of Colombia refused to organize it). Due to some political problems between 1947 and 1948, the championship began on August of 1948 when División Mayor del Fútbol Colombiano (Dimayor) was founded to organize it.

The league began with 10 teams and until 1959 the number of teams changed many times. For 4 years the number stabilized in 12 teams but, in 1963 it increased to 13 teams and in 1966 to 14 teams.

The years from 1949 to 1953 were the "golden years" of the Colombian teams because the important players in the clubs came from Argentina. That time is well known as "El Dorado".

Since 1968 the format of the championship was split into two tournaments: Apertura (from February to June) and Finalización (from July to December); the end of the season is played in a little league between a smaller number of teams wich decides the champion of the year.

Since 1991 a professional second division was created and then the number of teams in the first division extended to 16 teams because the champion of the second division is promoted to the first division and since 1993 the worst team in the first division is relegated to the second.

Up to 1999 16394 matches have been played and 46427 goals scored.


        Champions                               Runners Up     

1948    Independiente Santa Fe                  Atlético Junior
1949    Millonarios                             Deportivo Cali
1950    Once Caldas                             Millonarios
1951    Millonarios                             Boca Juniors (Cali)
1952    Millonarios                             Boca Juniors (Cali)
1953    Millonarios                             Atlético Quindio
1954    Atlético Nacional                       Atlético Quindio
1955    D. Independiente Medellín               Atlético Nacional
1956    Atlético Quindio                        Millonarios
1957    D. Independiente Medellín               Deportes Tolima
1958    Independiente Santa Fe                  Millonarios
1959    Millonarios                             D. Independiente Medellín
1960    Independiente Santa Fe                  América de Cali
1961    Millonarios                             D. Independiente Medellín
1962    Millonarios                             Deportivo Cali
1963    Millonarios                             Independiente Santa Fe
1964    Millonarios                             Cúcuta Deportivo
1965    Deportivo Cali                          Atlético Nacional
1966    Independiente Santa Fe                  D. Independiente Medellín
1967    Deportivo Cali                          Millonarios
1968    Unión Magdalena                         Deportivo Cali
1969    Deportivo Cali                          América de Cali
1970    Deportivo Cali                          Atlético Junior
1971    Independiente Santa Fe                  Atlético Nacional
1972    Millonarios                             Deportivo Cali
1973    Atlético Nacional                       Millonarios
1974    Deportivo Cali                          Atlético Nacional
1975    Independiente Santa Fe                  Millonarios
1976    Atlético Nacional                       Deportivo Cali
1977    Atlético Junior                         Deportivo Cali
1978    Millonarios                             Deportivo Cali
1979    América de Cali                         Independiente Santa Fe
1980    Atlético Junior                         Deportivo Cali
1981    Atlético Nacional                       Deportes Tolima
1982    América de Cali                         Deportes Tolima
1983    América de Cali                         Atlético Junior
1984    América de Cali                         Millonarios
1985    América de Cali                         Deportivo Cali
1986    América de Cali                         Deportivo Cali
1987    Millonarios                             América de Cali
1988    Millonarios                             Atlético Nacional
1989      championship not awarded
1990    América de Cali                         Atlético Nacional
1991    Atlético Nacional                       América de Cali
1992    América de Cali                         Atlético Nacional
1993    Atlético Junior                         D. Independiente Medellín
1994    Atlético Nacional                       Millonarios
1995    Atlético Junior                         América de Cali
1995/96 Deportivo Cali                          Millonarios
1996/97 América de Cali                         Atlético Bucaramanga
1998    Deportivo Cali                          Once Caldas 
1999    Atlético Nacional                       América de Cali
2000    América de Cali                         Atlético Junior       
2001    América de Cali                         D. Independiente Medellín
2002 Ap América de Cali                         Atlético Nacional
     Fi D. Independiente Medellín               Deportivo Pasto
2003 Ap Once Caldas                             Atlético Junior
     Fi Deportes Tolima                         Deportivo Cali
2004 Ap D. Independiente Medellín               Atlético Nacional
     Fi Atlético Junior                         Atlético Nacional
2005 Ap Atlético Nacional                       Independiente Santa Fe
     Fi Deportivo Cali                          Real Cartagena
2006 Ap Deportivo Pasto                         Deportivo Cali       
     Fi Cúcuta Deportivo                        Deportes Tolima   
2007 Ap Atlético Nacional                       Atlético Huila
     Fi Atlético Nacional                       CD La Equidad
2008 Ap Boyacá Chicó FC                         América de Cali
     Fi América de Cali                         D. Independiente Medellín 
2009 Ap Once Caldas                             Atlético Junior       
     Fi D. Independiente Medellín               Atlético Huila  
2010 Ap Atlético Junior                         CD La Equidad
     Cl Once Caldas                             Deportes Tolima 
2011 Ap Atlético Nacional                       CD La Equidad
     Cl Atlético Junior                         Once Caldas
2012 Ap Independiente Santa Fe                  Deportivo Pasto 
     Cl Millonarios                             D. Independiente Medellín
2013 Ap Atlético Nacional                       Independiente Santa Fe
     Cl Atlético Nacional                       Deportivo Cali       
2014 Ap Atlético Nacional                       Atlético Junior       
     Cl Independiente Santa Fe                  D. Independiente Medellín 
2015 Ap Deportivo Cali                          D. Independiente Medellín 
     Cl Atlético Nacional                       Atlético Junior     
2016 Ap D. Independiente Medellín               Atlético Junior  
     Cl Independiente Santa Fe                  Deportes Tolima 
2017 Ap Atlético Nacional                       Deportivo Cali   
     Cl Millonarios                             Independiente Santa Fe  
2018 Ap Deportes Tolima                         Atlético Nacional 
     Cl Atlético Junior                         D. Independiente Medellín 
2019 Ap Atlético Junior                         Deportivo Pasto 
     Cl América de Cali                         Atlético Junior            
2020 Ap América de Cali                         Independiente Santa Fe  
     Cl   cancelled
2021 Ap Deportes Tolima                         Millonarios  
     Cl Deportivo Cali                          Deportes Tolima  
2022 Ap Atlético Nacional                       Deportes Tolima  
     Cl Deportivo Pereira                       D. Independiente Medellín 
2023 Ap Millonarios                             Atlético Nacional   
     Cl Atlético Junior                         D. Independiente Medellín 
2024 Ap Atlético Bucaramanga                    Independiente Santa Fe   
     Cl 

Total Championships (97; runners-up finishes between square brackets)

17 [12] Atlético Nacional (Medellín) 

16 [10] Millonarios (Bogotá) 

15 [ 7] América de Cali 

10 [14] Deportivo Cali 
10 [10] Atlético Junior (Barranquilla)

 9 [ 7] Independiente Santa Fe (Bogotá)

 6 [12] Deportivo Independiente Medellín

 4 [ 2] Once Caldas (Manizales) 

 3 [ 8] Deportes Tolima (Ibagué) 

 1 [ 3] Deportivo Pasto 
 1 [ 2] Atlético Quindio (Armenia) 
 1 [ 1] Atlético Bucaramanga 
 1 [ 1] Cúcuta Deportivo 
 1      Boyacá Chicó FC  
 1      Deportivo Pereira 
 1      Unión Magdalena (Santa Marta)

   [ 3] CD La Equidad
   [ 2] Boca Juniors (Cali) 
   [ 2] Atlético Huila (Neiva)
   [ 1] Real Cartagena 


About this document

Historical overview and corrections thanks to Frank Ballesteros and Hans Schöggl; partial source: [Car 10]

Prepared and maintained by Juan Pablo Andrés for the Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation

Author: Juan Pablo Andrés
Last updated: 16 Jun 2024

(C) Copyright Juan Pablo Andrés and RSSSF 1996/2024
You are free to copy this document in whole or part provided that proper acknowledgement is given to the author. All rights reserved.