The 2022 Liga 1 de Fútbol Profesional (known as the Liga 1 Betsson 2022 for sponsorship reasons) was the 106th season of the Peruvian Primera División, the highest division of Peruvian football. A total of 19 teams competed in the season, which began on 4 February and ended on 12 November 2022. The season was originally scheduled to start on 21 January 2022, but the date was pushed back due to the detection of several COVID-19 cases in the participating clubs.
Defending champions Alianza Lima won their twenty-fifth league championship in this season, defeating Melgar in the finals after losing the first leg 1âÂÂ0 and winning the second leg 2âÂÂ0, for a 2âÂÂ1 score on aggregate.
The season was divided into three stages: Torneo Apertura, Torneo Clausura, and the Playoffs. Both Apertura and Clausura tournaments were played under a single round-robin format with the 19 teams playing each other once. The winners of the Apertura and Clausura stages qualified for the playoffs, as long as they ended the season in the top eight of the aggregate table, along with the top two teams on the aggregate table at the end of the season.
The four teams qualified for the playoffs were to play two double-legged semifinals with the winners playing the finals to decide the national champion, unless any of the following conditions is met:
The bottom two teams of the aggregate table at the end of the season were relegated, while the 17th placed team of the aggregate table played the Liga 2 runner-up in a double-legged playoff (Revalidación) to remain in Liga 1.
Originally, 18 teams were slated to play in the 2022 Liga 1 season. The top fifteen teams in the 2021 Liga 1 would take part, along with the 2021 Liga 2 champions Atlético Grau, the 2021 Copa Perú champions ADT, and the Revalidación winners Carlos Stein.
On 20 January 2022 Binacional, who had originally placed 16th in the 2021 Liga 1 aggregate table and were relegated following their defeat to Carlos Stein in the Revalidación, were reinstated in the competition due to a ruling by the Court of Arbitration for Sport which overturned a 3âÂÂ0 win awarded to Cusco in their Fase 2 match against Cienciano. Due to this, Binacional moved up to 15th place in the aggregate table and Cusco fell to 17th place and were relegated.
On 21 January 2022, the FPF confirmed that they would abide by the CAS ruling and also ruled out a replay of the Revalidación series, this time between Carlos Stein and Universidad San MartÃÂn who went up to 16th place in the 2021 Liga 1 aggregate table as an effect of this ruling, with which Universidad San MartÃÂn also avoided relegation whilst Carlos Stein's promotion was confirmed, meaning that the league would be contested by 19 teams.
Melgar won 4âÂÂ0 on aggregate and advanced to the finals.
Alianza Lima won 2âÂÂ1 on aggregate.
Unión Comercio won 4âÂÂ2 on aggregate and were promoted to Liga 1. Ayacucho were relegated to Liga 2.
<small>Source: Futbolperuano.com</small>