The 2023 CategorÃÂa Primera A season (officially known as the 2023 Liga BetPlay Dimayor season for sponsorship purposes) was the 76th season of the CategorÃÂa Primera A, Colombia's top-flight football league. The season began on 24 January and ended on 13 December 2023.
Two tournaments (Apertura and Finalización) were played in the season, each one of them being an independent championship. In the Torneo Apertura, Millonarios won their sixteenth league title after defeating Atlético Nacional 3âÂÂ2 on penalty kicks in the finals after a 1âÂÂ1 draw on aggregate, whilst Junior won their tenth league title in the Torneo Finalización, beating Independiente MedellÃÂn 5âÂÂ3 on penalty kicks in the finals after tying 4âÂÂ4 on aggregate. Deportivo Pereira were the defending champions, having won the 2022 Finalización tournament.
The competition format for this season was approved by the Extraordinary Assembly of DIMAYOR on 14 December 2022, which decided to keep the same system used in the previous season, with two tournaments (Apertura and Finalización) of three stages each.
20 teams took part in the season, the top 18 teams from the relegation table of the previous season as well as the 2022 Primera B champions Boyacá Chicó and the winners of the Primera B promotion play-off Atlético Huila. Boyacá Chicó were the first team to earn promotion, winning the Primera B title on 21 November 2022 after beating Atlético Huila in the season's Grand Final, while Atlético Huila themselves ensured promotion to the top flight on 29 November 2022, after winning the promotion play-off against Deportes QuindÃÂo. The promoted teams replaced Patriotas and Cortuluá, the bottom two teams in the relegation table of the 2022 season, who were relegated to Primera B.
The Torneo Apertura (officially known as Liga BetPlay Dimayor 2023âÂÂI) was the first tournament of the 2023 season. It began on 24 January and ended on 24 June 2023.
The eight teams that advanced to the semi-finals were drawn into two groups of four teams, with the top two teams from the first stage being seeded in each group. The two group winners advanced to the finals.
Tied 1âÂÂ1 on aggregate, Millonarios won on penalties.
<small>Source: Soccerway</small>
The Torneo Finalización (officially known as Liga BetPlay Dimayor 2023âÂÂII) is the second and last tournament of the 2023 season. It began on 14 July and ended on 13 December 2023.
The eight teams that advanced to the semi-finals were drawn into two groups of four teams, with the top two teams from the first stage being seeded in each group. The two group winners advanced to the finals.
Tied 4âÂÂ4 on aggregate, Junior won on penalties.
<small>Source: Soccerway</small>
The clubs with an average home league attendance of at least 10,000 in the 2023âÂÂII season:
<small>Source:</small>
A separate table is kept to determine the teams that are relegated to the CategorÃÂa Primera B for the next season. This table is elaborated from a sum of all first stage games played in the three most recent seasons (including the 2021âÂÂI, 2021âÂÂII, 2022âÂÂI, 2022âÂÂII, 2023âÂÂI, and 2023âÂÂII tournaments), with the points earned being averaged per match played. The bottom two teams of the relegation table at the end of the season were relegated to CategorÃÂa Primera B.
<small>Source: Dimayor <br />Rules for classification: 1) average, 2) 2023 points, 3) 2023 goal difference, 4) 2023 goals scored, 5) 2023 away goals scored, 6) 2023 away goals against, 7) 2023 wins, 8) 2023 yellow cards, 9) 2023 red cards, 10) drawing of lots.</small>