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Organized football began in Argentina earlier than anywhere else in Latin America. The country produced the first club, first national association and first league in South America. The Primera División has traditionally been dominated by the Big Five of the capital - River Plate, Boca Juniors, Independiente, Racing and San Lorenzo. Their hegemony has only occasionally been challenged by Vélez Sársfield and the two giants of Rosario - Newell's Old Boys and Rosario Central.
Argentina has played two championships per year since the late 1960s. From the mid-Sixties to the early Eighties, Argentina played a Metropolitan championship (open to the traditional Buenos Aires/Rosario clubs) and a National championship (open to the entire country). Since the mid Nineties, the Primera División has been split into two torneos - opening (Apertura) and closing (Clausura). The Apertura runs from August to December, the Clausura from February to June.
In both Apertura and Clausura each team plays every other team once for a total of 19 matches. The team that hosts the match in the Apertura will be the visitor in the Clausura and vice-versa. There is no overall champion, instead two trophies are awarded each season. Relegation is determined by average points obtained over the last 3 seasons, with the last two going down automatically and the 17th and 18th in the relegation table going into a playoff with two teams from the Nacional B.
