 | A request that this article title be changed to2018 Campeonato Uruguayo Primera División isunder discussion. Pleasedo not move this article until the discussion is closed. |
| Season | 2018 |
|---|---|
| Dates | 3 February – 11 November 2018 |
| Champions | Peñarol (50th title) |
| Relegated | Torque Atenas El Tanque Sisley (withdrawal) |
| Copa Libertadores | Peñarol Nacional Danubio Defensor Sporting |
| Copa Sudamericana | Cerro Liverpool Montevideo Wanderers River Plate |
| Matches | 261 |
| Goals | 709 (2.72 per match) |
| Top goalscorer | Apertura:David Terans (10 goals) Intermedio:Cristian Palacios (8 goals) Clausura:Gabriel Fernández (9 goals) |
| Biggest home win | Peñarol 6–0River Plate (20 May) |
| Biggest away win | Atenas 0–6Progreso (5 May) |
| Highest scoring | Defensor Sporting 5–2River Plate (1 April) Progreso 4–3Peñarol (12 May) Liverpool 3–4Danubio (13 May) Peñarol 3–4Torque (31 May) Atenas 2–5Defensor Sporting (22 July) Cerro 5–2Progreso (25 August) River Plate 3–4Rampla Juniors (26 August) |
←2017 2019 → | |
The2018Liga Profesional de Primera División season, also known as theCampeonato Uruguayo 2018, was the 115th season ofUruguay's top-flight football league, and the 88th in which it is professional. The season was named as "Ing. Julio César Franzini" and began on 3 February, ending on 11 November.[1]Peñarol were the defending champions, and successfully defended the title with a 2–1 win overNacional in the championship playoff.[2]
The format in this season was the same asthe most recent season, with theTorneo Apertura in the first half of the year and theTorneo Clausura in the second half, and aTorneo Intermedio played between both tournaments.
The two bottom-placed teams in therelegation table of the 2017 season,Juventud andPlaza Colonia, as well asSud América, who lost a tiebreaker toEl Tanque Sisley, were relegated to theSegunda División for the 2018 season. They were replaced byTorque,Atenas, andProgreso, who were promoted from the Segunda División.
On 2 February 2018, the Uruguayan Football Association confirmed thatEl Tanque Sisley would not take part in the league due to an outstanding debt.[3] As a result, El Tanque Sisley were administratively relegated to the second tier for the 2019 season and the season was played by 15 teams.[4]
a: Boston River is based in Montevideo but plays its home games atEstadio Parque Artigas inLas Piedras.
b: El Tanque Sisley is based in Montevideo but plays its home games atEstadio Campeones Olímpicos inFlorida.
c: Torque is based in Montevideo but plays its home games atEstadio Municipal Casto Martínez Laguarda inSan José de Mayo. They played their first five home games atEstadio José Nasazzi in Montevideo.
| Team | Outgoing manager | Manner of departure | Date of vacancy | Position in table | Incoming manager | Date of appointment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Torneo Apertura | ||||||
| Torque |  Paulo Pezzolano | Mutual consent | 25 November 2017[5] | Pre-season |  Pablo Marini | 12 December 2017[6] |
| Danubio | Roberto Roo | End of caretaker tenure | 4 December 2017 | Pablo Peirano | 20 December 2017[7] | |
| Liverpool | Rosario Martínez | Sacked | 4 December 2017[8] | Paulo Pezzolano | 18 December 2017[9] | |
| Nacional | Martín Lasarte | Mutual consent | 4 December 2017[10] | Alexander Medina | 11 December 2017[11] | |
| Montevideo Wanderers | Jorge Giordano | Resigned | 6 December 2017[12] | Eduardo Espinel | 17 December 2017[9] | |
| Racing | Pablo Peirano | 7 December 2017[13] | Hernán Rodrigo López | 18 December 2017[14] | ||
| Cerro | José Basualdo | Mutual consent | 6 January 2018[15] | Fernando Correa | 8 January 2018[15] | |
| Atenas | Adolfo Barán | Resigned | 5 May 2018[16] | 12th | Miguel Falero | 7 May 2018[17] |
| Rampla Juniors | Luis López | 6 May 2018[18] | 15th | Julio Fuentes | 7 May 2018[19] | |
| Torneo Intermedio | ||||||
| Fénix | Nathaniel Revetria | Mutual consent | 15 May 2018[20] | 8th, Serie A | Juan Ramón Carrasco | 17 May 2018[21] |
| Peñarol | Leonardo Ramos | Signed byAl-Ettifaq | 7 June 2018[22] | 2nd, Serie B | Diego López | 8 June 2018[23] |
| Torneo Clausura | ||||||
| Atenas | Miguel Falero | Resigned | 3 July 2018[24] | Pre-tournament | Ricardo Ortiz | 8 July 2018[25] |
| Racing | Hernán Rodrigo López | Sacked | 13 August 2018[26] | 14th | Juan Tejera | 14 August 2018[27] |
| River Plate | Pablo Tiscornia | 27 August 2018[28] | 14th | Jorge Giordano | 29 August 2018[29] | |
| Rampla Juniors | Julio Fuentes | 10 September 2018[30] | 10th | Julio César Antúnez | 11 September 2018[31] | |
The Torneo Apertura, named "Sr.Abdón Porte", was the first tournament of the 2018 season. It began on 3 February and ended on 6 May. WithEl Tanque Sisley being unable to take part in the season, all teams were awarded three points in their matches against El Tanque Sisley, with no goals for being counted.[32]
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nacional | 15 | 12 | 2 | 1 | 26 | 8 | +18 | 38 | Qualification toChampionship playoff |
| 2 | Peñarol | 15 | 11 | 3 | 1 | 28 | 10 | +18 | 36 | |
| 3 | Danubio | 15 | 9 | 3 | 3 | 23 | 13 | +10 | 30 | |
| 4 | Defensor Sporting | 15 | 9 | 3 | 3 | 26 | 20 | +6 | 30 | |
| 5 | Liverpool[a] | 15 | 7 | 4 | 4 | 17 | 16 | +1 | 27 | |
| 6 | River Plate | 15 | 7 | 4 | 4 | 28 | 22 | +6 | 25 | |
| 7 | Cerro | 15 | 7 | 4 | 4 | 16 | 18 | −2 | 25 | |
| 8 | Progreso | 15 | 6 | 3 | 6 | 25 | 17 | +8 | 21 | |
| 9 | Fénix | 15 | 6 | 2 | 7 | 18 | 18 | 0 | 20 | |
| 10 | Boston River[a] | 15 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 17 | 21 | −4 | 19 | |
| 11 | Montevideo Wanderers | 15 | 5 | 3 | 7 | 14 | 20 | −6 | 18 | |
| 12 | Atenas | 15 | 5 | 1 | 9 | 11 | 27 | −16 | 16 | |
| 13 | Racing | 15 | 3 | 3 | 9 | 14 | 24 | −10 | 12 | |
| 14 | Torque | 15 | 2 | 4 | 9 | 13 | 27 | −14 | 10 | |
| 15 | Rampla Juniors | 15 | 2 | 4 | 9 | 12 | 27 | −15 | 10 | |
| 16 | El Tanque Sisley | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Withdrew from league[b] |
| Home \ Away | ATE | BOR | CRR | DAN | DFS | ETS | FNX | LIV | WAN | NAC | PEÑ | PRO | RAC | RAJ | RIV | TOR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Atenas | — | — | — | — | — | — | 3–1 | — | 2–1 | — | 0–2 | 0–6 | 1–0 | — | — | 2–0 |
| Boston River | 1–0 | — | — | — | — | — | 0–3 | — | 1–3 | — | — | 3–2 | 2–1 | — | — | 1–1 |
| Cerro | 1–0 | 2–3 | — | 3–2 | — | — | — | 1–1 | — | — | 0–3 | — | — | 2–0 | — | 1–1 |
| Danubio | 5–0 | 0–0 | — | — | 2–1 | — | — | 0–3 | — | 1–2 | — | — | — | 3–1 | 1–0 | — |
| Defensor Sporting | 3–0 | 2–1 | 2–1 | — | — | — | 3–2 | 1–0 | — | — | — | 1–1 | — | — | 5–2 | 2–1 |
| El Tanque Sisley | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Fénix | — | — | 0–0 | 0–1 | — | — | — | — | 1–1 | — | 0–3 | 2–0 | 0–1 | 3–1 | — | — |
| Liverpool | 1–0 | 2–2 | — | — | — | — | 1–2 | — | 2–0 | — | — | 1–1 | 2–1 | — | — | 1–0 |
| Montevideo Wanderers | — | — | 0–1 | 0–1 | 1–2 | — | — | — | — | 0–2 | 1–1 | — | — | 1–1 | 0–3 | — |
| Nacional | 2–1 | 1–0 | 4–0 | — | 2–0 | — | 2–1 | 0–0 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1–0 | — |
| Peñarol | — | 2–1 | — | 1–1 | 4–1 | — | — | 2–1 | — | 1–1 | — | — | — | 2–1 | 4–1 | — |
| Progreso | — | — | 0–1 | 1–1 | — | — | — | — | 0–1 | 2–1 | 0–1 | — | 3–0 | 4–1 | — | — |
| Racing | — | — | 1–2 | 1–2 | 2–2 | — | — | — | 2–3 | 0–1 | 0–2 | — | — | 2–1 | — | — |
| Rampla Juniors | 1–1 | 0–0 | — | — | 1–1 | — | — | 1–2 | — | 0–3 | — | — | — | — | 1–2 | 2–1 |
| River Plate | 3–1 | 2–2 | 1–1 | — | — | — | 2–1 | 5–0 | — | — | — | 4–2 | 1–1 | — | — | 2–2 |
| Torque | — | — | — | 0–3 | — | — | 0–2 | — | 1–2 | 2–4 | 2–0 | 0–3 | 2–2 | — | — | — |
Source:Soccerway
The Torneo Intermedio, named "Sr. Juan Carlos Bugallo" was the second tournament of the 2018 season, played between the Apertura and Clausura tournaments. It consisted of two groups whose composition depended on the final standings of the Torneo Apertura: teams in odd-numbered positions played in Serie A, and teams in even-numbered positions played in Serie B. Given the absence ofEl Tanque Sisley for this season, Serie A had the usual eight teams while Serie B was contested by seven teams.[34] It started on 9 May and ended on 10 June, with the winners being granted a berth into the2019 Copa Sudamericana and the2019 Supercopa Uruguaya.
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | NAC | CRR | DAN | RAC | WAN | LIV | RAJ | FNX | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nacional | 7 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 19 | 5 | +14 | 17 | Advance toTorneo Intermedio Final | — | — | — | 5–0 | — | 1–1 | — | 3–1 | |
| 2 | Cerro | 7 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 9 | 5 | +4 | 13 | 2–2 | — | — | 0–0 | 2–1 | 1–1 | — | — | ||
| 3 | Danubio | 7 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 12 | 12 | 0 | 10 | 0–2 | 0–2 | — | — | 0–2 | — | 4–1 | — | ||
| 4 | Racing | 7 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 5 | 9 | −4 | 10 | — | — | 0–2 | — | — | 2–0 | 1–2 | 1–0 | ||
| 5 | Montevideo Wanderers | 7 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 8 | 10 | −2 | 9 | 1–4 | — | — | 0–1 | — | 1–0 | — | 0–1 | ||
| 6 | Liverpool | 7 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 10 | 11 | −1 | 8 | — | — | 3–4 | — | — | — | 2–1 | 3–1 | ||
| 7 | Rampla Juniors | 7 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 9 | 14 | −5 | 6 | 0–2 | 0–1 | — | — | 2–3 | — | — | — | ||
| 8 | Fénix | 7 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 7 | 13 | −6 | 5 | — | 1–1 | 2–2 | — | — | — | 1–3 | — |
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | TOR | PEÑ | RIV | ATE | PRO | DFS | BOR | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Torque | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 10 | 6 | +4 | 13 | Advance toTorneo Intermedio Final | — | — | 2–2 | — | — | 1–0 | 0–1 | |
| 2 | Peñarol | 6 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 20 | 10 | +10 | 12 | 3–4 | — | 6–0 | — | — | — | 3–0 | ||
| 3 | River Plate | 6 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 5 | 9 | −4 | 9 | — | — | — | — | — | 1–0 | 1–0 | ||
| 4 | Atenas | 6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 6 | 5 | +1 | 8 | 0–1 | 1–2 | 1–1 | — | — | — | 1–0 | ||
| 5 | Progreso | 6 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 7 | −2 | 6 | 0–2 | 4–3 | 0–0 | 1–1 | — | — | — | ||
| 6 | Defensor Sporting | 6 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 8 | −4 | 6 | — | 1–3 | — | 0–2 | 1–0 | — | — | ||
| 7 | Boston River | 6 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 7 | −5 | 4 | — | — | — | — | 0–0 | 1–2 | — |
Source:Soccerway
The Torneo Clausura, named "Cr. Hugo Sebastiani", was the third tournament of the 2018 season. It began on 21 July and ended on 4 November. As happened in the Torneo Apertura, all teams were awarded three points in their matches against El Tanque Sisley, with no goals for being counted.[32]
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Peñarol | 15 | 11 | 3 | 1 | 25 | 10 | +15 | 36 | Qualification toChampionship playoff |
| 2 | Nacional | 15 | 9 | 3 | 3 | 19 | 14 | +5 | 30 | |
| 3 | Montevideo Wanderers | 15 | 8 | 4 | 3 | 26 | 20 | +6 | 28 | |
| 4 | Racing | 15 | 7 | 4 | 4 | 17 | 13 | +4 | 25 | |
| 5 | Liverpool | 15 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 22 | 17 | +5 | 23 | |
| 6 | Defensor Sporting | 15 | 6 | 4 | 5 | 23 | 19 | +4 | 22 | |
| 7 | Progreso | 15 | 6 | 4 | 5 | 21 | 19 | +2 | 22 | |
| 8 | Rampla Juniors | 15 | 5 | 6 | 4 | 16 | 16 | 0 | 21 | |
| 9 | Cerro | 15 | 5 | 6 | 4 | 22 | 23 | −1 | 21 | |
| 10 | Danubio | 15 | 4 | 8 | 3 | 13 | 15 | −2 | 20 | |
| 11 | Torque | 15 | 4 | 6 | 5 | 16 | 18 | −2 | 18 | |
| 12 | Fénix | 15 | 5 | 3 | 7 | 16 | 19 | −3 | 18 | |
| 13 | River Plate | 15 | 4 | 3 | 8 | 20 | 33 | −13 | 15 | |
| 14 | Boston River | 15 | 4 | 2 | 9 | 14 | 22 | −8 | 14 | |
| 15 | Atenas | 15 | 2 | 7 | 6 | 12 | 24 | −12 | 13 | |
| 16 | El Tanque Sisley | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Withdrew from league[a] |
| Home \ Away | ATE | BOR | CRR | DAN | DFS | ETS | FNX | LIV | WAN | NAC | PEÑ | PRO | RAC | RAJ | RIV | TOR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Atenas | — | 1–0 | 0–1 | 0–0 | 2–5 | — | — | 0–1 | — | 2–2 | — | — | — | 2–2 | 1–1 | — |
| Boston River | — | — | 2–3 | 0–0 | 3–1 | — | — | 1–0 | — | 1–0 | 1–2 | — | — | 0–0 | 2–3 | — |
| Cerro | — | — | — | — | 1–1 | — | 0–5 | — | 1–1 | 1–2 | — | 5–2 | 1–2 | — | 4–2 | — |
| Danubio | — | — | 0–0 | — | — | — | 1–1 | — | 2–2 | — | 0–2 | 2–2 | 1–1 | — | — | 3–1 |
| Defensor Sporting | — | — | — | 1–2 | — | — | — | — | 3–0 | 2–0 | 1–2 | — | 2–1 | 2–2 | — | — |
| El Tanque Sisley | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Fénix | 2–1 | 2–1 | — | — | 1–2 | — | — | 0–0 | — | 0–3 | — | — | — | — | 1–3 | 2–1 |
| Liverpool | — | — | 1–1 | 3–0 | 2–1 | — | — | — | — | 1–2 | 2–4 | — | — | 2–0 | 4–1 | — |
| Montevideo Wanderers | 2–2 | 3–1 | — | — | — | — | 1–1 | 3–2 | — | — | — | 3–2 | 1–2 | — | — | 1–0 |
| Nacional | — | — | — | 1–0 | — | — | — | — | 1–3 | — | 1–1 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 2–1 | — | 3–2 |
| Peñarol | 2–0 | — | 3–2 | — | — | — | 2–0 | — | 3–0 | — | — | 1–0 | 1–1 | — | — | 1–1 |
| Progreso | 5–0 | 1–0 | — | — | 0–0 | — | 1–0 | 1–1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 2–2 | 3–1 |
| Racing | 0–0 | 3–0 | — | — | — | — | 2–1 | 1–1 | — | — | — | 2–0 | — | — | 2–1 | 0–1 |
| Rampla Juniors | — | — | 2–2 | 0–0 | — | — | 1–0 | — | 0–1 | — | 1–0 | 1–2 | 2–0 | — | — | — |
| River Plate | — | — | — | 1–2 | 3–2 | — | — | — | 0–5 | 0–0 | 0–1 | — | — | 3–4 | — | — |
| Torque | 1–1 | 3–2 | 0–0 | — | 0–0 | — | — | 2–2 | — | — | — | — | — | 0–0 | 3–0 | — |
Source:Soccerway
The aggregate table includes the results of the three stages played throughout the season (Torneo Apertura, Torneo Intermedio, and Torneo Clausura). SinceEl Tanque Sisley did not compete (which caused the Torneo Intermedio to have groups of different size), the points earned by the teams in the smaller group of the Torneo Intermedio were weighted for the purposes of elaborating the aggregate table: teams in Serie B had their points divided between the number of games they played (6) and then multiplied by the number of games played by teams in Serie A (7), in order to get the points earned in the Torneo Intermedio to the effects of the aggregate table.[34]
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Peñarol[a](C) | 36 | 26 | 6 | 4 | 73 | 30 | +43 | 86 | Qualification toChampionship playoff andCopa Libertadores group stage |
| 2 | Nacional | 37 | 26 | 7 | 4 | 64 | 27 | +37 | 85 | |
| 3 | Danubio | 37 | 16 | 12 | 9 | 48 | 40 | +8 | 60 | Qualification toCopa Libertadores second stage |
| 4 | Defensor Sporting[a] | 36 | 17 | 7 | 12 | 53 | 47 | +6 | 59 | Qualification toCopa Libertadores first stage |
| 5 | Cerro | 37 | 15 | 14 | 8 | 47 | 46 | +1 | 59 | Qualification toCopa Sudamericana first stage[b] |
| 6 | Liverpool[c] | 37 | 15 | 11 | 11 | 49 | 44 | +5 | 58 | |
| 7 | Montevideo Wanderers | 37 | 16 | 7 | 14 | 48 | 50 | −2 | 55 | |
| 8 | River Plate[a] | 36 | 13 | 10 | 13 | 53 | 64 | −11 | 50.5 | |
| 9 | Progreso[a] | 36 | 13 | 10 | 13 | 51 | 43 | +8 | 50 | |
| 10 | Racing | 37 | 13 | 8 | 16 | 36 | 46 | −10 | 47 | |
| 11 | Torque[a] | 36 | 10 | 11 | 15 | 39 | 51 | −12 | 43.166 | |
| 12 | Fénix | 37 | 12 | 7 | 18 | 41 | 50 | −9 | 43 | |
| 13 | Atenas[a] | 36 | 9 | 10 | 17 | 29 | 56 | −27 | 38.333 | |
| 14 | Boston River[a] | 36 | 10 | 8 | 18 | 33 | 50 | −17 | 37.666 | |
| 15 | Rampla Juniors | 37 | 9 | 10 | 18 | 37 | 57 | −20 | 37 | |
| 16 | El Tanque Sisley | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Withdrew from league[d] |
| Semi-final | Finals | ||||||||
| Peñarol(Semifinal winners) | — | — | — | ||||||
| Nacional(Apertura winners) | 1 | Peñarol(Aggregate table first place) | — | — | — | ||||
| Peñarol(Clausura winners) (a.e.t.) | 2 | ||||||||
| Nacional | 1–2 (a.e.t.) | Peñarol |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
|
         Nacional |      Peñarol |
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SincePeñarol, who had the best record in the aggregate table, won the semifinal, they became champions automatically and the final was not played.Nacional became runners-up as the second-placed team in the aggregate table. Both teams qualified for the2019 Copa Libertadores group stage.
| Primera División 2018 Champions  |
|---|
 Peñarol 50th title |
Relegation was determined at the end of the season by computing an average of the number of points earned per game over the two most recent seasons:2017 and 2018.El Tanque Sisley was one of the teams relegated to theSegunda División for the following season, as well as the two teams with the lowest average.
| Pos | Team | 2017 Pts | 2018 Pts | Total Pts | Total Pld | Avg | Relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Peñarol | 86 | 84 | 170 | 73 | 2.329 | |
| 2 | Nacional | 83 | 85 | 168 | 74 | 2.27 | |
| 3 | Defensor Sporting | 86 | 58 | 144 | 73 | 1.973 | |
| 4 | Cerro | 53 | 59 | 112 | 74 | 1.514 | |
| 5 | Montevideo Wanderers | 55 | 55 | 110 | 74 | 1.486 | |
| 6 | Danubio | 46 | 60 | 106 | 74 | 1.432 | |
| 7 | Progreso | — | 49 | 49 | 36 | 1.361 | |
| 8 | River Plate | 45 | 49 | 94 | 73 | 1.288 | |
| 9 | Liverpool | 37 | 58 | 95 | 74 | 1.284 | |
| 10 | Racing | 45 | 47 | 92 | 74 | 1.243 | |
| 11 | Boston River | 52 | 37 | 89 | 73 | 1.219 | |
| 12 | Rampla Juniors | 50 | 37 | 87 | 74 | 1.176 | |
| 13 | Fénix | 42 | 43 | 85 | 74 | 1.149 | |
| 14 | Torque(R) | — | 41 | 41 | 36 | 1.139 | Relegation toSegunda División |
| 15 | Atenas(R) | — | 37 | 37 | 36 | 1.028 | |
| 16 | El Tanque Sisley(R) | 37 | — | 37 | 37 | 1 |
