2026 Copa de Primera

División de Honor
Season2026
Dates23 January – 29 November 2026
Matches65
Goals144 (2.22 per match)
Top goalscorerApertura: Lorenzo Melgarejo (7 goals)
Biggest home winNacional 5–1 2 de Mayo
(31 January)
Guaraní 4–0 Rubio Ñu
(1 February)
Biggest away winSan Lorenzo 0–7 Libertad
(2 March)
Highest scoringSan Lorenzo 0–7 Libertad
(2 March)
← 2025
2027 →
All statistics correct as of 19 March 2026.

The 2026 Copa de Primera (officially the Copa de Primera Tigo – ueno bank 2026 for sponsorship reasons) is the 92nd season of the División de Honor, the top-flight professional football league in Paraguay. The season, which consists of two tournaments (Apertura and Clausura), began on 23 January and is scheduled to end on 29 November 2026. The fixture draw for both of the season's tournaments was held on 3 December 2025.[1]

Cerro Porteño entered the season as defending champions, having won the 2025 Clausura tournament.

Teams

Twelve teams compete in this season: the top ten teams in the relegation table of the 2025 season and the top two teams in the 2025 Paraguayan División Intermedia.

Team changes

General Caballero (JLM) and Tembetary were relegated to the second tier league División Intermedia after ending in the bottom two places of the relegation table at the end of the 2025 season, and they were replaced by the 2025 División Intermedia champions Rubio Ñu and runners-up San Lorenzo.

Rubio Ñu, who returned to the top flight after 8 years, clinched promotion with a 1–0 win over Sportivo Carapeguá on 14 September 2025,[2] while San Lorenzo returned to the Copa de Primera for the first time since 2020 by defeating Fernando de la Mora on 4 October 2025, the final matchday of the División Intermedia tournament.[3]

Stadia and locations

Locations of the 2026 Copa de Primera teams outside Asunción
Locations of the 2026 Copa de Primera teams – Asunción
Team City Stadium[i] Capacity
2 de Mayo Pedro Juan Caballero Río Parapití 25,000
Cerro Porteño Asunción General Pablo Rojas 45,000
Guaraní Asunción La Arboleda[ii] 8,000
Libertad Asunción La Huerta 14,000
Nacional Asunción Arsenio Erico 7,500
Olimpia Capiatá Erico Galeano[iii] 13,500
Recoleta Asunción Ricardo Gregor[iv] 4,000
Rubio Ñu Asunción La Arboleda 8,000
San Lorenzo San Lorenzo Gunther Vogel 5,000
Sportivo Ameliano Villeta Ameliano Villeta 7,000
Sportivo Luqueño Capiatá Erico Galeano[v] 13,500
Sportivo Trinidense Asunción Martín Torres 3,000
Notes
  1. ^ Teams occasionally play home matches at Estadio Defensores del Chaco in Asunción.
  2. ^ Guaraní play their home matches at Estadio La Arboleda since their stadium Estadio Rogelio Livieres was closed for reconstruction.[4]
  3. ^ Olimpia play their home matches at Estadio Erico Galeano since their stadium Estadio Osvaldo Domínguez Dibb in Asunción was closed for reconstruction.[5]
  4. ^ Recoleta play their home matches at Estadio Ricardo Gregor since their stadium Estadio Roque Battilana did not meet APF requirements.[6]
  5. ^ Sportivo Luqueño play their home matches at Estadio Erico Galeano since their stadium Estadio Feliciano Cáceres in Luque is closed for remodeling works.[7]

Personnel and kits

Team Head coach Kit manufacturer Main shirt sponsors
2 de Mayo Eduardo Ledesma Kyrios Zero Grau, Banco Continental, Fleming
Cerro Porteño Jorge Achucarro (caretaker) Puma Tigo, Ueno
Guaraní Leandro Romagnoli Kyrios Tigo, Ueno, Aposta.La
Libertad Francisco Arce Puma Tigo
Nacional Felipe Giménez Kappa Kia, Banco Continental, Coca-Cola, Santa Clara
Olimpia Pablo Sánchez Nike Tigo, Visión Banco
Recoleta Jorge González Running Sport Ueno, BYD, Universidad Central del Paraguay
Rubio Ñu Gustavo Morínigo Garcis Lácteos Trébol, Pinturas Bambi
San Lorenzo Julio César Cáceres Temple Ochsi
Sportivo Ameliano Roberto Nanni Netanya Sport Slots del Sol, Kia, Banco Continental, Ayres
Sportivo Luqueño Pedro Sarabia Kyrios Comercial Vírgen del Rosario, Ueno, Betsson
Sportivo Trinidense José Arrúa Lotto Noroda, Lácteos Trébol, Chorti Beef, Ueno

Managerial changes

Team Outgoing head coach Manner of departure Date of vacancy Position in table Incoming head coach Date of appointment
Torneo Apertura
Olimpia Ever Almeida Sacked 26 November 2025[8] Pre-season Pablo Sánchez 28 November 2025[9]
2 de Mayo Felipe Giménez Resigned 27 November 2025[10] Eduardo Ledesma 5 December 2025[11]
Libertad Pablo Guiñazú Sacked 1 December 2025[12] Francisco Arce 5 December 2025[13]
Nacional Pedro Sarabia End of contract 1 December 2025[14] Felipe Giménez 15 December 2025[15]
Rubio Ñu Héctor Marecos 11 December 2025[16] Gustavo Morínigo 11 December 2025[16]
San Lorenzo Sergio Órteman Sacked 6 February 2026[17] 12th Julio César Cáceres 8 February 2026[18]
Sportivo Luqueño Lucas Barrios Resigned 3 March 2026[19] 8th Pedro Sarabia 3 March 2026[19]
Guaraní Víctor Bernay Sacked 16 March 2026[20] 10th Claudio Vargas[i] 16 March 2026[21]
Claudio Vargas End of caretaker spell 19 March 2026 8th Leandro Romagnoli 19 March 2026[22]
Cerro Porteño Jorge Bava Sacked 19 March 2026[23] 3rd Jorge Achucarro[i] 19 March 2026[24]
Notes
  1. ^ a b Caretaker manager.

Torneo Apertura

The Torneo Apertura is the 133rd official División de Honor championship and the first tournament of the 2026 season. It began on 23 January and is scheduled to end on 24 May 2026.[25]

Standings

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1 Olimpia 11 8 3 0 14 6 +8 27 Qualification for Copa Libertadores group stage
2 Nacional 11 6 3 2 18 10 +8 21
3 Cerro Porteño 11 6 2 3 14 9 +5 20
4 Libertad 11 5 2 4 18 10 +8 17
5 Rubio Ñu 11 4 3 4 9 10 −1 15
6 Sportivo Ameliano 11 3 5 3 10 8 +2 14
7 Recoleta 11 3 4 4 13 14 −1 13
8 Guaraní 10 3 3 4 16 13 +3 12
9 Sportivo Trinidense 11 2 6 3 10 11 −1 12
10 Sportivo Luqueño 11 3 2 6 10 14 −4 11
11 2 de Mayo 10 2 3 5 6 15 −9 9
12 San Lorenzo 11 0 4 7 7 25 −18 4
Updated to match(es) played on 19 March 2026. Source: APF, Soccerway
Rules for classification: 1) Points, 2) Head-to-head points, 3) Head-to-head goal difference, 4) Overall goal difference, 5) Goals for, 6) Playoff game (if needed to decide championship between two teams) or Drawing of lots (if three teams or more are tied).

Results

Home \ Away 2DM CCP GUA LIB NAC OLI REC RUB SSL SPA SLU TRI
2 de Mayo — 0–0 0–2 1–1 0–1 1–2 1–0
Cerro Porteño — 1–1 0–2 0–1 2–0 2–0 2–1
Guaraní 0–2 — 3–1 4–0 3–1
Libertad 3–3 — 2–1 0–1 1–0 1–0
Nacional 5–1 1–0 — 1–2 1–0 1–0 1–1
Olimpia a 2–1 1–0 — 0–0 1–1 1–0 3–2
Recoleta 2–1 2–2 0–1 — 1–1 1–2 1–1
Rubio Ñu 0–1 2–0 1–1 — 2–0 0–1
San Lorenzo 1–1 2–4 0–7 0–3 — 1–1
Sportivo Ameliano 3–0 0–1 0–0 0–1 2–2 1–0 —
Sportivo Luqueño 3–2 1–2 0–1 1–1 0–1 —
Sportivo Trinidense 0–0 1–0 1–1 1–1 1–1 —
Updated to match(es) played on 19 March 2026. Source: APF, Soccerway
Legend: Blue = home team win; Yellow = draw; Red = away team win.

Top scorers

As of 19 March 2026
Rank Player Club Goals
1 Lorenzo Melgarejo Libertad 7
2 Néstor Camacho Sportivo Trinidense 5
Iván Maggi Sportivo Luqueño
4 Elvio Vera Sportivo Ameliano 4
5 Allan Wlk Recoleta 3
Aldo González Recoleta
Juan Iturbe Cerro Porteño
Derlis Rodríguez Guaraní
Cecilio Domínguez Cerro Porteño
Estiven Pérez Rubio Ñu
Adrián Alcaraz Olimpia

Source: BeSoccer[26]

Torneo Clausura

The Torneo Clausura will be the 134th official División de Honor championship and the second tournament of the 2026 season. It is scheduled to begin on 24 July and end on 29 November 2026.[27]

Standings

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1 2 de Mayo 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Qualification for Copa Libertadores group stage
2 Cerro Porteño 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
3 Guaraní 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
4 Libertad 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
5 Nacional 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
6 Olimpia 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
7 Recoleta 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
8 Rubio Ñu 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
9 San Lorenzo 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
10 Sportivo Ameliano 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
11 Sportivo Luqueño 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
12 Sportivo Trinidense 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
First match(es) will be played: 24 July 2026. Source: APF
Rules for classification: 1) Points, 2) Head-to-head points, 3) Head-to-head goal difference, 4) Overall goal difference, 5) Goals for, 6) Playoff game (if needed to decide championship between two teams) or Drawing of lots (if three teams or more are tied).

Results

Home \ Away 2DM CCP GUA LIB NAC OLI REC RUB SSL SPA SLU TRI
2 de Mayo —
Cerro Porteño — a
Guaraní —
Libertad —
Nacional —
Olimpia a —
Recoleta —
Rubio Ñu —
San Lorenzo —
Sportivo Ameliano —
Sportivo Luqueño —
Sportivo Trinidense —
First match(es) will be played: 24 July 2026. Source: APF
Legend: Blue = home team win; Yellow = draw; Red = away team win.

Relegation

Relegation is determined at the end of the season by computing an average of the number of points earned per game over the past three seasons. The two teams with the lowest average will be relegated to the División Intermedia for the following season.

Pos
 Team
 2024
Pts		 2025
Pts		 2026
Pts		 Total
Pts		 Total
Pld		 Avg Relegation
1 Cerro Porteño 74 85 20 179 99 1.808
2 Olimpia 80 59 27 166 99 1.677
3 Guaraní 66 83 12 161 98 1.643
4 Libertad 74 70 17 161 99 1.626
5 Nacional 55 60 21 136 99 1.374
6 Rubio Ñu — — 15 15 11 1.364
7 Recoleta — 59 13 72 55 1.309
8 2 de Mayo 65 51 9 125 98 1.276
9 Sportivo Trinidense 46 67 12 125 99 1.263
10 Sportivo Luqueño 61 47 11 119 99 1.202
11 Sportivo Ameliano 56 48 14 118 99 1.192 Relegation to División Intermedia
12 San Lorenzo — — 4 4 11 0.364

Updated to match(es) played on 19 March 2026. Source: APF

References

  1. ^ "Calendario listo para la temporada 2026" [Schedule set for the 2026 season] (in Spanish). Paraguayan Football Association. 3 December 2025. Retrieved 5 December 2025.
  2. ^ "Luego de 8 años, Rubio Ñu regresa a Primera" [Rubio Ñu return to Primera after 8 years] (in Spanish). Unicanal. 14 September 2025. Retrieved 30 November 2025.
  3. ^ "Sportivo San Lorenzo vuelve a la Primera División" [Sportivo San Lorenzo return to the First Division] (in Spanish). RDN. 5 October 2025. Retrieved 30 November 2025.
  4. ^ "Guaraní: Carpa del Cacique en La Arboleda" [Guaraní: Chief's Tent at La Arboleda] (in Spanish). ABC Color. 29 July 2025. Retrieved 5 December 2025.
  5. ^ "¡Olimpia alquilará la cancha de Capiatá para jugar de local!" [Olimpia will rent Capiatá's field to play their home games!] (in Spanish). Onefootball. 29 July 2025. Retrieved 5 December 2025.
  6. ^ "Es oficial: Se viene el primer estadio con cancha sintética en la División de Honor" [It is official: The first stadium with synthetic turf in the División de Honor is coming] (in Spanish). Versus. 4 December 2024. Retrieved 5 December 2024.
  7. ^ "Luqueño cambia de casa y lleva a Ameliano a Capiatá" [Luqueño changes home and takes Ameliano to Capiatá] (in Spanish). Versus. 6 February 2026. Retrieved 2 March 2026.
  8. ^ "Confirmado: Éver Hugo Almeida no continuará como entrenador de Olimpia en 2026" [Confirmed: Éver Hugo Almeida will not continue as Olimpia's coach in 2026] (in Spanish). DSports. 25 November 2025. Retrieved 30 November 2025.
  9. ^ "Pablo Sánchez: "Feliz de estar en el más grande de este país"" [Pablo Sánchez: "Happy to be at the biggest club in this country"] (in Spanish). ABC Color. 28 November 2025. Retrieved 30 November 2025.
  10. ^ "¡Se va el Gato! Giménez cierra otro ciclo exitoso con el 2 de Mayo" [The Cat is leaving! Giménez closes another successful cycle with 2 de Mayo] (in Spanish). D10. 27 November 2025. Retrieved 30 November 2025.
  11. ^ "Eduardo Ledesma, nuevo técnico del 2 de Mayo" [Eduardo Ledesma, 2 de Mayo's new head coach] (in Spanish). D10. 2 December 2025. Retrieved 2 December 2025.
  12. ^ "Libertad anunció la salida de Pablo Guiñazú" [Libertad announced the exit of Pablo Guiñazú] (in Spanish). D10. 1 December 2025. Retrieved 2 December 2025.
  13. ^ "Oficial: Francisco Arce es el nuevo entrenador de Libertad" [Official: Francisco Arce is the new manager of Libertad] (in Spanish). ABC Color. 5 December 2025. Retrieved 5 December 2025.
  14. ^ "Pedro Sarabia dejó de ser el director técnico de Nacional" [Pedro Sarabia ceased to be the head coach of Nacional] (in Spanish). Ñandutí Diario Digital. 1 December 2025. Retrieved 2 December 2025.
  15. ^ "Felipe Giménez, nuevo técnico de Nacional" [Felipe Giménez, new Nacional manager] (in Spanish). D10. 15 December 2025. Retrieved 15 December 2025.
  16. ^ a b "Rubio Ñu: Morínigo recala en La Arboleda" [Rubio Ñu: Morínigo lands at La Arboleda] (in Spanish). ABC Color. 11 December 2025. Retrieved 13 December 2025.
  17. ^ "Sergio Orteman es el primer técnico cesado de la temporada" [Sergio Orteman is the first manager dismissed in the season] (in Spanish). Versus. 7 February 2026. Retrieved 7 February 2026.
  18. ^ "El Emperador llega a San Lorenzo" [The Emperor arrives in San Lorenzo] (in Spanish). D10. 8 February 2026. Retrieved 8 February 2026.
  19. ^ a b "Pedro Sarabia en reemplazo de Barrios en el Sportivo Luqueño" [Pedro Sarabia replaces Barrios at Sportivo Luqueño] (in Spanish). ABC Color. 3 March 2026. Retrieved 4 March 2026.
  20. ^ "Víctor Bernay dejó de ser técnico de Guaraní" [Víctor Bernay ceased to be the head coach of Guaraní] (in Spanish). D10. 16 March 2026. Retrieved 18 March 2026.
  21. ^ "Guaraní: El encargado de la dirección técnica luego de la salida de Bernay" [Guaraní: The person in charge of the technical direction after Bernay's departure] (in Spanish). Versus. 16 March 2026. Retrieved 19 March 2026.
  22. ^ "Leandro Romagnoli, nuevo técnico de Guaraní" [Leandro Romagnoli, Guaraní's new head coach] (in Spanish). D10. 19 March 2026. Retrieved 19 March 2026.
  23. ^ "Cerro Porteño despide a Jorge Bava: el fin de un ciclo con dos títulos y poco brillo" [Cerro Porteño fire Jorge Bava: the end of a cycle with two titles and little brilliance] (in Spanish). ABC Color. 19 March 2026. Retrieved 19 March 2026.
  24. ^ "Cerro Porteño ya eligió al reemplazante interino de Jorge Bava" [Cerro Porteño already chose the interim replacement for Jorge Bava] (in Spanish). Versus. 19 March 2026. Retrieved 19 March 2026.
  25. ^ "El fixture del Torneo Apertura 2026" [The 2026 Torneo Apertura's fixture] (in Spanish). D10. 4 December 2025. Retrieved 5 December 2025.
  26. ^ "Table of top scorers Apertura Paraguay 2026". BeSoccer. Retrieved 30 January 2026.
  27. ^ "El fixture del Torneo Clausura 2026" [The 2026 Torneo Clausura's fixture] (in Spanish). D10. 4 December 2025. Retrieved 5 December 2025.
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