2020–21 Liga Nacional de Guatemala
# 2020–21 Liga Nacional de Guatemala

The 2020–21 Liga Nacional de Guatemala season is the 23rd season of the Liga Nacional de Guatemala, the top football league in Guatemala, in which the Apertura and Clausura season is used. The season will begin in August 2020 and will end in May 2021.

## Team information

A total of 12 teams will contest the league, including 10 sides from the 2019–20 Liga Nacional and 2 promoted from the 2019–20 Primera División.

Siquinalá and Mixco were relegated to 2020–21 Primera División the previous season.

The relegated team were replaced by the 2019–20 Primera División winners Achuapa and Sacachispas.

### Promotion and relegation

Promoted from Primera División de Ascenso as of August 2020.

* Champions: Achuapa and Sacachispas

Relegated to Primera División de Ascenso as of August 2020.

* Last Place: Siquinalá and Mixco

### Personnel and sponsoring

| Team | Chairman | Head Coach | Captain | Kitmaker | Shirt Sponsors |
| - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Achuapa | Francisco Zepeda | Sergio Pardo | Juliano Rangel | NetSportswear | Tigo, Domino’s |
| Antigua | Víctor Hugo García | Roberto Montoya | Jairo Arreola | NetSportswear | Tigo, TBD |
| Cobán Imperial | Irasema Meléndez | Ernesto Corti | Jorge Sotomayer | NetSportswear | Tigo, TBD |
| Comunicaciones | Juan Garcia | Mauricio Tapia | Michael Umaña | Nino | Tigo, Gatorade |
| Guastatoya | Léster Rodríguez | Willy Coito Olivera | Wilson Pineda | NetSportswear | Tigo, TBD |
| Iztapa | Mario Mejía | Ramiro Cepeda | Carlos Kamiani Félix | TutoSport | Tigo, TBD |
| Malacateco | Carlos Gutiérrez | Ronald Gomez | Sixto Betancourt | Silver Sport | Tigo, TBD |
| Municipal | Gerardo Villa | Sebastian Bini | Jose Mario Rosales | Umbro | Tigo, TBD |
| Sacachispas | Alexander Hernández | Diego Cerruti | Egidio Arévalo Ríos | NetSportswear | Tigo, TBD |
| Sanarate | Jahiro Otzoy | Matías Tatangelo | Orlando Moreira | NetSportswear | Tigo, TBD |
| Santa Lucía | Rodolfo Puertas | Mario Acevedo | Rafael da Roza | TutoSport | Tigo, TBD |
| Xelajú | Francisco Santos | Marcó Antonio Morales | Pablo Mignorance | MR | Tigo, Domino’s |

## Managerial changes

### Beginning of the season

| Team | Outgoing manager | Manner of departure | Date of vacancy | Replaced by | Date of appointment | Position in table |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| TBD | | Resigned | May 2019 | TBD | May 2019 | th (Clausura 2018) |

### During the Apertura season

| Team | Outgoing manager | Manner of departure | Date of vacancy | Replaced by | Date of appointment | Position in table |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Sacachispas | Erick Gonzalez | Sacked | October 2020 | Alejandro Larrera | October 2020 | th (Clausura 2018) |
| Antigua GFC | Juan Antonio Torres | Resigned | November 2020 | Jeff Korytoski | November 2020 | th (Aperura 2018) |
| Deportivo Achuapa | Irbin Olivares | Resigned | November 2020 | Marvin Ivan Leon | November 2020 | th (Clausura 2018) |

### Between Apertura and Clausura seasons

| Team | Outgoing manager | Manner of departure | Date of vacancy | Replaced by | Date of appointment | Position in table |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| F.C. Santa Lucía Cotzumalguapa | Sergio Guevara | Resigned | December 2020 | Mario Acevedo | January 2021 | th (Apertura 2020) |
| Sanarate | Gabriel Castillo | Resigned | December 2020 | Matias Tatangelo | January 2021 | th (Apertura 2020) |
| Xelaju | Walter Claveri | Sacked | December 2020 | Antonio Morales | January 2021 | th (Apertura 2020) |

### During the Clausura season

| Team | Outgoing manager | Manner of departure | Date of vacancy | Replaced by | Date of appointment | Position in table |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Antigua GFC | Jeff Korytoski | Resigned | March 2021 | Roberto Montoya | March 2021 | 12th (Clausura 2021) |

## Apertura

### League table

**Group A**

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | Comunicaciones | 16 | 9 | 5 | 2 | 25 | 10 | +15 | 32 | Advance to Playoffs (Final Series) |
| 2 | Malacateco | 16 | 7 | 3 | 6 | 19 | 18 | +1 | 24 | Advance to Playoffs (Final Series) |
| 3 | Xelajú | 16 | 6 | 3 | 7 | 17 | 22 | −5 | 21 | Advance to Playoffs (Prem. Round) |
| 4 | Antigua GFC | 16 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 21 | 23 | −2 | 20 | Advance to Playoffs (Prem. Round) |
| 5 | Iztapa | 16 | 5 | 4 | 7 | 24 | 28 | −4 | 19 | Advance to Playoffs (Prem. Round) |
| 6 | Santa Lucía | 16 | 4 | 4 | 8 | 12 | 17 | −5 | 16 | Advance to Playoffs (Prem. Round) |

**Group B**

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | Municipal | 16 | 10 | 3 | 3 | 33 | 11 | +22 | 33 | Advance to Playoffs (Final Series) |
| 2 | Cobán Imperial | 16 | 8 | 5 | 3 | 22 | 12 | +10 | 29 | Advance to Playoffs (Final Series) |
| 3 | Guastatoya | 16 | 4 | 8 | 4 | 19 | 19 | 0 | 20 | Advance to Playoffs (Prem. Round) |
| 4 | Achuapa | 16 | 5 | 4 | 7 | 17 | 21 | −4 | 19 | Advance to Playoffs (Prem. Round) |
| 5 | Sanarate | 16 | 3 | 5 | 8 | 19 | 33 | −14 | 14 | Advance to Playoffs (Prem. Round) |
| 6 | Sacachispas | 16 | 2 | 7 | 7 | 20 | 34 | −14 | 13 | Advance to Playoffs (Prem. Round) |

## Clausura

### League table

**Group A**

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | Comunicaciones | 16 | 10 | 4 | 2 | 28 | 12 | +16 | 34 | Advance to Playoffs (Final Series) |
| 2 | Malacateco | 16 | 3 | 7 | 6 | 8 | 14 | −6 | 16 | Advance to Playoffs (Final Series) |
| 3 | Xelajú | 16 | 3 | 8 | 5 | 14 | 15 | −1 | 17 | Advance to Playoffs (Prem. Round) |
| 4 | Antigua GFC | 16 | 2 | 7 | 7 | 15 | 26 | −11 | 13 | Advance to Playoffs (Prem. Round) |
| 5 | Iztapa | 16 | 5 | 7 | 4 | 29 | 25 | +4 | 22 | Advance to Playoffs (Prem. Round) |
| 6 | Santa Lucía | 16 | 6 | 6 | 4 | 13 | 13 | 0 | 24 | Advance to Playoffs (Prem. Round) |

**Group B**

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | Municipal | 16 | 8 | 3 | 5 | 24 | 11 | +13 | 27 | Advance to Playoffs (Final Series) |
| 2 | Cobán Imperial | 16 | 5 | 8 | 3 | 20 | 17 | +3 | 23 | Advance to Playoffs (Final Series) |
| 3 | Guastatoya | 16 | 7 | 7 | 2 | 23 | 10 | +13 | 28 | Advance to Playoffs (Prem. Round) |
| 4 | Achuapa | 16 | 4 | 2 | 10 | 16 | 27 | −11 | 14 | Advance to Playoffs (Prem. Round) |
| 5 | Sanarate | 16 | 4 | 6 | 6 | 16 | 25 | −9 | 18 | Advance to Playoffs (Prem. Round) |
| 6 | Sacachispas | 16 | 5 | 3 | 8 | 15 | 26 | −11 | 18 | Advance to Playoffs (Prem. Round) |

### Finals

* Clausura 2021 winners:
* Santa Lucía 1st title

## Aggerate League table

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | Comunicaciones | 32 | 19 | 9 | 4 | 53 | 22 | +31 | 66 | |
| 2 | Municipal | 32 | 18 | 6 | 8 | 57 | 22 | +35 | 60 | |
| 3 | Cobán Imperial | 32 | 13 | 13 | 6 | 42 | 29 | +13 | 52 | |
| 4 | Guastatoya | 32 | 11 | 15 | 6 | 42 | 29 | +13 | 48 | CONCACAF League round of 16 |
| 5 | Iztapa | 32 | 10 | 11 | 11 | 53 | 53 | 0 | 41 | |
| 6 | Santa Lucía | 32 | 10 | 10 | 12 | 25 | 30 | −5 | 40 | |
| 7 | Malacateco | 32 | 10 | 10 | 12 | 27 | 32 | −5 | 40 | |
| 8 | Xelajú | 32 | 9 | 11 | 12 | 31 | 37 | −6 | 38 | |
| 9 | Antigua GFC | 32 | 7 | 12 | 13 | 36 | 49 | −13 | 33 | |
| 10 | Achuapa | 32 | 9 | 6 | 17 | 33 | 48 | −15 | 33 | |
| 11 | Sanarate | 32 | 7 | 11 | 14 | 35 | 58 | −23 | 32 | Relegation play-offs |
| 12 | Sacachispas | 32 | 7 | 10 | 15 | 35 | 60 | −25 | 31 | Relegated to Segunda División |

## List of foreign players in the league

This is a list of foreign players in 2020-2021 season. The following players:

* have played at least one apertura game for the respective club.
* have not been capped for the Guatemala national football team on any level, independently from the birthplace. Archived 2018-07-29 at the Wayback Machine

A new rule was introduced a few season ago, that clubs can only have five foreign players per club and can only add a new player if there is an injury or player/s is released.

