Top Division Soccer Leagues In North, South & Central America

When it comes to top-class football, you are going to struggle to find a better set of leagues to look at than the ones in Europe. The problem there, of course, is that the games are on at a time that will seem entirely inappropriate to those that live in other parts of the world. As a result, the people of North America, Central America and South America will mostly struggle to engage themselves in those European matches, yet may still want some football of their own to be able to watch.

British people might be dismissive of those from the United States of America who want to watch ‘soccer’, but can’t be so dismissive of those from South America.

Taking into account the likes of Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay, football in South America has always been extraordinarily popular. It is also only right to point out that the North Americans have got much better on that front, with Major League Soccer becoming more and more popular with everything passing year.

The fact that names such as David Beckham, Steven Gerrard and Lionel Messi have played in the MLS over the years has also helped. Ultimately, none of the divisions are ever likely to enjoy the global appeal that the likes of the Premier League enjoy, but football still remains popular in the Americas regardless.

South America

South American football falls under the auspices of CONMEBOL, which boasts 10 member associations. Here is a look at them all:

*The Argentina Primera División will have 30 teams from 2025

Argentina

The Argentinian top-flight was established as the Association Argentine Football League in 1891, becoming the first football league outside of the British Isles. It wasn’t until 1931 that professional football was launched in the country. Nowadays, the top-flight is known as the Primera División, which is the case for many South American leagues. It is part of a wider football league pyramid, with promotion out of and relegation into the Primera Nacional.

Bolivia

Football in Bolivia first began in 1914, but the top-flight wasn’t formed until 1950. The División de Fútbol Profesional, also known as the Primera División, works alongside the Copa Simón Bolivar to form part of the wider football league pyramid in the country.

Brazil

The size of Brazil as well as the country’s historical peculiarities mean that league football has been a complicated issue in the country. The Campeonato Brasileiro Série A originally launched in 1937 but has undergone numerous changes since then. Since 2006 it has featured 20 teams, who fight to avoid relegation into Série B.

Chile

Since 2018, the Campeonato Nacional in Chile has featured 16 teams that play one another once at home and once away. It was formed in 1933 by the country’s eight biggest clubs at the time, who created the Liga Profesional de Football de Santiago.

Colombia

The Categoría Primera A sits at the top of the football league in Colombia, with 20 teams competing for the title. It was formed in the August of 1948, with no professional football played in the country before that time. When it was first formed, issues occurred in the country between the Adefútbol and the DIMAYOR, eventually leading to the sanctioning of Colombia by FIFA.

Ecuador

Also known as the Liga Pro Ecuador Serie A, the Ecuadorian Serie A is competed for by 16 clubs. There is a system of promotion and relegation in place with Serie B. It runs between February and December and the format changes on a regular basis.

Paraguay

Paraguay is another of the South American countries that boasts a Primera División, which was created in 1906. Officially known as the División Profesional de la Asociación Paraguaya de Fútbol, it sees 12 teams competing for the title and operates a system of promotion and relegation with the División Intermedia.

Peru

The Peruvian Primera División was created in 1912 on an amateur basis, seeing two divisions playing alongside one another for teams based in Lima and Callao. Nowadays there are 18 teams that compete in it, hoping to avoid relegation down to Liga 2.

Uruguay

In Uruguay, the Primera División, which is official the Liga Profesional de Primera División, first competed in 1900 and has offered league football to the country ever since. It turned professional in 1932 and in 2011 it was named as the 23rd most difficult league in the world by the International Federation of Football History & Statistics.

Venezuela

The Primera División in Venezuela was originally created in 1921 and turned professional in 1957, with a round-robin tournament having been in place since 2020. That sees 20 teams play one another home and away before the top eight teams progress to the semi-final stage, at which point the teams are split into two teams of four and play one another twice, with the top two teams playing in the final.

North America

Whether those in Mexico would consider themselves to be part of North America or the Caribbean is difficult to know, with many feeling different ways depending on who you ask. It is certainly the case that they could be part of the Caribbean Zone, when you consider that North America, Central America and the Caribbean are all part of the CONCACAF association. Here is a look at the three members of the North American Zone of CONCACAF:

Canada

The Canadian Premier League officially launched in 2019, but some might suggest that its origin can be dated back much further. That is because the National Soccer League actually launched in the country in 1926, then in the 1960s it was joined by the Pacific Coast League, the Eastern Canada Professional Soccer League and the Western Canada Soccer League. In 1987 the Canadian Soccer League launched, but it stopped in 1992. No professional football was played in the country until the launch of the Premier League in 2019, which boasts eight teams and sits at the top of the Canadian football pyramid.

Mexico

The top-flight of Mexican football was launched in 1943 as Liga Mayor, becoming the Primera División de México six years later. Nowadays it is known as Liga MX and boasted an average attendance of 25,557 in the 2014-2015 season, demonstrating its strength. Amateur football did exist in the country before 1943, but that year saw the launch of the professional game in Mexico.

United States of America

There is certainly some debate about whether or not Major League Soccer should be considered as the beginning of top-flight football in the United States of America. The North American Soccer League was created in 1968 and remained the main division in the country until 1984, which was when it folded. The MLS was founded nine years later as part of the US’s bid to host the 1994 World Cup. The first season didn’t actually take place until 1996, struggling to establish itself originally. Nowadays there 29 teams that compete in it.

Central America

The final part of the Americas is Central America, with six different nations competing in that part of the world as part of CONCACAF. Here is a look at each of the countries in question:

Belize

The Premier League of Belize is one of the youngest top-flights in the Americas, having been founded on the 28th of December 2011. That, though, is slightly misleading, given the fact that it was created out of the merger of the Belize Premier Football League and the Super League of Belize. The former of them was created in 1991, whilst the latter was launched in 2006. The Premier League of Belize has eight teams competing in it.

Costa Rica

In Costs Rica, the top-flight is known as the Primera División of Costa Rica, but is more commonly referred to as the Liga de Fútbol de Primera División. Administered by the Unión de Clubes de Fútbol de la Primera División, there are 12 teams that play games against one another and the last team getting relegated into the Liga de Ascenso. It was founded in 1921 and nowadays the Liga FPD features a format that sees two separate tournaments held over the course of a season, seeing the Torneo de Apertura last between July to December then the Torneo de Clausura running from January until May.

Salvador

The Primera División of the Liga de Fútbol Profesional, which is often referred to as either La Liga Mayor or La Primera, was founded in 1947. As with many football leagues across the Americas, it is split into two tournaments each year. The Apertura runs from the August until December, with the Clausura running between February and July. It adopts a double round-robin format that sees each club play each other twice in each half of the year.

Guatemala

The Liga Nacional de Fútbol de Guatemala was founded as an amateur league in 1919, with the professional league not launching until 1942. It has previously been known as the Liga Mayor A and is sanctioned by the Federación Nacional de Fútbol de Guatemala. Twelve teams compete, hoping to either win the title or avoid relegation to the Primera División de Ascenso, depending on their status.

Honduras

In Honduras, the top-flight is known as the Liga Nacional de Fútbol Profesional de Honduras and was formed in 1964. The first season didn’t actually take place until 1965, although football had been played in the country for many years before then. With ten teams competing, the league is split into two sections known as the Opening and the Closing. The team with the fewest points at the end is relegated into the Liga de Ascenso.

Nicaragua

Founded in 1933, the top-flight of football in Nicaragua sees ten teams competing in order to try to win the title. Those that don’t do well run the risk of being relegated into the Segunda División de Nicaragua. Organised by the Federación Nicaragüense de Fútbol, it follows other leagues in being played in two parts, with the Torneo de Apertura taking place from August until November and the Torneo de Clausura from January through to May. The top four teams enter a play-off, with the top two playing in the final, whilst there is also a play-off between the lower leagues to avoid being relegated.

Panama

The Liga Panameña de Fútbol has been taking place since 1988, which was a year after a group of men, Giancarlo Gronchi, Jan Domburg, Edgar Plazas, Jorge Zelasny, Ángel Valero and Juan Carlos Delgado, met in order to found the Asociación Nacional Pro-Fútbol. Initially known as ANAPROF, it also sees teams take part in two tournaments known as the Apertura and Clausura. Teams are split into two conferences, which are the Eastern Conference and the Western Conference.