The Colombia Primera A was founded 74 years ago, August 15, 1948. Nowadays, it’s considered one of the best soccer tournaments in South America, constantly compared to the Argentina Liga Profesional and the Brazilian Serie A.
Overall, 15 teams have managed to win the title. The crown currently belongs to Deportivo Pereira, but no other team has won more titles than Atletico Nacional with 17. Atletico Nacional is followed by Millonarios and America de Cali with 15, while Deportivo Cali is the last team that has won it at least 10 times.
That’s why you’ll always find those four clubs among the Colombia Primera A betting favorites, no matter how long they haven’t won the title, like Millonarios, who haven’t won it since 2017.
Atletico Nacional has also won the Copa Libertadores, which is like the UEFA Champions League, twice. Alongside Once Caldas, they’re the only two Colombian teams that have won the continental tournament. America de Cali lost the Grand Finale four times.
Most Colombian superstars began their journey in the Colombia Primera A, including Carlos Valderrama, Faustino Asprilla, Freddy Rincon, Leonel Alvarez, Rene Higuita, Ivan Cordoba, to name a few. Even a player like Alfredo Di Stefano, who’s considered one of the best in history, played in Colombia.
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How the Championship Works and Betting Strategy
The Colombia Serie A consists of three phases. In the first one, each of the 20 teams face the other 19 once. Later, the top eight are divided into two groups of four teams with each team facing the other three twice, one at home, one on the road. Finally, the winners of each group collide in the Grand Finale, which also consists of two games. In Colombia, there are two tournaments per year.
The winner of each game gets three points, while the loser returns home empty handed. If the match ends with a draw, each team gets a point. You can bet on each match, from picking a straight up winner, also known as the moneyline, to picking whether the total will go over or under. There’s also the handicap. In this case, if you picked Atletico Nacional -1, Atletico Nacional must win by at least two goals. Why? Because if Atletico Nacional wins 2-1, that -1 makes it 1-1.
We also have prop bets, with which you can pick from the correct score to how many yellow cards or corners will be in the game. Prop bets mean more chances for you to win.
Regarding the Copa Libertadores, the winner of each tournament automatically qualifies. The other two spots are for the best team that didn’t win the title and the winner of the Colombian Cup. That’s right, the 20 teams of the Colombia Primera A also compete in the domestic cup, which also includes the teams from the Primera B (second division).
Besides constantly checking the Colombia Primera A odds, it’s also very important to keep track of recent scores, injury reports, transfers, international breaks and the latest soccer news.
Title Contenders
Here it’s important to understand that the team that finishes first doesn’t always win the title. That being said, there’s no doubt that Atletico Nacional will always offer a good price in the Colombia Primera A lines.
As mentioned before, no other team has won more titles than Atletico Nacional. Los Verdiblancos won the title for the last time in the first semester of 2022. Right now, they’re followed by Deportivo Pereira, also known as the reigning champions.
You’ll also find America de Cali atop the odds board. They were the last team to win back-to-back titles in 2019 and 2020. In fact, only three teams managed to win back-to-back titles in the last 20 years. That’s how competitive the Colombia Primera A is.
If you’re interested in betting on a dark horse, make sure to keep an eye on Deportes Tolima. They won the title in the first semester of 2021, while also finished second in two of the last four tournaments.
