Football is the most popular sport in Costa Rica. Approximately 70% of the people in Costa Rica are interested in football.
Costa Rica has long been considered an exporter of footballers within Central America, with 19 players in European professional football leagues during 2006. The newspaper, La Nación, has prepared an annual census of these "Legionnaires" since 1994.
Professional leauges The main professional league in the country is Costa Rican Primera División run by UNAFUT. There is a second-tier league, Segunda División de Costa Rica, to which the last team of Primera is relegated after each season, and from which the champion is promoted to Primera. There is also a third tier league, in addition to many amateur players.
History Costa Rican players have made significant contributions to other nations' professional leagues, most notably the Mexican Primera Division since it became professional in 1943. These "Legionnaires" have represented the Costa Rica national football team, which most recently has included several players contracted to clubs outside Costa Rica during its 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification campaign.
On 24 June 2014, the Costa Rica team qualified for the knockout stages of the FIFA World Cup, topping a group that contained three former World Champions, beating Uruguay 3–1, Italy 1-0 and drawing their final game against England. Victory over Greece on penalties in the knock out stage secured them a place in the quarter-finals. In November 2020, FIFA announced that the Bureau of Council awarded Costa Rica the hosting rights for the 2022 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup, which was earlier to be hosted between 20 January and 6 February 2021.
League system LevelLeague(s)/Division(s)1Primera División12 clubs ↓↑ 1 club2Segunda División de Costa Rica18 clubs divided in 2 series of 9 ↓↑ 1 club3Torneo LINAFA60 clubs divided in 8 series, five of 8 clubs, two of 7 clubs and one of 6 clubs
Stadiums in Costa Rica
StadiumCountryCapacityTenantsImage Estadio Nacional de Costa Rica San José 35,062 Costa Rica national football team Estadio Ricardo Saprissa Aymá San Juan de Tibás 23,112 Deportivo Saprissa Estadio Alejandro Morera Soto Alajuela 17,895 Liga Deportiva Alajuelense Estadio José Rafael Fello Meza Ivankovich Cartago 13,500 C.S. Cartaginés Estadio Edgardo Baltodano Briceño Liberia 6,500 A.D. Municipal Liberia Estadio Jorge "Cuty" Monge Desamparados 5,500 La U Universitarios Estadio José Joaquin "Colleya" Fonseca Guadalupe 4,500 Guadalupe F.C. Estadio Miguel "Lito" Perez Puntarenas 4,105 Puntarenas F.C.
Attendances
The average attendance per top-flight football league season and the club with the highest average attendance:
Season League average Best club Best club average 2025 Clausura 3,002 Alajuelense 12,207
Source:
See also
Costa Rica national football team Lists of stadiums
References