The 2021 Categoría Primera A season (officially known as the 2021 Liga BetPlay Dimayor season for sponsorship reasons) was the 74th season of the Categoría Primera A, Colombia's top-flight football league. The season began on 16 January and ended on 22 December 2021. América de Cali entered the season as defending champions having won back-to-back titles in the 2019 Finalización and 2020 tournaments.
The Torneo Apertura was won by Deportes Tolima, who claimed their third league title on 20 June after beating Millonarios by a 2–1 score in the second leg of the finals and a 3–2 score on aggregate, whilst the Torneo Finalización was won by Deportivo Cali, who beat the defending champions Deportes Tolima by a 3–2 aggregate score in the finals to claim their tenth league title.
Format The competition format for this season was approved by the General Assembly of DIMAYOR on 17 December 2020:
Two tournaments with three stages each were played in the season. The Torneo Apertura was contested by 19 teams, while the Torneo Finalización was played by 20 teams. The first stage of both tournaments was contested on a single round-robin basis, with each team playing the other teams once for a total of 18 or 19 games. The additional match against a regional rival would not be played in this season. The top eight teams after the 19 rounds of each tournament qualified for the next stage. The second stage of each tournament had a knockout round contested by the top eight teams at the end of the first stage, with the top four teams being seeded for the quarter-finals and paired against a rival decided by draw. The quarter-finals were played under a format of double-legged series with the winners advancing to the semi-finals, which were also played over two legs. The finals in both tournaments were contested by the winners of each semi-final tie, playing a double-legged series for the championship. One team was relegated to Categoría Primera B at the end of the Torneo Apertura, being replaced in the Torneo Finalización by two teams promoted from the Primera B in order to return to 20 teams for the second half of the year. This was due to the decision of DIMAYOR's General Assembly to postpone relegation from the 2020 season to the end of the first semester of 2021, in order to ensure teams could be able to play the same number of matches as originally scheduled before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and the temporary suspension of the previous season. At the end of the Torneo Finalización and the season, two teams were relegated to the second tier.
On 12 July 2021, DIMAYOR announced changes to the format of the Torneo Finalización, including the extra match against a regional rival for a total of 20 first stage games and replacing the knockout stage for a semi-final stage in which the eight qualified teams were split into two groups of four where they will play each other team in their group twice. The group winners advanced to the double-legged final series.
Teams 21 teams took part in the season, 19 of them returning from last season plus Atlético Huila and Deportes Quindío, who were promoted from the 2021 Primera B. Cúcuta Deportivo, who also competed in the top flight in 2020, did not take part in the competition this season as they entered liquidation, were forced to forfeit their final two games of the previous tournament, and were ultimately disaffiliated from DIMAYOR on 25 November 2020.
Stadia and locations Team Manager City Stadium Capacity Águilas Doradas Johan Fano (caretaker) Rionegro Alberto Grisales 14,000 Alianza Petrolera Hubert Bodhert Barrancabermeja Daniel Villa Zapata 10,400 América de Cali Juan Carlos Osorio Cali Pascual Guerrero 33,130 Atlético Bucaramanga Néstor Craviotto Bucaramanga Alfonso López 28,000 Atlético Nacional Alejandro Restrepo Medellín Atanasio Girardot 40,043 Boyacá Chicó Mario García Tunja La Independencia 20,630 Deportes Tolima Hernán Torres Ibagué Manuel Murillo Toro 28,100 Deportivo Cali Rafael Dudamel Palmira Deportivo Cali 44,000 Deportivo Pasto Flabio Torres Pasto Departamental Libertad 20,665 Deportivo Pereira Alexis Márquez Pereira Hernán Ramírez Villegas 30,297 Envigado Alberto Suárez Envigado Polideportivo Sur 11,000 Independiente Medellín Julio Comesaña Medellín Atanasio Girardot 40,043 Jaguares César Torres Montería Jaraguay 12,000 Junior Arturo Reyes Barranquilla Metropolitano Roberto Meléndez 49,692 La Equidad Alexis García Bogotá Metropolitano de Techo 8,000 Millonarios Alberto Gamero Bogotá Nemesio Camacho El Campín 36,343 Once Caldas Diego Corredor Manizales Palogrande 28,678 Patriotas Juan David Niño Tunja La Independencia 20,630 Santa Fe Grigori Méndez Bogotá Nemesio Camacho El Campín 36,343
The following two teams competed in the 2021 Finalización tournament, replacing Boyacá Chicó who were relegated to Primera B at the end of the Apertura tournament: Team Manager City Stadium Capacity Atlético Huila Carlos Abella (caretaker) Neiva Guillermo Plazas Alcid 22,000 Deportes Quindío Óscar Quintabani Armenia Centenario 20,716
Managerial changes TeamOutgoing managerManner of departureDate of vacancyPosition in tableIncoming managerDate of appointmentTorneo AperturaAtlético Nacional Alejandro RestrepoEnd of caretaker spell28 November 2020Pre-season Alexandre Guimarães30 November 2020Alianza Petrolera Dayron Montesino9 December 2020 Wilson Gutiérrez23 November 2020Independiente Medellín Humberto Sierra10 December 2020 Hernán Darío Gómez11 December 2020Águilas Doradas Francesco StifanoEnd of contract12 December 2020 Hubert Bodhert4 January 2021Deportivo Pereira Alexis MárquezEnd of caretaker spell22 December 2020 Jorge Artigas30 December 2020Once Caldas Hubert BodhertResigned1 January 2021 Eduardo Lara3 January 2021Boyacá Chicó Belmer AguilarSacked14 January 2021 Mario García14 January 2021Atlético Bucaramanga Guillermo SanguinettiMutual consent15 February 202114th Sergio Novoa (caretaker)15 February 2021 Sergio NovoaEnd of caretaker spell23 February 202110th Luis Fernando Suárez23 February 2021Alianza Petrolera Wilson GutiérrezMutual consent26 February 202119th Dayron Montesino (caretaker)26 February 2021Deportivo Pereira Jorge Artigas26 February 202118th Alexis Márquez26 February 2021Águilas Doradas Hubert BodhertResigned2 March 202115th Francesco Stifano3 March 2021Alianza Petrolera Dayron MontesinoEnd of caretaker spell7 March 202119th Hubert Bodhert7 March 2021Envigado José ArasteySacked24 March 202113th Andrés Orozco (caretaker)25 March 2021Deportivo Pasto Diego Corredor9 April 202111th Giovanny Ruiz9 April 2021Envigado Andrés OrozcoEnd of caretaker spell16 April 202115th Alberto Suárez18 May 2021Patriotas Abel SegoviaSacked27 April 202117th Jhon Mario Ramírez10 May 2021América de Cali Juan Cruz RealMutual consent28 April 20218th, quarter-finals Jersson González (caretaker)28 April 2021Jaguares Alberto SuárezSigned by Envigado11 May 202110th César Torres25 May 2021Atlético Nacional Alexandre GuimarãesMutual consent5 June 20211st, quarter-finals Alejandro Restrepo9 June 2021América de Cali Jersson GonzálezEnd of caretaker spell16 June 20218th, quarter-finals Juan Carlos Osorio16 June 2021Torneo FinalizaciónAtlético Bucaramanga Luis Fernando SuárezSigned by Costa Rica21 June 2021Pre-tournament Óscar Upegui8 July 2021Patriotas Jhon Mario RamírezDeceased26 June 2021 Jorge Luis Bernal22 June 2021Deportivo Pasto Giovanny RuizDemoted10 August 202120th Flabio Torres10 August 2021Once Caldas Eduardo LaraSacked15 August 202115th Fernando Dortti (caretaker)15 August 2021Atlético Huila Dayron PérezResigned17 August 202119th Alberto Rujana18 August 2021Junior Luis Amaranto PereaMutual consent17 August 202112th Arturo Reyes17 August 2021Patriotas Jorge Luis BernalChange of role17 August 202117th Juan David Niño17 August 2021Santa Fe Harold RiveraMutual consent22 August 202117th Grigori Méndez22 August 2021Once Caldas Fernando DorttiEnd of caretaker spell27 August 202118th Diego Corredor26 August 2021Atlético Bucaramanga Óscar UpeguiSacked30 August 20215th Sergio Novoa (caretaker)1 September 2021Deportivo Cali Alfredo AriasMutual consent6 September 202113th Rafael Dudamel8 September 2021Independiente Medellín Hernán Darío GómezResigned6 September 202114th Julio Comesaña7 September 2021Atlético Bucaramanga Sergio NovoaEnd of caretaker spell13 September 20215th Néstor Craviotto13 September 2021Atlético Huila Alberto RujanaResigned25 October 202120th Carlos Abella25 October 2021Águilas Doradas Francesco StifanoSacked16 November 202114th Johan Fano16 November 2021 Notes
Torneo Apertura First stage Standings
Results
Knockout stage Bracket
Quarter-finals
First leg
Second leg
Semi-finals
First leg
Second leg
Finals
Deportes Tolima won 3–2 on aggregate.
Top scorers Rank Name Club Goals 1 Jefferson DuqueAtlético Nacional 11 Diego HerazoLa Equidad Fernando UribeMillonarios 4 Cristian ArangoMillonarios 9 5 Miguel BorjaJunior 8 6 Agustín VuletichIndependiente Medellín 7 7 Jarlan BarreraAtlético Nacional 6 David LemosOnce Caldas Brayan MorenoBoyacá Chicó Kelvin OsorioSanta Fe Pablo RojasJaguares
Source: Soccerway
Relegation A separate table is kept to determine the teams that are relegated to the Categoría Primera B for the next season. This table is elaborated from a sum of all first stage games played for the current season and the previous two seasons (six tournaments). For purposes of elaborating the table, promoted teams are given the same point and goal tallies as the team in the 18th position at the start of the season.
Due to the postponement of promotion and relegation from the previous season to the end of the first semester of 2021 and the disaffiliation of Cúcuta Deportivo, one team was relegated to Primera B at the end of the Torneo Apertura.
Team Relegation 1Atlético Nacional 71 66 35 34 116 180 112 67 206 2Deportes Tolima 72 64 37 30 116 159 98 61 203 3Deportivo Cali 58 67 34 31 116 152 111 41 190 4Junior 62 63 33 29 116 139 90 49 187 5Millonarios 51 67 30 33 116 150 122 28 181 6América de Cali 47 67 33 29 116 146 131 15 176 7Santa Fe 56 46 40 33 116 145 99 46 175 8 69 59 20 26 116 162 135 27 174 9Once Caldas 63 56 29 17 116 140 121 19 165 10La Equidad 61 42 32 30 116 132 117 15 165 11Atlético Bucaramanga 58 46 21 24 116 123 135 –12 149 12Deportivo Pasto 35 54 34 23 116 115 118 –3 146 13Águilas Doradas 57 40 31 14 116 121 143 –22 142 14Envigado 46 47 23 17 116 121 143 –22 133 15Patriotas 49 50 17 16 116 100 147 –47 132 16Alianza Petrolera 42 55 19 6 116 112 166 –54 122 17Jaguares 39 38 17 25 116 102 164 –62 119 18Deportivo Pereira 39 38 18 18 116 93 161 –68 113 19Boyacá Chicó (R) 39 38 15 19 116 90 166 –76 111 Source: DimayorRules for classification: 1st points; 2nd goal difference; 3rd goals scored; 4th away goals scored.
Torneo Finalización First stage Standings
Results
Semi-finals The eight teams that advanced to the semi-finals were drawn into two groups of four teams, with the top two teams of the first stage being seeded in each group. The group winners advanced to the finals.
Group A
Group B
Finals
Deportivo Cali won 3–2 on aggregate.
Top scorers {| class="wikitable" border="1" |- ! Rank ! Name ! Club ! Goals |- | align=center | 1 | Harold Preciado |Deportivo Cali | align=center | 13 |- | align=center | 2 | Fernando Uribe |Millonarios | align=center | 12 |- | align=center | 3 | Jefferson Duque |Atlético Nacional | align=center | 10 |- | align=center | 4 | Bayron Garcés |Alianza Petrolera | align=center | 9 |- | rowspan=3 align=center | 5 | Juan Fernando Caicedo |Deportes Tolima | rowspan=3 align=center | 7 |- | Luis González |Junior |- | Adrián Ramos |América de Cali |- | rowspan=8 align=center | 8 | Larry Angulo |América de Cali | rowspan=8 align=center | 6 |- | Edwuin Cetré |Junior |- | Wilfrido de La Rosa |Deportivo Pereira |- | Teófilo Gutiérrez |Deportivo Cali |- | Pablo Lima |La Equidad |- | Juan David Pérez |Once Caldas |- | Gustavo Ramírez |Deportes Tolima |- | Andrés Rentería |Jaguares