The 2022 Categoría Primera B season (officially known as the 2022 Torneo BetPlay Dimayor season for sponsorship reasons) was the 33rd season of the Categoría Primera B since its founding as Colombia's second division football league. The season began on 22 January and ended on 29 November 2022.
Boyacá Chicó were the champions, winning their third Primera B title as well as promotion to the top flight by defeating Atlético Huila by a 3–0 score on aggregate in the season's Grand Final. Atlético Huila claimed the other promotion berth, defeating Deportes Quindío in the promotion play-off by a 2–1 aggregate score.
Format The format for the 2022 Primera B season was approved at DIMAYOR's General Assembly session of 17 December 2021.
For this season, and similar to the previous one, two tournaments (Torneo I and Torneo II) with three stages each were played. In the first stage of both tournaments, the 15 teams (16 teams in Torneo II) played a single round-robin tournament with each team having a bye round and home-and-away order reversed for the Torneo II. The top eight teams at the end of the fifteen rounds advanced to the semi-finals, where teams were drawn into two groups of four where they played each one of their rivals twice. The top team of each group advanced to the finals, playing a double-legged series with the winners advancing to the Grand Final.
The Grand Final to decide the season champions as well as the first promotion to Primera A, was a double-legged series contested at the end of the season by the winners of the season's two tournaments. The second promotion spot to Primera A for the 2023 season was decided in a promotion play-off between the Grand Final loser and the best-placed team of the season's aggregate table, other than the Grand Final winners.
Teams Originally, 15 teams took part in the season. Cortuluá and Unión Magdalena, who won the semifinal groups of the 2021–II Primera B tournament, were promoted to Primera A for the 2022 season and were replaced in Primera B by Atlético Huila and Deportes Quindío, who were relegated at the end of the 2021 Primera A Finalización tournament.
On 20 April 2022 the General Assembly of DIMAYOR approved the reaffiliation of Cúcuta Deportivo, which had been expelled from the entity on 25 November 2020 due to legal issues. Despite being in the top tier at the moment of its disaffiliation, it was decided that Cúcuta Deportivo would enter the Primera B competition starting from the second half of the 2022 season, with which the tournament expanded to 16 teams.
ClubCityStadiumCapacity Atlético Cali Pascual Guerrero 33,130 Atlético Huila Neiva Guillermo Plazas Alcid 22,000 Barranquilla Barranquilla Romelio Martínez 8,000 Boca Juniors de Cali Cali Pascual Guerrero 33,130 Bogotá Bogotá Metropolitano de Techo 8,000 Boyacá Chicó Tunja La Independencia 20,630 Deportes Quindío Armenia Centenario 20,716 Fortaleza Bogotá Metropolitano de Techo 8,000 Leones Itagüí Metropolitano Ciudad de Itagüí 12,000 Llaneros Villavicencio Bello Horizonte 15,000 Orsomarso Palmira Francisco Rivera Escobar 15,300 Real Cartagena Cartagena Jaime Morón León 16,068 Real Santander Piedecuesta Villa Concha 5,500 Tigres Bogotá Metropolitano de Techo 8,000 Valledupar Valledupar Armando Maestre Pavajeau 11,000
The following team joined the competition for the Torneo II:
ClubCityStadiumCapacity Cúcuta Deportivo Cúcuta General Santander 42,901
Torneo I 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 from the first stage being seeded in each group. The two group winners advanced to the finals.
Group A
Group B
Finals
Tied 2–2 on aggregate, Boyacá Chicó won on penalties.
Top scorers Rank Name Club Goals 1 Jefferson RivasLeones 13 2 Johar MejíaBogotá 9 3 Kevin AladesanmiFortaleza 7 Luis Fabián MinaDeportes Quindío 5 Mario ÁlvarezLlaneros 6 Diego EcheverriLlaneros Breidy GolúzOrsomarso Adrián ParraFortaleza Henry PlazasBoyacá Chicó 10 Wilmar CruzBoyacá Chicó 5 Wilson EspañaReal Cartagena Misael MartínezValledupar
Source: Soccerway
Torneo II 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 from the first stage being seeded in each group. The two group winners advanced to the finals.
Group A
Group B
Finals
Tied 1–1 on aggregate, Atlético Huila won on penalties.
Top scorers Rank Name Club Goals 1 Gustavo BritosAtlético Huila 15 2 Andrés AmayaAtlético Huila 8 3 Jonathan AgudeloCúcuta Deportivo 7 Diego EcheverriLlaneros Leider RobledoReal Cartagena 6 Kevin AladesanmiFortaleza 6 Julián AnguloReal Santander Jesús ArrietaBoyacá Chicó Aldair ZárateBogotá
Source: Soccerway
Grand Final The Torneo I and Torneo II winners played a double-legged series to decide the season champions and the first team promoted to the 2023 Categoría Primera A season.
Boyacá Chicó won 3–0 on aggregate.
Aggregate table
Promotion play-off The best-placed team in the aggregate table, Deportes Quindío, played a double-legged series against the Grand Final losing side Atlético Huila to decide the second and last team promoted to Primera A.
Atlético Huila won 2–1 on aggregate and were promoted to Categoría Primera A.
See also 2022 Categoría Primera A season 2022 Copa Colombia
References
External links