A month and a half has passed since Junior hung the eleventh star on their shield. The new edition of the BetPlay League is already underway, with many things at stake, not only in sports.
In this second half of the year, with the lights of the World Cup off, the tournament returns to its most common format of recent years, that of defining the title with quadrangulars and a final, although without a ‘classics date’. These are the ten facts that mark the new tournament.
A market without noisy signings
The most notable signings, so far, are the return of Nicolás Benedetti to Deportivo Cali and Franco Armani to Atlético Nacional, in addition to the transfer of the top scorer of the first half of the League, Andrey Estupiñán, from Deportivo Pasto to Millonarios. There are no high-profile signings and a lot of confidence, once again, in veteran players.
The coaching swap between Fortaleza, Tolima, and Nacional
The big movement for the second half of the year was in the dugouts. Coaches were protagonists: Lucas González left Tolima and went to Nacional. There was a swap: Diego Arias left the ‘verdolaga’ to go to Fortaleza, where he replaced Sebastián Oliveros, who arrived at the ‘vinotinto y oro’.
The return of two experienced coaches
Independiente Medellín bet on a homegrown man: Luis Amaranto Perea left the Colombian National Team, where he was Néstor Lorenzo’s assistant for four years, to coach ‘El Poderoso’. In addition, the Uruguayan Pablo Peirano returned to the country: after his bittersweet stint at Santa Fe, he will now coach Bucaramanga.
Stadiums under construction: a complication for the League
The most complicated case is Pereira: the works at Hernán Ramírez Villegas are still delayed and could only be used in September. The Rionegro stadium is still undergoing renovation and is not available this year. The expansion of the Atanasio Girardot has already begun, but it will not be closed. The Barranquilla stadium is almost ready: the last new grandstand was installed this week.
Change of command in the Referee Technical Commission: goodbye to Ímer Machado
Although the Colombian Football Federation has not officially confirmed it, it is taken for granted that Ímer Machado has left the Referee Technical Commission. The new head is Sebastián Restrepo, from Caldas, who was in charge of the VAR issue. Another Caldense, Jeison Benítez, with no experience as a referee in the A league, arrived in that position.
The new regulatory changes, a legacy of the World Cup
In this edition of the League, the refereeing modifications that debuted in the 2026 World Cup will begin to be applied, except for three: there will be no body cameras, semi-automatic VAR, or hydration breaks, except in cases of extreme heat. Changes in VAR interventions will be applied.
Decisive semester for relegation
The two relegations to B will be defined at the end of the all-against-all phase. Cúcuta Deportivo (0.84 average) and Boyacá Chicó (0.89) start the semester in the red zone. Jaguares (0.95), Internacional de Bogotá (1.10), Alianza Valledupar (1.11), Deportivo Cali (1.13), Llaneros (1.14), and Pereira (1.21) remain at risk.
Concerts, an obstacle to scheduling
Again, Dimayor will have to deal with concerts to accommodate the schedule. In Bogotá alone, three have already been announced at El Campín, two in October and one in November, and, for the first time, one at the Metropolitano de Techo stadium, that of Los Fabulosos Cadillacs, on October 17.
Seven international spots for 2027 are distributed
There is already one qualifier for the Libertadores group stage: Junior, champion of the first half. The winner of the second tournament will access that stage. The spots for the preliminary phase will be distributed by reclassification, as will three of the four for the Sudamericana (the remaining one is for the Copa Colombia champion).
The struggle for television rights money
The contract with Win Sports ends this year and Dimayor is awaiting offers. The atmosphere was shaken by a letter from the eight most successful teams in history asking to change the way money is distributed. An extraordinary assembly of clubs was called this Wednesday to study the issue.
José Orlando Ascencio
Sports Subeditor
@josasc
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