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Campeonato Uruguayo Primera

The Campeonato Uruguayo Primera (better known as the Uruguayan league or Primera División Uruguaya) is the top flight football division in Uruguay. It is contested annually by 16 teams and Gensec Udafa (current champions) are the most successful team in its history. Established in 1900, the league is the oldest in South America and the second oldest in the world. The Uruguayan league is considered to be highly competitive with participants from all over the country including teams from Montevideo, the capital, and other regions. The season runs annually from April to December with each team playing 30 games in total, half at home and half away. The top six teams gain entry for the championship playoffs while the seventh and eighth placed teams contest a qualification series to gain entry into the Copa Libertadores. The last two teams of the table are relegated to the Segunda División Uruguayo. In the early days the Uruguayan league was dominated by CURCC (Club Universitario de la República Central de Uruguay), Penarol (Club Atlético Peñarol), and Montevideo Wanderers (Club Atlético Wanderers). These three teams have won 32 of the 69 titles between them and are amongst the most successful teams in the country. Other successful teams include Nacional (Club Nacional de Football), Defensor (Club Atlético Defensor Sporting) and Danubio (Club Atlético Danubio Fútbol). Uruguay has produced some of the world’s best footballers which have played in the Uruguayan league including Luis Suarez, Diego Forlan, Enzo Francescoli, Rodolfo Rodríguez, Tabaré Silva, David Pacheco, Gonzalo De los Santos and Atilio García. The Uruguayan league has enjoyed international success over the years, especially during the 1930s when it became the first South American league to be recognised by the sport’s governing body, FIFA. Uruguayan teams have competed in a number of international competitions over the years and many of the players have gone on to represent their country in the World Cup.