In recent times, many
Latin American football leagues are divided in two sections per
season, Apertura and Clausura, each with its own
champion. Apertura and Clausura are the
Spanish words for "opening" and "closing". In French-speaking
Haiti, these are known as the Ouverture and the Clôture.The Apertura is held in the first half of the calendar year in
Bolivia,
Chile,
Colombia,
Ecuador,
Panama,
Paraguay and
Peru, while it is held in the second half of the calendar year in
Argentina,
Costa Rica,
El Salvador,
Guatemala,
Honduras,
Mexico,
Nicaragua,
Uruguay and
Venezuela.In the leagues of Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Mexico, each section of the year constitutes a national championship in itself; on the other hand, in the leagues of Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay and Venezuela, the Apertura and Clausura are parts of a larger tournament, and the winners are not national champions, but usually play each other in a playoff for the season title. Thus, two championship titles are awarded per year in the first group of leagues, and only one in the second. In Mexico, for instance, the winners of each tournament play each other at the beginning of the following season for another title, but this is a rather minor season curtain-raiser, akin to national
Super Cups in
European leagues. Relegations, if any, are done on an
aggregate basis; the combined table for both seasons determine relegation placement(s).
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