# 2018 Chilean Primera División

The 2018 Campeonato Nacional, known as Campeonato Nacional Scotiabank 2018 for sponsorship purposes, was the 88th season of top-flight football in Chile. The season started on 2 February and ended on 2 December. Colo-Colo were the defending champions, having won the 2017 Transición tournament. Universidad Católica won their thirteenth title on the last day of the season following a 2–1 win at Deportes Temuco, who were relegated to the second tier with this defeat.

## Format changes

For the 2018 season, the Asociación Nacional de Fútbol Profesional (ANFP) approved a change of format from the Apertura-Clausura system that had been used in previous seasons, to a single tournament during the calendar year. The 16 teams played each other twice (once at home and once away) for a total of 30 matches. Qualification for the Copa Libertadores and Copa Sudamericana was awarded to the top seven teams at the end of the season, as well as the Copa Chile champions, while the bottom two teams were automatically relegated.

## Teams
### Stadia and locations

| Team | City | Stadium |
| Audax Italiano | Santiago (La Florida) | Bicentenario de La Florida$^a$ |
| Colo-Colo | Santiago (Macul) | Monumental David Arellano |
| Curicó Unido | Curicó | La Granja |
| Deportes Antofagasta | Antofagasta | Calvo y Bascuñán |
| Deportes Iquique | Iquique | Cavancha$^b$ |
| Deportes Temuco | Temuco | Germán Becker |
| Everton | Viña del Mar | Sausalito |
| Huachipato | Talcahuano | Huachipato-CAP Acero |
| O'Higgins | Rancagua | El Teniente |
| Palestino | Santiago (La Cisterna) | Municipal de La Cisterna |
| San Luis | Quillota | Lucio Fariña Fernández$^c$ |
| Unión Española | Santiago (Independencia) | Santa Laura-Universidad SEK |
| Unión La Calera | La Calera | Lucio Fariña Fernández$^d$ |
| Universidad Católica | Santiago (Las Condes) | San Carlos de Apoquindo |
| Universidad de Chile | Santiago (Ñuñoa) | Nacional Julio Martínez Prádanos |
| Universidad de Concepción | Concepción | Alcaldesa Ester Roa Rebolledo |
a: Audax Italiano played their home matches against Deportes Temuco and Everton at Estadio Municipal de La Pintana and Estadio El Teniente in Rancagua due to pitch renovation works at Estadio Bicentenario de La Florida. b: Deportes Iquique played their home matches against Universidad de Chile, Universidad Católica, and Colo-Colo at Estadio Zorros del Desierto in Calama. c: San Luis played their home matches against Deportes Temuco, O'Higgins, and Unión Española at Estadio Elías Figueroa Brander in Valparaíso due to pitch renovation works at Estadio Municipal Lucio Fariña Fernández. d: Unión La Calera temporarily play their home matches at Estadio Municipal Lucio Fariña Fernández in Quillota due to remodeling works at Estadio Municipal Nicolás Chahuán Nazar. They played their home matches against Colo-Colo, Palestino, and Universidad Católica at Estadio Sausalito in Viña del Mar due to pitch renovation works at Estadio Municipal Lucio Fariña Fernández.

### Personnel and kits

| Team | Head coach | Captain | Kit manufacturer | Sponsors |
| Audax Italiano | Juan José Ribera | Nicolás Peric | Macron | Traverso |
| Colo-Colo | Héctor Tapia | Esteban Paredes | Under Armour | MG Motor |
| Curicó Unido | Jaime Vera | Martín Cortés | Onefit | Multihogar |
| Deportes Antofagasta | Gerardo Ameli | Gonzalo Villagra | Cafu | Minera Escondida |
| Deportes Iquique | Luis Musrri | Rodrigo Naranjo | Rete | UNAP |
| Deportes Temuco | Miguel Ponce | Cristián Canío | Joma | Rosen |
| Everton | Javier Torrente | Marcos Velásquez | Pirma | Fox Sports |
| Huachipato | Nicolás Larcamón | Claudio Sepúlveda | Mitre | PF |
| O'Higgins | Marco Antonio Figueroa | Albert Acevedo | Adidas | VTR |
| Palestino | Ivo Basay | Diego Rosende | Training | Bank of Palestine |
| San Luis | Mauricio Riffo | Daniel Vicencio | Capelli Sport | PF |
| Unión Española | Fernando Díaz (caretaker) | Diego Sánchez | Kappa | Universidad SEK |
| Unión La Calera | Francisco Meneghini | Lucas Giovini | KS7 | PF |
| Universidad Católica | Beñat San José | Cristian Álvarez | Umbro | DirecTV |
| Universidad de Chile | Frank Kudelka | Johnny Herrera | Adidas | Chevrolet |
| Universidad de Concepción | Francisco Bozán | Alejandro Camargo | KS7 | Universidad de Concepción |

### Managerial changes

| Team | Outgoing manager | Manner of departure | Date of vacancy | Position in table | Incoming manager | Date of appointment |
| Universidad Católica | Mario Salas | Mutual consent | 10 December 2017 | Pre-season | Beñat San José | 20 December 2017 |
| Huachipato | César Vigevani | Mutual consent | 13 December 2017 | Pre-season | Nicolás Larcamón | 4 January 2018 |
| Deportes Antofagasta | Nicolás Larcamón | Resigned | 25 December 2017 | Pre-season | Gerardo Ameli | 4 January 2018 |
| Deportes Iquique | Erick Guerrero | Sacked | 26 February 2018 | 12th | Miguel Riffo | 26 February 2018 |
| Audax Italiano | Hugo Vilches | Mutual consent | 13 April 2018 | 16th | Juan José Ribera | 14 April 2018 |
| Colo-Colo | Pablo Guede | Resigned | 19 April 2018 | 4th | Agustín Salvatierra (caretaker) | 19 April 2018 |
| Colo-Colo | Agustín Salvatierra | End of caretaker spell | 24 April 2018 | 4th | Héctor Tapia | 24 April 2018 |
| Universidad de Chile | Ángel Guillermo Hoyos | Sacked | 27 April 2018 | 2nd | Esteban Valencia (caretaker) | 27 April 2018 |
| Palestino | Germán Cavalieri | Resigned | 18 May 2018 | 10th | Sebastián Méndez | 19 May 2018 |
| Universidad de Chile | Esteban Valencia | End of caretaker spell | 26 May 2018 | 4th | Frank Kudelka | 27 May 2018 |
| San Luis | Miguel Ramírez | Resigned | 26 May 2018 | 14th | Diego Osella | 5 June 2018 |
| Everton | Pablo Sánchez | Sacked | 27 May 2018 | 16th | Javier Torrente | 2 June 2018 |
| Curicó Unido | Luis Marcoleta | Resigned | 11 June 2018 | 12th | Jaime Vera | 14 June 2018 |
| Deportes Temuco | Dalcio Giovagnoli | Sacked | 16 June 2018 | 13th | Miguel Ponce | 22 June 2018 |
| O'Higgins | Gabriel Milito | Mutual consent | 20 June 2018 | 8th | Mauricio Larriera | 30 June 2018 |
| O'Higgins | Mauricio Larriera | Sacked | 24 September 2018 | 9th | Marco Antonio Figueroa | 26 September 2018 |
| San Luis | Diego Osella | Resigned | 1 October 2018 | 16th | Mauricio Riffo | 3 October 2018 |
| Palestino | Sebastián Méndez | Resigned | 8 October 2018 | 14th | Ivo Basay | 9 October 2018 |
| Deportes Iquique | Miguel Riffo | Mutual consent | 10 October 2018 | 11th | Luis Musrri | 12 October 2018 |
| Unión Española | Martín Palermo | Sacked | 4 November 2018 | 8th | Fernando Díaz (caretaker) | 4 November 2018 |
| Unión La Calera | Víctor Rivero | Sacked | 6 November 2018 | 5th | Francisco Meneghini | 8 November 2018 |

## Standings

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | Universidad Católica (C) | 30 | 17 | 10 | 3 | 39 | 25 | +14 | 61 | Qualification to Copa Libertadores group stage |
| 2 | Universidad de Concepción | 30 | 18 | 4 | 8 | 44 | 31 | +13 | 58 | Qualification to Copa Libertadores group stage |
| 3 | Universidad de Chile | 30 | 18 | 3 | 9 | 46 | 37 | +9 | 57 | Qualification to Copa Libertadores second stage |
| 4 | Deportes Antofagasta | 30 | 14 | 11 | 5 | 48 | 33 | +15 | 53 | Qualification to Copa Sudamericana first stage |
| 5 | Colo-Colo | 30 | 12 | 7 | 11 | 40 | 38 | +2 | 43 | Qualification to Copa Sudamericana first stage |
| 6 | Unión La Calera | 30 | 13 | 4 | 13 | 38 | 38 | 0 | 43 | Qualification to Copa Sudamericana first stage |
| 7 | Unión Española | 30 | 9 | 14 | 7 | 44 | 42 | +2 | 41 | Qualification to Copa Sudamericana first stage |
| 8 | O'Higgins | 30 | 12 | 5 | 13 | 41 | 41 | 0 | 41 | |
| 9 | Huachipato | 30 | 10 | 9 | 11 | 39 | 32 | +7 | 39 | |
| 10 | Audax Italiano | 30 | 8 | 10 | 12 | 40 | 40 | 0 | 34 | |
| 11 | Everton | 30 | 9 | 7 | 14 | 39 | 44 | −5 | 34 | |
| 12 | Curicó Unido | 30 | 8 | 10 | 12 | 35 | 40 | −5 | 34 | |
| 13 | Palestino | 30 | 7 | 11 | 12 | 41 | 45 | −4 | 32 | Qualification to Copa Libertadores second stage |
| 14 | Deportes Iquique | 30 | 7 | 11 | 12 | 34 | 42 | −8 | 32 | |
| 15 | Deportes Temuco (R) | 30 | 6 | 10 | 14 | 29 | 45 | −16 | 28 | Relegation to Primera B |
| 16 | San Luis (R) | 30 | 5 | 8 | 17 | 24 | 48 | −24 | 23 | Relegation to Primera B |
* ↑ Palestino qualified for the Copa Libertadores second stage by winning the 2018 Copa Chile.

## Results

| Home \ Away | AUD | CC | CUR | ANT | DIQ | TEM | EVE | HUA | OHI | PAL | SL | UE | ULC | UC | UCH | UDC |
| Audax Italiano | — | 1–1 | 4–1 | 0–0 | 3–1 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 2–4 | 1–2 | 3–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 4–0 | 0–0 | 2–3 | 4–1 |
| Colo-Colo | 3–2 | — | 2–0 | 3–4 | 0–0 | 2–0 | 3–1 | 2–1 | 1–1 | 0–0 | 3–2 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 0–2 |
| Curicó Unido | 3–0 | 0–0 | — | 3–4 | 0–0 | 1–1 | 3–1 | 2–1 | 1–0 | 0–0 | 1–0 | 4–4 | 2–0 | 1–3 | 1–2 | 1–0 |
| Deportes Antofagasta | 1–1 | 1–2 | 2–0 | — | 2–1 | 3–2 | 3–2 | 0–0 | 3–2 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 4–0 | 1–0 |
| Deportes Iquique | 1–1 | 2–1 | 2–2 | 0–2 | — | 2–1 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 3–1 | 2–1 | 2–2 | 0–1 | 0–1 | 0–1 | 1–2 | 1–3 |
| Deportes Temuco | 2–1 | 1–0 | 1–2 | 1–1 | 0–4 | — | 1–1 | 0–4 | 0–1 | 3–2 | 2–2 | 2–0 | 0–2 | 1–2 | 0–1 | 1–1 |
| Everton | 1–0 | 4–2 | 1–1 | 3–2 | 2–3 | 2–2 | — | 0–0 | 0–1 | 3–0 | 2–1 | 1–1 | 1–3 | 0–1 | 0–1 | 1–0 |
| Huachipato | 1–0 | 1–2 | 1–0 | 0–0 | 2–2 | 0–0 | 2–0 | — | 0–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 3–0 | 0–1 | 3–0 |
| O'Higgins | 4–0 | 1–1 | 2–2 | 0–3 | 2–1 | 2–0 | 1–2 | 2–1 | — | 2–2 | 4–0 | 1–1 | 2–3 | 0–1 | 0–1 | 4–2 |
| Palestino | 1–1 | 2–1 | 2–1 | 1–1 | 5–1 | 1–1 | 2–1 | 3–0 | 2–3 | — | 0–1 | 1–1 | 1–2 | 2–2 | 1–3 | 1–2 |
| San Luis | 0–0 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 0–0 | 1–2 | 1–2 | 2–4 | 2–0 | 0–1 | — | 0–2 | 1–2 | 1–1 | 1–2 | 0–3 |
| Unión Española | 2–4 | 3–2 | 2–1 | 1–1 | 0–0 | 2–1 | 2–2 | 2–1 | 2–0 | 2–2 | 4–0 | — | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–4 | 2–3 |
| Unión La Calera | 1–0 | 1–2 | 0–0 | 1–3 | 1–0 | 0–1 | 0–4 | 0–2 | 4–0 | 1–1 | 0–1 | 1–0 | — | 2–2 | 6–1 | 1–3 |
| Universidad Católica | 1–0 | 1–0 | 2–1 | 0–0 | 2–2 | 2–1 | 2–1 | 3–1 | 1–0 | 2–1 | 2–1 | 3–1 | 1–0 | — | 1–1 | 1–0 |
| Universidad de Chile | 1–2 | 1–3 | 2–1 | 2–0 | 0–0 | 2–1 | 2–0 | 2–2 | 1–0 | 1–2 | 3–0 | 1–2 | 1–0 | 2–0 | — | 1–2 |
| Universidad de Concepción | 1–0 | 2–1 | 0–0 | 3–2 | 3–0 | 0–0 | 2–0 | 1–0 | 0–2 | 3–2 | 2–0 | 1–0 | 2–1 | 0–0 | 3–1 | — |

## Top goalscorers

| Rank | Name | Club | Goals |
| 1 | Esteban Paredes | Colo-Colo | 19 |
| 2 | Gabriel Torres | Huachipato | 15 |
| 3 | Matías Campos López | Palestino | 14 |
| 3 | Tobías Figueroa | Unión Española | 14 |
| 5 | Eduard Bello | Deportes Antofagasta | 13 |
| 6 | Patricio Rubio | Everton | 12 |
| 7 | Mauro Caballero | San Luis | 11 |
| 7 | Brian Fernández | Unión La Calera | 11 |
| 7 | Javier Parraguez | Huachipato | 11 |
| 10 | Ricardo Blanco | Curicó Unido | 9 |
| 10 | Sergio Santos | Audax Italiano | 9 |
Source: Soccerway