# 2021 Uruguayan Primera División season

The 2021 Liga Profesional de Primera División season, also known as the Campeonato Uruguayo de Primera División 2021, was the 118th season of the Uruguayan Primera División, Uruguay's top-flight football league, and the 91st in which it is professional. The season, named "Dr. Tabaré Vázquez" after the late former President of Uruguay and chairman of Progreso from 1979 to 1989, started on 15 May and ended on 7 December 2021, with the starting date having been pushed back from early 2021 due to the late conclusion of the previous season owing to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The tournament was originally scheduled to start on 8 May, however its date of start was postponed for a week to 15 May per request from the Uruguayan government. Peñarol won their fifty-first league title at the end of the season, winning the Torneo Clausura and placing first in the season's aggregate table and then beating Torneo Apertura winners Plaza Colonia on penalties in the semi-final played on 7 December. Nacional were the defending champions.

## Format changes

For the 2021 season, the competition was scheduled to run for eight months, from May to December, and had a change from the previous editions with the elimination of the Torneo Intermedio which is usually played midway into the season and adds seven matchdays to the league schedule. This change was intended to leave extra time available to finish the season before the end of the year in the event the health emergency caused by the COVID-19 pandemic forced any suspension of matches in the course of the season. With that change, clubs only played 15 matches in the Torneo Apertura and 15 matches in the Torneo Clausura, for a total of 30 matches in the season, as well as the ones belonging to the Championship playoff for the clubs that eventually qualified for it. Matches would only be scheduled on weekends, with mid-week dates to be used only if necessary due to the pandemic.

## Teams

The three lowest placed teams in the relegation table of the 2020 season, Defensor Sporting, Danubio, and Cerro, were relegated to the Segunda División for the 2021 season. They were replaced by Cerrito, Sud América, and Villa Española, who were promoted from the Segunda División.
| Club | Manager | City | Stadium | Capacity |
| Boston River | Ignacio Ithurralde | Las Piedras | Parque Artigas | 12,000 |
| Cerrito | Roland Marcenaro | Montevideo | Charrúa | 14,000 |
| Cerro Largo | Danielo Núñez | Melo | Antonio Ubilla | 9,000 |
| Deportivo Maldonado | Francisco Palladino | Maldonado | Domingo Burgueño Miguel | 22,000 |
| Fénix | Ignacio Pallas | Montevideo | Parque Capurro | 10,000 |
| Liverpool | Jorge Bava | Montevideo | Belvedere | 10,000 |
| Montevideo City Torque | Román Cuello | Montevideo | Centenario | 60,235 |
| Montevideo Wanderers | Daniel Carreño | Montevideo | Parque Alfredo Víctor Viera | 11,000 |
| Nacional | Martín Ligüera | Montevideo | Gran Parque Central | 34,000 |
| Peñarol | Mauricio Larriera | Montevideo | Campeón del Siglo | 40,000 |
| Plaza Colonia | Eduardo Espinel | Colonia | Parque Juan Prandi | 4,500 |
| Progreso | Álvaro Fuerte | Montevideo | Parque Abraham Paladino | 8,000 |
| Rentistas | Diego Jaume | Montevideo | Complejo Rentistas | 10,600 |
| River Plate | Gustavo Díaz | Montevideo | Parque Federico Omar Saroldi | 6,000 |
| Sud América | Luis López | Minas | Juan Antonio Lavalleja | 8,000 |
| Villa Española | Julio Mozzo | Montevideo | Obdulio Varela | 8,000 |

### Managerial changes

| Team | Outgoing manager | Manner of departure | Date of vacancy | Position in table | Incoming manager | Date of appointment |
| Torneo Apertura |||||||
| Villa Española | Damián Santín | Resigned | 18 December 2020 | Pre-season | Bruno Piano | 1 February 2021 |
| Sud América | Maximiliano Viera | Resigned | 10 February 2021 | Pre-season | Claudio Biaggio | 6 March 2021 |
| River Plate | Jorge Fossati | End of contract | 29 March 2021 | Pre-season | Gustavo Díaz | 5 April 2021 |
| Nacional | Martín Ligüera | End of caretaker spell | 7 April 2021 | Pre-season | Alejandro Cappuccio | 9 April 2021 |
| Rentistas | Alejandro Cappuccio | Resigned | 7 April 2021 | Pre-season | Martín Varini | 8 April 2021 |
| Liverpool | Marcelo Méndez | Signed by Atlético San Luis | 11 June 2021 | 1st | Gustavo Ferrín (caretaker) | 11 June 2021 |
| Liverpool | Gustavo Ferrín | End of caretaker spell | 17 June 2021 | 2nd | Jorge Bava | 15 June 2021 |
| Villa Española | Bruno Piano | Resigned | 20 June 2021 | 16th | Julio Mozzo | 21 June 2021 |
| Fénix | Juan Ramón Carrasco | Sacked | 23 June 2021 | 11th | Murad Djellatian (caretaker) | 23 June 2021 |
| Boston River | Juan Tejera | Sacked | 23 June 2021 | 15th | Ignacio Ithurralde | 23 June 2021 |
| Fénix | Murad Djellatian | End of caretaker spell | 26 June 2021 | 11th | Ignacio Pallas | 26 June 2021 |
| Montevideo City Torque | Pablo Marini | End of contract | 30 June 2021 | 7th | Román Cuello | 25 June 2021 |
| Progreso | Maximiliano Viera | Resigned | 20 August 2021 | 15th | Álvaro Fuerte | 20 August 2021 |
| Nacional | Alejandro Cappuccio | Mutual consent | 22 August 2021 | 2nd | Martín Ligüera | 22 August 2021 |
| Torneo Clausura |||||||
| Rentistas | Martín Varini | Mutual consent | 2 October 2021 | 16th | Diego Jaume | 3 October 2021 |
| Sud América | Claudio Biaggio | Mutual consent | 4 October 2021 | 12th | Luis López | 5 October 2021 |

## Torneo Apertura

The Torneo Apertura, named "Eduardo Roca Couture", was the first tournament of the 2021 season. It began on 15 May and ended on 22 August 2021.

### Standings

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | Plaza Colonia | 15 | 11 | 3 | 1 | 20 | 7 | +13 | 36 | Qualification for Championship playoff |
| 2 | Nacional | 15 | 9 | 2 | 4 | 23 | 14 | +9 | 29 | |
| 3 | Peñarol | 15 | 7 | 7 | 1 | 22 | 10 | +12 | 28 | |
| 4 | Liverpool | 15 | 8 | 3 | 4 | 38 | 20 | +18 | 27 | |
| 5 | River Plate | 15 | 7 | 5 | 3 | 27 | 20 | +7 | 26 | |
| 6 | Montevideo City Torque | 15 | 8 | 1 | 6 | 26 | 19 | +7 | 25 | |
| 7 | Fénix | 15 | 6 | 3 | 6 | 20 | 22 | −2 | 21 | |
| 8 | Cerro Largo | 15 | 6 | 2 | 7 | 20 | 22 | −2 | 20 | |
| 9 | Cerrito | 15 | 5 | 4 | 6 | 14 | 15 | −1 | 19 | |
| 10 | Sud América | 15 | 5 | 3 | 7 | 15 | 22 | −7 | 18 | |
| 11 | Montevideo Wanderers | 15 | 5 | 2 | 8 | 12 | 16 | −4 | 17 | |
| 12 | Rentistas | 15 | 4 | 4 | 7 | 12 | 21 | −9 | 16 | |
| 13 | Boston River | 15 | 3 | 5 | 7 | 14 | 19 | −5 | 14 | |
| 14 | Deportivo Maldonado | 15 | 3 | 5 | 7 | 11 | 22 | −11 | 14 | |
| 15 | Progreso | 15 | 2 | 5 | 8 | 13 | 26 | −13 | 11 | |
| 16 | Villa Española | 15 | 1 | 6 | 8 | 14 | 26 | −12 | 9 | |

### Results

| Home \ Away | BOR | CSC | CRL | DMA | FNX | LIV | MCT | WAN | NAC | PEÑ | PCO | PRO | REN | RIV | SUD | VES |
| Boston River | — | — | 1–0 | — | 0–2 | 1–1 | 1–2 | — | 1–1 | — | — | — | 1–2 | — | 2–0 | — |
| Cerrito | 1–0 | — | — | 0–0 | — | — | — | — | 2–0 | — | 1–2 | 0–0 | 0–1 | 3–1 | — | — |
| Cerro Largo | — | 3–1 | — | — | 1–2 | — | — | 2–0 | — | 0–1 | — | — | — | 2–4 | 2–1 | 3–1 |
| Deportivo Maldonado | 0–2 | — | 2–1 | — | 0–0 | 2–4 | — | — | — | — | 0–1 | 1–1 | — | 0–0 | 1–3 | — |
| Fénix | — | 1–3 | — | — | — | — | — | 2–1 | — | 0–0 | 0–1 | 2–1 | — | 3–4 | — | 1–0 |
| Liverpool | — | 3–0 | 3–0 | — | 5–2 | — | — | 2–1 | — | 3–3 | — | — | — | — | 5–0 | 2–2 |
| Montevideo City Torque | — | 0–2 | 3–0 | 2–3 | 2–0 | 0–3 | — | 2–1 | 3–0 | 0–1 | — | — | — | — | 0–1 | — |
| Montevideo Wanderers | 1–0 | 1–0 | — | 0–0 | — | — | — | — | — | 0–0 | 0–2 | 2–0 | — | 1–2 | — | 3–0 |
| Nacional | — | — | 1–2 | 2–0 | 3–1 | 1–0 | — | 3–0 | — | 2–0 | — | — | — | — | 1–0 | 3–0 |
| Peñarol | 5–2 | 2–0 | — | 4–0 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 0–0 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 2–0 | — | 1–1 |
| Plaza Colonia | 0–0 | — | 1–1 | — | — | 2–1 | 1–0 | — | 1–2 | — | — | — | 2–0 | — | 1–0 | — |
| Progreso | 1–0 | — | 0–0 | — | — | 1–3 | 1–4 | — | 1–3 | — | 1–2 | — | 2–2 | — | — | — |
| Rentistas | — | — | 1–3 | 0–2 | 0–3 | 2–1 | 0–2 | 0–1 | 1–1 | — | — | — | — | — | 1–2 | — |
| River Plate | 1–1 | — | — | — | — | 3–2 | 3–3 | — | 2–0 | — | 0–1 | 4–0 | 0–0 | — | — | — |
| Sud América | — | 0–0 | — | — | 1–1 | — | — | 1–0 | — | 1–1 | — | 2–4 | — | 1–2 | — | 2–1 |
| Villa Española | 2–2 | 1–1 | — | 2–0 | — | — | 2–3 | — | — | — | 1–3 | 0–0 | 0–1 | 1–1 | — | — |

## Torneo Clausura

The Torneo Clausura, named "Marcos Basiaco", was the second and last tournament of the 2021 season. It began on 11 September and ended on 5 December 2021.

### Standings

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | Peñarol | 15 | 9 | 5 | 1 | 27 | 11 | +16 | 32 | Qualification for Championship playoff |
| 2 | Nacional | 15 | 8 | 4 | 3 | 23 | 15 | +8 | 30 | |
| 3 | Montevideo Wanderers | 15 | 8 | 3 | 4 | 23 | 18 | +5 | 27 | |
| 4 | Cerro Largo | 15 | 6 | 9 | 0 | 24 | 11 | +13 | 26 | |
| 5 | Montevideo City Torque | 15 | 7 | 4 | 4 | 26 | 19 | +7 | 25 | |
| 6 | Progreso | 15 | 7 | 4 | 4 | 12 | 7 | +5 | 25 | |
| 7 | Boston River | 15 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 24 | 24 | 0 | 23 | |
| 8 | Cerrito | 15 | 6 | 3 | 6 | 20 | 22 | −2 | 21 | |
| 9 | Plaza Colonia | 15 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 20 | 18 | +2 | 20 | |
| 10 | Fénix | 15 | 4 | 7 | 4 | 18 | 18 | 0 | 19 | |
| 11 | River Plate | 15 | 4 | 4 | 7 | 18 | 22 | −4 | 16 | |
| 12 | Liverpool | 15 | 4 | 3 | 8 | 15 | 19 | −4 | 15 | |
| 13 | Deportivo Maldonado | 15 | 4 | 3 | 8 | 12 | 18 | −6 | 15 | |
| 14 | Rentistas | 15 | 4 | 2 | 9 | 18 | 24 | −6 | 14 | |
| 15 | Sud América | 15 | 3 | 4 | 8 | 14 | 26 | −12 | 13 | |
| 16 | Villa Española | 15 | 1 | 3 | 11 | 12 | 34 | −22 | 6 | |
* 1 2 Nacional were awarded two points and Cerro Largo were deducted one point due to a breach of rules by Cerro Largo manager Danielo Núñez during the match between both teams.

### Results

| Home \ Away | BOR | CSC | CRL | DMA | FNX | LIV | MCT | WAN | NAC | PEÑ | PCO | PRO | REN | RIV | SUD | VES |
| Boston River | — | 3–2 | — | 2–1 | — | — | — | 1–3 | — | 2–5 | 2–0 | 0–0 | — | 1–2 | — | 1–0 |
| Cerrito | — | — | 1–1 | — | 2–4 | 2–1 | 0–2 | 2–2 | — | 1–3 | — | — | — | — | 2–0 | 1–0 |
| Cerro Largo | 1–1 | — | — | 1–1 | — | 3–0 | 1–1 | — | 1–1 | — | 1–0 | 1–0 | 1–1 | — | — | — |
| Deportivo Maldonado | — | 0–1 | — | — | — | — | 2–1 | 1–3 | 1–0 | 1–0 | — | — | 2–1 | — | — | 0–1 |
| Fénix | 0–0 | — | 1–4 | 2–1 | — | 1–1 | 1–1 | — | 1–2 | — | — | — | 3–1 | — | 1–2 | — |
| Liverpool | 2–2 | — | — | 1–0 | — | — | 1–3 | — | 2–2 | — | 0–1 | 0–1 | 0–1 | 3–1 | — | — |
| Montevideo City Torque | 4–3 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 2–2 | 1–0 | 1–2 | 1–1 | — | 5–0 |
| Montevideo Wanderers | — | — | 1–2 | — | 1–1 | 1–0 | 0–1 | — | 1–0 | — | — | — | 2–1 | — | 4–1 | — |
| Nacional | 3–2 | 1–0 | — | — | — | — | 2–0 | — | — | — | 2–1 | 0–1 | 2–2 | 4–2 | — | — |
| Peñarol | — | — | 2–2 | — | 0–0 | 1–0 | 3–1 | 3–0 | 0–0 | — | — | — | — | — | 3–1 | — |
| Plaza Colonia | — | 3–3 | — | 1–0 | 1–1 | — | — | 0–1 | — | 1–2 | — | 2–1 | — | 0–0 | — | 4–0 |
| Progreso | — | 0–1 | — | 2–0 | 1–0 | — | — | 3–1 | — | 0–0 | — | — | — | 1–0 | 0–0 | 1–1 |
| Rentistas | 1–2 | 1–2 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 0–1 | 2–3 | 0–1 | — | 1–0 | — | 3–1 |
| River Plate | — | 1–0 | 0–4 | 1–2 | 0–0 | — | — | 0–1 | — | 1–1 | — | — | — | — | 5–1 | 4–2 |
| Sud América | 1–2 | — | 0–0 | 1–1 | — | 0–1 | 1–2 | — | 0–2 | — | 1–1 | — | 3–1 | — | — | — |
| Villa Española | — | — | 1–1 | — | 1–2 | 0–3 | — | 2–2 | 1–2 | 1–3 | — | — | — | — | 1–2 | — |

## Aggregate table

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | Peñarol (C) | 30 | 16 | 12 | 2 | 49 | 21 | +28 | 60 | Qualification for Championship playoff and Copa Libertadores group stage |
| 2 | Nacional | 30 | 17 | 6 | 7 | 46 | 29 | +17 | 59 | Qualification for Copa Libertadores group stage |
| 3 | Plaza Colonia | 30 | 16 | 8 | 6 | 40 | 25 | +15 | 56 | Qualification for Championship playoff and Copa Libertadores second stage |
| 4 | Montevideo City Torque | 30 | 15 | 5 | 10 | 52 | 38 | +14 | 50 | Qualification for Copa Libertadores first stage |
| 5 | Cerro Largo | 30 | 12 | 11 | 7 | 44 | 33 | +11 | 46 | Qualification for Copa Sudamericana first stage |
| 6 | Montevideo Wanderers | 30 | 13 | 5 | 12 | 35 | 34 | +1 | 44 | Qualification for Copa Sudamericana first stage |
| 7 | Liverpool | 30 | 12 | 6 | 12 | 53 | 39 | +14 | 42 | Qualification for Copa Sudamericana first stage |
| 8 | River Plate | 30 | 11 | 9 | 10 | 45 | 42 | +3 | 42 | Qualification for Copa Sudamericana first stage |
| 9 | Fénix | 30 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 38 | 40 | −2 | 40 | |
| 10 | Cerrito | 30 | 11 | 7 | 12 | 34 | 37 | −3 | 40 | |
| 11 | Boston River | 30 | 9 | 9 | 12 | 38 | 44 | −6 | 36 | |
| 12 | Progreso | 30 | 9 | 9 | 12 | 25 | 33 | −8 | 36 | |
| 13 | Deportivo Maldonado | 30 | 8 | 7 | 15 | 24 | 40 | −16 | 31 | |
| 14 | Sud América | 30 | 8 | 7 | 15 | 29 | 48 | −19 | 31 | |
| 15 | Rentistas | 30 | 8 | 6 | 16 | 30 | 45 | −15 | 30 | |
| 16 | Villa Española | 30 | 2 | 9 | 19 | 26 | 60 | −34 | 15 | |
* 1 2 Nacional were awarded two points and Cerro Largo were deducted one point due to a breach of rules by Cerro Largo manager Danielo Núñez during the Torneo Clausura match between both teams.

## Championship playoff

| Semi-final | Semi-final | Finals | Finals | Finals | Finals |
| | | Peñarol (Aggregate table first place) | — | — | — |
| Plaza Colonia (Apertura winners) | 1 (7) | Peñarol (Semi-final winners) | — | — | — |
| Peñarol (Clausura winners) (p) | 1 (8) | | | | |

### Finals

Since Peñarol, who had the best record in the aggregate table, won the semi-final, they became champions automatically and the finals were not played. Nacional became runners-up as the second-placed team in the aggregate table. Both teams qualified for the 2022 Copa Libertadores group stage.
* Primera División 2021 Champions
* Peñarol 51st title

## Top scorers

| Rank | Name | Club | Goals |
| 1 | Maximiliano Silvera | Cerrito | 21 |
| 2 | Matías Arezo | River Plate | 16 |
| 3 | Gonzalo Bergessio | Nacional | 15 |
| 4 | Federico Martínez | Liverpool | 14 |
| 5 | Agustín Álvarez Martínez | Peñarol | 13 |
| 5 | Leandro Otormín | Cerro Largo | 13 |
| 7 | Juan Ignacio Ramírez | Liverpool | 11 |
| 8 | Sebastián Guerrero | Montevideo City Torque | 10 |
| 8 | Salomón Rodríguez | Rentistas | 10 |
| 10 | Lucas Di Yorio | Cerro Largo | 9 |
| 10 | Renzo López | Montevideo Wanderers / Plaza Colonia | 9 |
| 10 | Lucas Rodríguez | Montevideo City Torque | 9 |
Source: AUF

## Relegation

Relegation is determined at the end of the season by computing an average of the number of points earned per game over the two most recent seasons: 2020 and 2021. The three teams with the lowest average at the end of the season were relegated to the Segunda División for the following season.
| Pos | Team | 2020 Pts | 2021 Pts | Total Pts | Total Pld | Avg | Relegation |
| 1 | Nacional | 69 | 59 | 128 | 67 | 1.91 | |
| 2 | Peñarol | 65 | 60 | 125 | 67 | 1.866 | |
| 3 | Montevideo City Torque | 61 | 50 | 110 | 67 | 1.642 | |
| 4 | Liverpool | 65 | 42 | 107 | 67 | 1.597 | |
| 5 | Plaza Colonia | 46 | 56 | 102 | 67 | 1.522 | |
| 6 | Cerro Largo | 50 | 46 | 96 | 67 | 1.433 | |
| 7 | Montevideo Wanderers | 52 | 44 | 96 | 67 | 1.433 | |
| 8 | River Plate | 49 | 42 | 91 | 67 | 1.358 | |
| 9 | Cerrito | — | 40 | 40 | 30 | 1.333 | |
| 10 | Fénix | 49 | 40 | 89 | 67 | 1.328 | |
| 11 | Rentistas | 47 | 30 | 77 | 67 | 1.149 | |
| 12 | Deportivo Maldonado | 46 | 31 | 77 | 67 | 1.149 | |
| 13 | Boston River | 40 | 36 | 76 | 67 | 1.134 | |
| 14 | Progreso (R) | 38 | 36 | 74 | 67 | 1.104 | Relegation to Segunda División |
| 15 | Sud América (R) | — | 31 | 31 | 30 | 1.033 | Relegation to Segunda División |
| 16 | Villa Española (R) | — | 15 | 15 | 30 | 0.5 | Relegation to Segunda División |

## Season awards

On 28 December 2021 the AUF announced the winners of the season awards, who were chosen by its Technical Staff based on voting by managers and captains of the 16 Primera División teams as well as a group of local sports journalists. 30 players were nominated for Best Player and the Team of the Season according to their ratings and evaluations by the Technical Staff throughout the season.
| Award | Winner | Club |
| Best Player | Agustín Canobbio | Peñarol |
| Youth Talent | Agustín Álvarez Martínez | Peñarol |
| Best Goal | Matías Arezo (against Nacional, Torneo Apertura Round 15) | River Plate |
| Best Save | Sebastián Lentinelly (against River Plate, Torneo Clausura Round 2) | Liverpool |
| Public's Player | Gonzalo Bergessio | Nacional |
| Best Manager | Mauricio Larriera | Peñarol |
| Best Newcomer | Ignacio Sosa | Fénix |
| Top Scorer | Maximiliano Silvera (21 goals in 30 games played) | Cerrito |
| Least beaten goal in regular season | Peñarol (21 goals conceded) | Peñarol (21 goals conceded) |
| Most minutes on field | Gonzalo Falcón (2,700 minutes in 30 games played) | Boston River |
| Fair Play Award | Peñarol | Peñarol |
| Best Referee | Andrés Matonte | Andrés Matonte |
| Best Assistant referee | Martín Soppi | Martín Soppi |
* ↑ Chosen by public voting on the competition's social network accounts.
Team of the Season :
| Goalkeeper | Defenders | Midfielders | Forwards | Bench |
| Sergio Rochet (Nacional) | Giovanni González (Peñarol) Haibrany Ruiz Díaz (Plaza Colonia) Gary Kagelmacher (Peñarol) Andrew Teuten (Montevideo City Torque) | Agustín Canobbio (Peñarol) Walter Gargano (Peñarol) Leonai (Plaza Colonia) Facundo Torres (Peñarol) | Maximiliano Silvera (Cerrito) Agustín Álvarez Martínez (Peñarol) | Santiago Mele (Plaza Colonia) Gonzalo Camargo (Plaza Colonia) Ángel Cayetano (Cerro Largo) Jesús Trindade (Peñarol) César Araújo (Montevideo Wanderers) Leandro Otormín (Cerro Largo) Gonzalo Bergessio (Nacional) |