Costa Rica - List of Champions and Runners-Up

NB: a substantial number of the seasons indicated as a calendar year tournament below
    in fact finished in the first few months of the next calendar year, but at least
    all were started with the intention of finishing before the end of the year; this
    pretension was given up de iure in 1990 (a season cancelled, as 1989, which had
    finished in October 1990, was followed by 1991, which started in November 1990),
    but de facto already by the 1986 season, which started in July and finished in 
    July 1987); below the actual fall-spring rhythm is reflected in the denomination
    of the seasons from 1986/87 onwards.
    [ArL 02] refers to Olympic Club as "national champions" in March 1918, but it is
    not clear on what this is based.

        Champions                       Runners-Up     

1921    Herediano                       Gimnastica Española
1922    Herediano                       La Libertad
1923    Cartaginés                      La Libertad
1924    Herediano                       Cartaginés 
1925    La Libertad                     Herediano
1926    La Libertad                     Cartaginés (Alajuelense?)
1927    Herediano                       La Libertad
1928    Alajuelense                     Gimnastica Española
1929    La Libertad                     Alajuelense
1930    Herediano                       Gimnastica Española
1931    Herediano                       Orión 
1932    Herediano                       La Libertad (Orión?)
1933    Herediano                       Gimnastica Española
1934    La Libertad                     Alajuela Junior 
1935    Herediano                       Alajuela Junior 
1936    Cartaginés                      La Libertad
1937    Herediano                       Gimnastica Española (Orión?)
1938    Orión                           Gimnastica Española
1939    Alajuelense                     Herediano    
1940    Cartaginés                      Orión 
1941    Alajuelense                     La Libertad
1942    La Libertad                     Gimnastica Española
1943    Universidad de Costa Rica       Alajuelense
1944    Orión                           Herediano
1945    Alajuelense                     Orión 
1946    La Libertad                     Herediano
1947    Herediano                       La Libertad
1948    Herediano                       Alajuelense
1949    Alajuelense                     Orión 
1950    Alajuelense                     Saprissa
1951    Herediano                       Orión 
1952    Saprissa                        Alajuelense
1953    Saprissa                        Herediano
1954      not played
1955    Herediano                       Saprissa
1956      not played
1957    Saprissa                        Alajuelense
1958    Alajuelense                     Saprissa
1959    Alajuelense                     Saprissa
1960    Alajuelense                     Herediano
1961    Herediano                       Saprissa         [Asofútbol]
        Carmelita                       Uruguay          [Federación]
1962    Saprissa                        Alajuelense
1963    Uruguay                         Saprissa
1964    Saprissa                        Orión 
1965    Saprissa                        Alajuelense
1966    Alajuelense                     Saprissa
1967    Saprissa                        Alajuelense
1968    Saprissa                        Cartaginés
1969    Saprissa                        Alajuelense
1970    Alajuelense                     Saprissa
1971    Alajuelense                     Saprissa
1972    Saprissa                        Alajuelense
1973    Saprissa                        Cartaginés
1974    Saprissa                        Herediano
1975    Saprissa                        Cartaginés
1976    Saprissa                        Barrio México
1977    Saprissa                        Cartaginés
1978    Herediano                       M. Puntarenas
1979    Herediano                       Cartaginés
1980    Alajuelense                     Herediano
1981    Herediano                       Limonense
1982    Saprissa                        M. Puntarenas
1983    Alajuelense                     M. Puntarenas
1984    Alajuelense                     Saprissa
1985    Herediano                       Alajuelense
1986/87 M. Puntarenas                   Alajuelense
1987/88 Herediano                       Cartaginés
1988/89 Saprissa                        Herediano
1989/90 Saprissa                        Alajuelense
1990/91 Alajuelense                     Saprissa
1991/92 Alajuelense                     Saprissa
1992/93 Herediano                       Cartaginés
1993/94 Saprissa                        Alajuelense
1994/95 Saprissa                        Alajuelense
1995/96 Alajuelense                     Cartaginés
1996/97 Alajuelense                     Saprissa
1997/98 Saprissa                        Alajuelense 
1998/99 Saprissa                        Alajuelense
1999/00 Alajuelense                     Saprissa
2000/01 Alajuelense                     Herediano
2001/02 Alajuelense                     Santos
2002/03 Alajuelense                     Saprissa
2003/04 Saprissa                        Herediano
2004/05 Alajuelense                     Pérez Zeledón
2005/06 Saprissa                        Puntarenas FC
2006/07 Saprissa                        Alajuelense
2007/08 Saprissa                        Herediano            [Ap.]
        Saprissa                        Alajuelense          [Cl.]
2008/09 Saprissa                        Alajuelense          [Ap.] 
        Liberia                         Herediano            [Cl.]
2009/10 Brujas                          Puntarenas FC        [Ap.]
        Saprissa                        San Carlos           [Cl.]
2010/11 Alajuelense                     Herediano            [Ap.]
        Alajuelense                     San Carlos           [Cl.]
2011/12 Alajuelense                     Herediano            [Ap.]
        Herediano                       Santos               [Cl.]
2012/13 Alajuelense                     Herediano            [Ap.]
        Herediano                       Cartaginés           [Cl.]
2013/14 Alajuelense                     Herediano            [Ap.]
        Saprissa                        Alajuelense          [Cl.]
2014/15 Saprissa                        Herediano            [Ap.]
        Herediano                       Alajuelense          [Cl.]
2015/16 Saprissa                        Alajuelense          [Ap.]
        Herediano                       Alajuelense          [Cl.]
2016/17 Saprissa                        Herediano            [Ap.]
        Herediano                       Saprissa             [Cl.]
2017/18 Pérez Zeledón                   Herediano            [Ap.]
        Saprissa                        Herediano            [Cl.]
2018/19 Herediano                       Saprissa             [Ap.]
        San Carlos                      Saprissa             [Cl.]
2019/20 Herediano                       Alajuela             [Ap.]
        Saprissa                        Alajuelense          [Cl.]
2020/21 Alajuelense                     Herediano            [Ap.]
        Saprissa                        Herediano            [Cl.]
2021/22 Herediano                       Saprissa             [Ap.]
        Cartaginés                      Alajuelense          [Cl.]
2022/23 Saprissa                        Herediano            [Ap.]
        Saprissa                        Alajuelense          [Cl.]
2023/24 Saprissa                        Herediano            [Ap.]
                                                             [Cl.]

Total Championships (118; runners-up finishes (118) between square brackets)

39 [19] Deportivo Saprissa (San José)          

30 [28] LD Alajuelense (Alajuela)              

29 [25] CS Herediano (Heredia)                 

 6 [ 7] CS La Libertad (San José)

 4 [11] CS Cartaginés (Cartago)
 
 2 [ 6] Orión FC 

 1 [ 3] Municipal Puntarenas (Puntarenas)
 1 [ 2] San Carlos FC (San Carlos)
 1 [ 1] Municipal Pérez Zeledón            
 1 [ 1] CS Uruguay (Coronado)
 1      Brujas de Escazú (Desamparados)
 1      AD Carmelita (Alajuela)
 1      Liberia Mía
 1      Universidad de Costa Rica (San José)

   [ 7] Sociedad Gimnastica Española
   [ 2] Alajuelense Junior (Alajuela)
   [ 2] Puntarenas FC
   [ 2] AD Santos (Guapiles)                   
   [ 1] AD Limonense (Limón)
   [ 1] AD Barrio México    

NB: there were two rival championships in 1961; both are included in the above summary;
    since 2007/08 there are two championships each season


About this document

Prepared and maintained by Juan Pablo Andrés and Gerardo Coto for the Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation

Authors: Juan Pablo Andrés and Gerardo Coto
Last updated: 18 Dec 2023

(C) Copyright Juan Pablo Andrés, Gerardo Coto and RSSSF 1996/2023
You are free to copy this document in whole or part provided that proper acknowledgement is given to the authors. All rights reserved.