Argentine football league system
The Argentine football league system include tournaments organised by the Argentine Football Association. Clubs affiliated to the body compete in the tournaments, which are split into categories or divisions.
Rules establish a system of promotion and relegation, a process where teams are transferred between two divisions based on their performance for the completed season. The best-ranked team or teams in the lower division are promoted to the higher division for the next season, and the worst-ranked team or teams in the higher division are relegated to the lower division for the next season.
History
Tournaments organised by the Association and its predecessors have been held since 1893. Nevertheless, the first championship was organised by the Argentine Association Football League in 1891. Although the AAFL was dissolved that same year, AFA has recognised that championship as the first Primera División competition, adding it to its continuity.Only clubs directly affiliated to AFA had taken part in tournaments organised by the body, until the creation of Nacional B Championship in 1986 when teams from regional leagues added to the competition.
The following chart details all league competitions organised by the Argentine Association :
| Períod | Level 1 | Level 2 | Level 3 | Level 4 | Level 5 | Level 6 |
| 1891-1898 | Primera División | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1899 | Primera División | Segunda División | — | — | — | — |
| 1900-1910 | Primera División | Segunda División | Tercera División | — | — | — |
| 1911 | Primera División | Intermedia | Segunda División | Tercera División | — | — |
| 1912-1914 | Primera División Primera División | Intermedia Intermedia | Segunda División Segunda División | Tercera División Tercera División | — | — |
| 1915-1918 | Primera División | Intermedia | Segunda División | Tercera División | — | — |
| 1919-1926 | Primera División Primera División | Intermedia Intermedia | Segunda División Segunda División | Tercera División Tercera División | — | — |
| 1927-1930 | Primera División-Sección A | Primera División-Sección B | Intermedia | Segunda División | — | — |
| 1931-1932 | Primera División Primera División | — Primera División-Sección B | — Intermedia | — Segunda División | — | — |
| 1933 | Primera División Primera División | — Segunda División | — Tercera División | — | — | — |
| 1934 | Primera División Primera División | Segunda División Segunda División | — Tercera División | — | — | — |
| 1935-1948 | Primera División | Segunda División | Tercera de Ascenso | — | — | — |
| 1949 | Primera División | Primera División B | Tercera de Ascenso | — | — | — |
| 1950-1961 | Primera División | Primera División B | Segunda de Ascenso | Tercera de Ascenso | — | — |
| 1962-1966 | Primera División | Primera División B | Segunda de Ascenso | Primera de Aficionados | — | — |
| 1967-1973 | Campeonato Metropolitano Campeonato Nacional | Primera División B :es:Torneo Regional|Torneo Regional | Segunda de Ascenso Regional Leagues | Primera de Aficionados — | — | — |
| 1974-1985 | Campeonato Metropolitano Campeonato Nacional | Primera División B :es:Torneo Regional|Torneo Regional | Primera División C Regional Leagues | Primera División D — | — | — |
| 1985-1986 | Primera División | Primera División B :es:Torneo Regional|Torneo Regional | Primera División C Regional Leagues | Primera División D — | — | — |
| 1986-1995 | Primera División | Torneo Nacional B | Primera B :es:Torneo del Interior |Torneo del Interior | Primera C Regional Leagues | Primera D — | — |
| 1995-2005 | Primera División | Primera B Nacional | Primera B Torneo Argentino A | Primera C Torneo Argentino B | Primera D Regional Leagues | — |
| 2005-2014 | Primera División | Primera B Nacional | Primera B Torneo Argentino A | Primera C Torneo Argentino B | Primera D Torneo Argentino C | — Regional Leagues |
| 2014 | Primera División | Primera B Nacional | Primera B Torneo Federal A | Primera C :es:Torneo Federal B|Torneo Federal B | Primera D Torneo Argentino C | — Regional Leagues |
| 2015-2017 | Primera División | Primera B Nacional | Primera B Torneo Federal A | Primera C :es:Torneo Federal B|Torneo Federal B | Primera D :es:Torneo Federal C|Torneo Federal C | — Regional Leagues |
| 2017-2018 | Superliga | Primera B Nacional | Primera B Torneo Federal A | Primera C — | Primera D :es:Torneo Federal C|Torneo Federal C | — Regional Leagues |
| 2018-2019 | Superliga | Primera B Nacional | Primera B Torneo Federal A | Primera C :es:Torneo Regional Federal Amateur|Torneo Regional Federal | Primera D Regional Leagues | — |
| 2019-2020 | Superliga | Primera Nacional | Primera B Torneo Federal A | Primera C :es:Torneo Regional Federal Amateur|Torneo Regional Federal | Primera D Regional Leagues | — |
| 2021 | Primera División | Primera Nacional | Primera B Torneo Federal A | Primera C :es:Torneo Regional Federal Amateur|Torneo Regional Federal | Primera D Regional Leagues | — |
Current league system (2019–20)
Below the second division championship tournaments leagues are split between two groups, the first of them include the promotion/relegation system for clubs directly affiliated to the Association playing in Primera B, Primera C and Primera D. Those are usually called "zona metropolitana" due to those tournaments have been historically played by teams from the city of Buenos Aires and Greater Buenos Aires, plus the addition of twenty clubs from the cities Rosario, Santa Fe, La Plata and other cities of Buenos Aires Province.The second group is formed clubs not directly affiliated to AFA that play in regional leagues, under the supervision of :es:Asociación_del_Fútbol_Argentino#Órganos|"Consejo Federal del Fútbol Argentino", dependent on the AFA. Competitions reserved for those clubs are Torneo Federal A and :es:Torneo Regional Federal Amateur|Torneo Regional Federal.