Primera B (Colombia) 2026/27

The Categoría Primera B operates as the professional second tier within the Colombian football pyramid, sitting directly beneath the top-flight Primera A. Established by DIMAYOR in 1991, the league was created to provide a formal professional structure below the existing elite level, following previous unsuccessful attempts at second-division competition.

The competition structure differs significantly from the division above it. Each season is divided into two independent tournaments: the Torneo Apertura and the Torneo Finalización. Both follow a round-robin format before advancing to playoffs. The top eight teams in each tournament enter semi-final quadrangles, with group winners contesting a two-legged final to decide the specific tournament champion.

Promotion rules are notably complex. The primary path to the first tier involves the aggregate table, known as the Reclasificación. The top two teams in this combined standings automatically secure promotion. However, if the winners of both the Apertura and Finalización tournaments occupy these top two spots, both clubs are promoted directly. If they do not, the two tournament champions play a Grand Final for one promotion spot. The loser of this final then faces the highest-ranked non-champion in the aggregate table in a playoff, known as a repechaje, for the second available place.

Relegation into the Primera B comes from the Primera A, determined by the bottom two teams based on a three-year average table. There is no pathway from the amateur third tier into this professional division. In terms of historical success, Atlético Huila and Cúcuta Deportivo hold the record for most titles, each having won the competition four times. While the Primera A relies on a simpler relegation system without a promotion phase, the second tier maintains its distinct multi-stage mechanism for determining who moves up.