2016–17 Primera División de Nicaragua

The 2016–17 season in Primera División de Nicaragua will be divided into two tournaments (Apertura and Clausura) and will determine the 69th and 70th champions in the history of the league. The Apertura tournament will be played in the second half of 2016, while the Clausura will be played in the first half of 2017.

Format
The Apertura play-off format was changed from previous years, while the Clausura will use the same 4-team play-off format. For the Apetura, the top four teams from the regular stage advanced to a "quadrangular" double-round robin instead of a play-off stage. The regular stage and quadrangular winners would have played to decide the tournament's champion, but ultimately the same team won both and the final was not necessary. The same format was recently adopted by the Costa Rican Primera División, but for both half season.

Teams
A total of 10 teams will contest the league, including 8 sides from the 2015–16 season and one sids directly promoted from the 2015–16 Segunda division. The final participant will be determined in a two-legged play-off, in which the 9th placed Primera division side ART Jalapa will play the team who finished second in Segunda division which was Sebaco. Sebaco won 4-3 on aggregate over ART Jalapa which meant they were promoted in the Primera Division.


 * Deportivo Sebaco (Runner-up of the Segunda Division)
 * Diriangén FC
 * Juventus Managua
 * Managua F.C.
 * Nandasmo F.C. (Winner of the Segunda Division)
 * Real Madriz
 * Real Estelí F.C.
 * UNAN Managua
 * Chinandega FC
 * Deportivo Walter Ferretti

Promotion and relegation

 * At the end of the 2015–16, Nandasmo F.C. and Deportivo Sebaco was promoted to Primera Division
 * At the end of the 2015–16, Deportivo Ocotal and ART Jalapa was relegated to Segunda Division.

Regular season
The regular season began on 2016. The top four finishers will move on to the next stage of the competition.

Scoring

 * First goal of the season: Rodrigo Valiente for Deportivo Walter Ferretti against UNAN Managua, 51 minutes (6 August 2016)
 * First goal by a foreign player: Rodrigo Valiente for Deportivo Walter Ferretti against UNAN Managua, 51 minutes (6 August 2016)
 * Fastest goal in a match: 2 minutes
 * Remy Vanegas for Diriangen FC against Nandasmo F.C. (28 September 2016)
 * Goal scored at the latest point in a match: 93 minutes
 * Anderson Acosta for Deportivo Sebaco against Chinandega FC (17 August 2016)
 * First penalty Kick of the season: Rodrigo Valiente for Deportivo Walter Ferretti against UNAN Managua, 51 minutes (6 August 2016)
 * Widest winning margin: 10 goals
 * Juventus Managua 10–0 Nandasmo F.C. (26 October 2016)
 * First hat-trick of the season: Rudel Calero for Real Estelí F.C. against Nandasmo F.C. (21 September 2016)
 * First own goal of the season: Felix Rodriguez for UNAN Managua against Deportivo Walter Ferretti (21 September 2016)
 * Most goals in a match: 11 goals
 * Real Madriz 8–3 Nandasmo F.C. (4 September 2016)
 * Most goals by one team in a match: 10 goals
 * Juventus Managua 10–0 Nandasmo F.C. (26 October 2016)
 * Most goals in one half by one team: 7 goals
 * Juventus Managua 10–0 Nandasmo F.C. (26 October 2016)
 * Most goals scored by losing team: 3 goals
 * Real Madriz 8–3 Nandasmo F.C. (4 September 2016)
 * Most goals by one player in a single match: 4 goals
 * Rudel Calero for Real Estelí F.C. against Nandasmo F.C. (21 September 2016)

List of foreign players in the league
This is a list of foreign players in Apertura 2016. The following players:
 * 1) have played at least one apertura game for the respective club.
 * 2) have not been capped for the Nicaragua national football team on any level, independently from the birthplace

A new rule was introduced this year, that clubs can only have five foreign players in a squad.

Chinandega ✔
 * 🇨🇴 Marlon Barrios Orange x.svg
 * 🇨🇴 Bryan Cañate
 * 🇨🇴 Richard Junior Charris
 * 🇨🇴 Johan Hurtado
 * 🇨🇴 Yosimar Rivera
 * 🇭🇳 Christian Izaguirre

Diriangén ✔
 * 🇦🇷 Lucas Martella
 * 🇧🇷 Rafael Vieira
 * 🇨🇴 Erick Alcázar
 * 🇨🇴 Armando Valdéz Caicedo
 * 🇭🇳 Leonel Escoto

Juventus Managua ✔
 * 🇧🇷 Jose Pereira da Silva
 * 🇨🇴 Jorge Betancur
 * 🇨🇴 Deybran Blanco
 * 🇨🇴 Juan Esteban Ospina
 * 🇨🇴 Juan Diego Uribe

Managua ✔
 * 🇧🇷 Christiano da Lima
 * 🇨🇴 Marlon Barrios
 * 🇭🇳 Darwing Güity
 * 🇪🇸 Arán Pazos Balado
 * 🇻🇪 Genlis Piñero

Nandasmo
 * 🇨🇴 Cristian Ortega
 * 🇨🇴 Willer Alexander Rodriguez

(player released mid season)

Real Estelí ✔
 * 🇦🇷 Juan Berdún
 * 🇧🇷 Jonatas Ribeiro
 * 🇧🇷 Maycon Santana Orange x.svg
 * 🇨🇴 Jonathan Mosquera
 * 🇲🇽 Emilio López
 * 🇲🇽 Gregorio Torres

Real Madriz ✔
 * 🇨🇷 Eduardo Salas
 * 🇭🇳 Marel Steven Álvarez
 * 🇭🇳 Luis Valladarez
 * 🇻🇪 Edward Morillo
 * 🇻🇪 Karim Nasser

Sebaco
 * 🇨🇴 Evaristo González
 * 🇨🇴 Bryan Leal
 * 🇨🇴 Andrés Solarte

UNAN Managua ✔
 * 🇨🇴 Jonathan Donado
 * 🇨🇴 Luis Fernándo González
 * 🇨🇴 John Hernandez
 * 🇨🇴 Rodrigo Hernandez
 * 🇭🇳 Renan Lalin

Walter Ferretti ✔
 * 🇧🇷 Robinson Luiz da Silva
 * 🇧🇷 Pedro Augusto dos Santos Sousa
 * 🇭🇳 Allan Gutiérrez
 * 🇺🇾 Bernardo Laureiro
 * 🇺🇾 Rodrigo Valiente

Regular season
The regular season began on 2017. The top four finishers will move on to the next stage of the competition.

Scoring

 * First goal of the season: Bismarck Montiel for Managua F.C. against UNAN Managua, 29 minutes (27 January 2017)
 * First goal by a foreign player: 🇵🇦 Luis Martínez Rangel for UNAN Managua against Managua F.C., 64 minutes (27 January 2017)
 * Fastest goal in a match: 2 minutes
 * Alexis Chavez for Juventus Managua against Managua F.C. (3 February 2017)
 * Goal scored at the latest point in a match: 94 minutes
 * 🇨🇴 Alonso Umaña for Chinandega FC against Deportivo Walter Ferretti (11 March 2017)
 * First Penalty kick of the season: Bismarck Montiel for Managua F.C. against UNAN Managua, 29 minutes (27 January 2017)
 * Widest winning margin: 8 goals
 * UNAN Managua 10–2 Nandasmo F.C. (8 March 2017)
 * First hat-trick of the season: 🇲🇽 Gregorio Torres for Real Estelí F.C. against Nandasmo F.C. (11 February 2017)
 * First own goal of the season: Juan Narváez for Diriangén FC against Deportivo Walter Ferretti (12 February 2017)
 * Most goals in a match: 12 goals
 * UNAN Managua 10–2 Nandasmo F.C. (8 March 2017)
 * Most goals by one team in a match: 10 goals
 * UNAN Managua 10–2 Nandasmo F.C. (8 March 2017)
 * Most goals in one half by one team: 6 goals
 * UNAN Managua 10–2 Nandasmo F.C. (8 March 2017)
 * Most goals scored by losing team: 2 goals
 * UNAN Managua 10–2 Nandasmo F.C. (8 March 2017)
 * Most goals by one player in a single match: 4 goals
 * Daniel Reyes for UNAN Managua against Nandasmo F.C. (8 March 2017)

List of foreign players in the league
This is a list of foreign players in Clausura 2017. The following players:
 * 1) have played at least one apertura game for the respective club.
 * 2) have not been capped for the Nicaragua national football team on any level, independently from the birthplace

A new rule was introduced this year, that clubs can only have five foreign players in a squad.

Chinandega ✔
 * 🇨🇴 Erwin Cabrera
 * 🇨🇴 Bryan Cañate
 * 🇨🇴 Yosimar Rivera
 * 🇨🇴 Alonso Umaña
 * 🇭🇳 Christian Izaguirre

Diriangén
 * 🇨🇴 Erick Alcázar
 * 🇨🇴 Miguel Estrada
 * 🇨🇴 Armando Valdéz Caicedo
 * 🇭🇳 Arlis Andino

Juventus Managua
 * 🇨🇴 Deybran Blanco
 * 🇨🇴 Juan Esteban Ospina
 * 🇨🇴 Juan Diego Uribe
 * 🇨🇷 Kenneth Carvajal

Managua
 * 🇧🇷 Christiano da Lima
 * 🇧🇷 Thiago Lima da Silva
 * 🇨🇴 Marlon Barrios
 * 🇵🇾 Francisco Miranda

Nandasmo
 * 🇨🇴 Cristian Ortega
 * 🇨🇴 Camilo Quiñonez
 * 🇨🇴 Willer Alexander Rodriguez
 * 🇨🇴 Yilmar Salas

(player released mid season)

Real Estelí ✔
 * 🇧🇷 José Vagno Fontes dos Santos
 * 🇧🇷 Vitinho
 * 🇲🇽 Gerardo Aguilar
 * 🇲🇽 Juan Carlos López
 * 🇲🇽 Gregorio Torres

Real Madriz ✔
 * 🇭🇳 Marel Steven Álvarez
 * 🇭🇳 Grodbin Antonio Benítez Aguilar
 * 🇭🇳 Edwin Castro
 * 🇭🇳 Luis Valladarez
 * 🇻🇪 Edward Morillo

Sebaco ✔
 * 🇦🇷 Rodrigo de Brito
 * 🇦🇷 Axel Oyeras
 * 🇦🇷 Juan Sánchez
 * 🇵🇾 Jorge Darío Florentín
 * 🇻🇪 Miguel Leonardo Sosa González

UNAN Managua ✔
 * 🇨🇴 Rodrigo Hernández
 * 🇨🇴 Óscar Palomino
 * 🇭🇳 Renan Lalin
 * 🇵🇦 Luis Martínez Rangel
 * 🇵🇾 Ever Benítez

Walter Ferretti ✔
 * 🇧🇷 Robinson Luiz da Silva
 * 🇧🇷 Pedro Augusto dos Santos Sousa
 * 🇨🇴 Eder Munive
 * 🇭🇳 Allan Gutiérrez
 * 🇺🇾 Bernardo Laureiro

Championship playoff
As the winners of both the Apertura and Clausura tournaments, Real Estelí were declared the season champions without a playoff. It is their 14th league title.

Relegation playoff
The ninth place team in the aggregate table, Sebaco, played a two-leg playoff against the second place team from the Segunda División de Nicaragua, San Francisco, for one spot in next season's Primera División.

San Francisco won 3-2 on aggregate and are promoted to the Primera División. Sebaco are relegated to the Segunda División.