Football tournament
The Copa Bicentenario is a football competition in Peru played by the football clubs of the Liga 1 and Liga 2. It was founded in 2019 by the Peruvian Football Federation and is played as a domestic football cup competition between clubs of the first and second division. It is named after the bicentennial of Peruvian Independence.
Sporting Cristal are the current defending champions.
History
In Peru, there has never been a championship with the exception of the Copa de Campeones del Perú which was formed in 1919. Many attempts were made to crate a championship for both Liga 1 and Liga 2 teams but all have been kept active. The Copa Bicentenario was the first championship formed, along with the Supercopa Peruana to give teams more competition. The tournament was named after the "Bicentennial" in honor of the bicentennial of Peruvian Independence in 1821.
Due to the 2019 Copa América, at the end of the 2019 Liga 1's Apertura, the tournament was played, with the participation of the 18 teams of the Liga 1, and 12 teams of the Liga 2. The winners qualified for the 2020 Copa Sudamericana. The tournament uses a Group Stage round-robin system, where the top two teams of each group advance to the knockout stage. Liga 1 champions, Sporting Cristal lost to Liga 2 team, Atlético Grau. Suprisingly, Atletico Grau won the tournament, defeating Sport Huancayo. They would later be promoted to the Liga 1.
In 2020, the Copa Bicentenario was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[1] Unlike the Group Stage round-robin format of the first edition, the tournament changed to a bracket system with two rounds. The first round was between all teams, in which the winners advance to the final round, another bracket starting off with the Round of 16. Defending champions of the 2020 Liga 1, Sporting Cristal won the tournament. On August 23, it was announced that the Copa Bicentenario was canceled due to the reforms of Peruvian football by the FPF.[2]
Due to the 2024 Copa América, at the end of the 2024 Liga 1's Apertura, the Copa Bicentenario will be played once again, with the participation of the 18 teams of the Liga 1, and 18 teams of the Liga 2. The winners will qualify for the 2025 Copa Sudamericana.
Peru
2024 season
