Football in El Salvador

The sport of football in the country of El Salvador is run by the Salvadoran Football Association. The association administers the national football team, as well as the Primera División de Fútbol de El Salvador, the top level in its league system. Football is the most popular sport in the country.

Football in El Salvador
CountryEl Salvador
Governing bodySalvadoran Football Association
National team(s)Men's national team
First played1862
National competitions
International competitions
CONCACAF Champions League
CONCACAF League
FIFA Club World Cup
CONCACAF Gold Cup (National Team)
CONCACAF Nations League (National Team)
FIFA World Cup (National Team)
CONCACAF Women's Championship (National Team)
FIFA Women's World Cup (National Team)

National team
Main article: El Salvador national football team
See also: Football War

El Salvador qualified for the FIFA World Cup twice in their history, in 1970 and 1982. On both occasions the team were eliminated in the first round after losing all three matches.

A qualifying match against Honduras for the 1970 tournament was so hotly contested that it was the spark that brought a state of war between El Salvador and Honduras. The conflict became known as the Football War.[1][2][3][4]

The 1982 tournament included a 10-1 mauling from Hungary that provided the most goals in a game in the history of the finals as well as equalling the record for winning margin.

Outside of the World Cup, El Salvador competes regularly at the CONCACAF Gold Cup and the UNCAF Nations Cup. However, their sole international triumph came in a regional competition, the 1943 CCCF Championship.[5]

League system

The main league competition in El Salvador is the Primera División de Fútbol de El Salvador. It is fed into by the Segunda División de Fútbol Salvadoreño which in turn is fed into by the Tercera Division de Fútbol Salvadoreño. The most successful team has been C.D. FAS with 18 league titles, followed by C.D. Águila with 14. The top Salvadorean clubs also participate in the CONCACAF Champions League, a competition won by Alianza F.C. in 1967 and C.D. Águila in 1976. Alianza and C.D. Platense Municipal Zacatecoluca have also won the defunct Copa Interclubes UNCAF once each.

Level League(s)/Division(s)
1 Primera División de Fútbol de El Salvador
12 clubs
↓↑ 1 club
2 Segunda División
24 clubs divided in 2 series of 12
↓↑ 2 clubs
3 Tercera Division
40 clubs divided in 4 series of 10

References
  1. "Salvador–Honduras War, 1969 The "Soccer War"". Airpower.maxwell.af.mil. 1969-06-08. Archived from the original on 2013-12-24. Retrieved 2014-08-04.
  2. "Ruling Ends Rift That Started 1969 'Soccer War' : Central America: World Court delivers its judgment in the old territorial dispute between El Salvador and Honduras. Both sides vow to respect the decision. - Los Angeles Times". Articles.latimes.com. 1997-10-31. Retrieved 2014-08-04.
  3. Jere Longman (1997-06-26). "Concerns Rise as U.S. Faces El Salvador and Its Fans - New York Times". El Salvador: Nytimes.com. Retrieved 2014-08-04.
  4. Krauze, Enrique (2014-06-16). "Meditations on the Beautiful Game". The New York Times.
  5. "CCCF Championship on RSSSF Archive". Rsssf.com. 2013-08-09. Archived from the original on April 19, 2012. Retrieved 2014-08-04.


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