In 1891 Argentina was the first country outside the United Kingdom to establish a football league. In the early years, only teams from Buenos Aires and Rosario were affiliated to the national association. Teams from other cities would join in later years.
The Primera División turned professional in 1931 when 18 clubs broke away from the amateur leagues to form a professional one. Since then, the season has been contested annually in four different formats and calendars. The league has been under its current format since the 2014 season.
The Argentine championship was ranked in the top 10 as one of the strongest leagues in the world (for the 1st January 2015 – 31 December 2015 period) by the International Federation of Football History & Statistics (IFFHS). Argentina placed 4th after La Liga (Spain), Serie A (Italy) and Bundesliga (Germany).
As of 2016, five teams from Argentina are eligible to play the Copa Libertadores. The champion and runner-up of Primera División automatically qualify to play the tournament. The other teams that gain a place are the runner-up of Copa Argentina, the winner of "Liguilla Pre-Libertadores" (a small tournament played by teams placed 3rd. to 6th. in Primera División) and the Argentine representative best placed at Copa Sudamericana.
For Copa Sudamericana, six teams are elegible to play the tournament. Teams placed 7th. to 18th. in Primera División qualify to play the "Liguilla Pre-Sudamericana", where four teams will gain a place for Copa Sudamericana. The Supercopa Argentina champion and the runner-up of Liguilla Pre-Libertadores are also elegible to play the Cup.
