The most successful club is Olimpia, with 40 championships. The Apertura 2015 champion was Cerro Porteño. IFFHS ranked the league as the ninth strongest in the world in 2012,[1] and the eleventh strongest in the world in 2013.
The Primera División was founded in 1906 with 5 teams, and turned professional in 1935 when 10 clubs broke away from the amateur leagues to form a professional league. Since 1996 the format of tournament was changed to Torneo Apertura and Clausura, but since 2008 each tournament is independent.
Traditionally, the dominance of Olimpia and Cerro Porteño went mostly unchallenged for decades. All of this changed at the turn of the 21st century. Since then, Libertad has been the most dominant club, while Nacional and Guarani have also experienced success at the local level.
