Primera Nacional, (usually called simply Nacional B, (English "National B Division"), and known as Primera B Nacional until the 2019–20 season)La AFA le cambió el nombre a la Primera B Nacional, Infobae, 10 Jul 2019La Primera B Nacional renueva su formato, Diario Uno, 10 Jul 2019 popularly known as La B (The B), is the second division of the Argentine football league system. The competition is made up of 38 teams.
It is played by teams from all over the country. Clubs from Buenos Aires surroundings, as well as some from Santa Fe Province, are promoted from or relegated to the Primera B Metropolitana ("Metropolitan B Division") while for teams from the other provinces the Torneo Federal A ("Federal A Tournament") is the next level down. In Argentine football, Primera Nacional is the second-highest league, and from it, the three best teams are automatically promoted to Primera División.
Primera B Nacional games are often transmitted to Argentina and abroad on television by TyC Sports.
History It was created in 1986 to integrate unaffiliated clubs into the Argentine football structure, which until then had only participated in Nacional championships of Argentina's First Division tournament. It brought together teams from the old Primera B (until then, the second division) and regional leagues from several Argentine provinces.
After the 1985–86 season, the Primera B Nacional became the second hierarchical league in Argentina's professional football, after the Primera División, and it is above the Torneo Federal A and the Primera B Metropolitana, the last one started to act as a third division for the teams directly affiliated to AFA.
Beginning in the 2019–20 season, the name was changed dropping the B to simply be known as Primera Nacional.
Format
Thirty-six participating teams split into two zones of 18 teams, where they played against the other teams in their group twice: once at home and once away. However, interzonal matches between rival teams were played, although rival sides were still paired together for the season draw and drawn into different zones. Both zone winners played a final match on neutral ground to decide the first promoted team to the top flight for the following season, while the teams placed from second to eighth place in each zone played a knockout tournament (Torneo Reducido) for the second promotion berth along with the loser of the final between the zone winners. Four teams were relegated to the third-tier leagues, those being the bottom two teams from each zone.
List of champions Since the first season held in 1986–87, the following teams have crowned champions of the division:List of Argentine second division champions at RSSSF In case of championships defined by final, they are indicated. Ed.SeasonChampionRunner-upThird Place 1986–87 Deportivo Armenio Banfield Belgrano (C) 1987–88 Deportivo Mandiyú QuilmesCipolletti 1988–89 Chaco For Ever Lanús Unión 1989–90 Huracán QuilmesDouglas Haig 1990–91 Quilmes Atlético Tucumán Belgrano (C) 1991–92 Lanús Almirante Brown Colón 1992–93 Banfield ColónGimnasia y Tiro 1993–94 Gimnasia y Esgrima (J) Quilmes San Martin (T) 1994–95 Estudiantes (LP) Atlético de RafaelaColón 1995–96 Huracán (C) Talleres (C)Atlético Tucumán 1996–97 Argentinos Juniors Talleres (C) Godoy Cruz 1997–98 Talleres (C) Belgrano (C) No third-place awarded 1998–99 Instituto Chacarita Juniors No third-place awarded 1999–00 Huracán QuilmesNo third-place awarded 2000–01 Banfield QuilmesNo third-place awarded 2001–02 Olimpo QuilmesSan Martín (M) 2002–03 Atlético de Rafaela Argentinos Juniors Quilmes 2003–04 Instituto (C) Almagro Huracán (TA) 2004–05 Tiro Federal Gimnasia y Esgrima (J) Huracán 2005–06 Godoy Cruz Nueva Chicago Belgrano (C) 2006–07 Olimpo San Martín (SJ) Huracán 2007–08 San Martín (T) Godoy CruzUnión 2008–09 Atlético Tucumán Chacarita JuniorsAtlético de Rafaela 2009–10 Olimpo Quilmes Atlético de Rafaela 2010–11 Atlético de Rafaela Unión San Martín (SJ) 2011–12 River Plate Quilmes Instituto 2012–13 Rosario Central Gimnasia y Esgrima (LP) Olimpo 2013–14 Banfield Defensa y Justicia Independiente 2014 2015 Atlético Tucumán Patronato Ferro Carril Oeste 2016 Talleres (C) Chacarita Juniors Gimnasia y Esgrima (J) 2016–17 Argentinos Juniors Chacarita Juniors Guillermo Brown 2017–18 Aldosivi Almagro San Martin (T) 2018–19 Arsenal Sarmiento (J) Nueva Chicago 2019–20 2020 Sarmiento (J) Estudiantes (RC) No third-place awarded 2021 Tigre Barracas Central No third-place awarded 2022 Belgrano Instituto San Martín (T) 2023 Independiente Rivadavia Almirante Brown No third-place awarded 2024 Aldosivi San Martín (T) No third-place awarded 2025 Gimnasia y Esgrima (M) Deportivo Madryn No third-place awarded Notes
Titles by club ClubTitlesSeasons won Banfield 1992–93, 2000–01, 2013–14 Olimpo 2001–02, 2006–07, 2009–10 Talleres (C) 1997–98, 2016 Atlético Tucumán 2008–09, 2015 Atlético de Rafaela 2002–03, 2010–11 Argentinos Juniors 1996–97, 2016–17 Aldosivi 2017–18, 2024 Huracán 1989–90, 1999–00 Instituto 1998–99, 2003–04 Deportivo Armenio — 1986–87 Deportivo Mandiyú — 1987–88 Chaco For Ever 1988–89 Quilmes 1990–91 Lanús 1991–92 Gimnasia y Esgrima (J) 1993–94 Estudiantes (LP) — 1994–95 Huracán (C) — 1995–96 Tiro Federal — 2004–05 Godoy Cruz 2005–06 San Martín (T) 1 2007–08 River Plate — 2011–12 Rosario Central — 2012–13 Arsenal 2018–19 Sarmiento (J) 2020 Tigre — 2021 Belgrano 2022 Independiente Rivadavia 2023 Gimnasia y Esgrima (M) 2025
Seasons in Primera Nacional
Club/s Seasons Instituto Atlético de Rafaela Quilmes Chacarita Juniors, Gimnasia y Esgrima (J), Nueva Chicago Ferro Carril Oeste San Martín (SJ), San Martín (T) Defensa y Justicia All Boys, Almagro Almirante Brown, Atlético Tucumán Independiente Rivadavia, Los Andes Deportivo Morón Belgrano (C), Douglas Haig Aldosivi Unión (SF), Tigre Atlanta, Godoy Cruz, Temperley, Villa Dálmine Arsenal, Chaco For Ever, Colón, Defensores de Belgrano, Huracán Banfield, Deportivo Maipú, Estudiantes (BA), Guillermo Brown, Olimpo Brown (A), Central Córdoba (R), Racing (C), Sportivo Italiano, Talleres (C) Agropecuario, Boca Unidos, Central Córdoba (SdE), Cipolletti, Mitre (SdE), Patronato, Platense, Santamarina, Sarmiento (J) Comisión de Actividades Infantiles, Gimnasia y Esgrima (M), Gimnasia y Tiro, Juventud Antoniana, San Martín (M), Talleres (RE) El Porvenir Alvarado, Estudiantes (RC), Gimnasia y Esgrima (CdU), San Miguel, Tiro Federal (R) Almirante Brown (A), Deportivo Riestra, Güemes (SdE), San Telmo, Tristán Suárez Argentinos Juniors, Crucero del Norte, Deportivo Madryn, Huracán (TA), Laferrere, Lanús, Deportivo Merlo, Estudiantes (SL), Flandria, Guaraní Antonio Franco, Juventud Unida (G), Villa Mitre Atlético Paraná, Barracas Central, Ben Hur, Central Norte, Defensores Unidos, Deportivo Español, Huracán Corrientes, Rosario Central, Sportivo Belgrano Deportivo Armenio, Colegiales, Deportivo Mandiyú, Ferro Carril Oeste (GP), Gimnasia y Esgrima (LP), Ituzaingó Acassuso, Atlético Concepción, Argentino (R), Ciudad de Bolívar, Desamparados, Estación Quequén, Estudiantes (LP), Ferrocarril Midland, General Paz Juniors, Independiente, Juventud Unida Universitario, River Plate, Sacachispas, Unión (MdP), Unión de Villa Krause, Villa San Carlos
Top scorers
SeasonPlayerTeamGoals 1986–87 José Raúl Iglesias Huracán 36 1987–88 Daniel Leani Quilmes 24 1988–89 Daniel Aquino Banfield 24 Sergio Recchiutti Almirante Brown 1989–90 Juan Almada Defensa y Justicia 20 Abel Blasón Quilmes 1990–91 Roberto Oste Defensa y Justicia 24 1991–92 Carlos CardozoAlmirante Brown 26 1992–93 Miguel Amaya Gimnasia y Tiro (S) 21 1993–94 Dante Fernández Quilmes 29 1994–95 Alejandro Abaurre Godoy Cruz 29 1995–96 Adrián Czornomaz Los Andes 22 1996–97 Eduardo Bennett Argentinos Juniors 23 1997–98 Alejandro Glaría Banfield 30 1998–99 Adrián Czornomaz Atlético Tucumán 26 1999–00 Gastón Casas Huracán 30 2000–01 Daniel Jiménez Instituto 23 2001–02 Diego Ceballos Gimnasia y Esgrima (CdU) 26 2002–03 Daniel Giménez Godoy Cruz 13 Diego Torres Quilmes 2003–04 Julio Bevacqua Comisión de Actividades Infantiles 13 2004–05 Rubén Ramírez Tiro Federal 15 2005–06 Daniel Bazán Vera Unión (SF) 18 2006–07 Ismael Blanco Olimpo 29 2007–08 Cristian Milla Chacarita Juniors 20 Leandro Zárate Unión 2008–09 Luis Rodríguez Atlético Tucumán 20 2009–10 Leandro Armani Tiro Federal 19 2010–11 César Carignano Atlético de Rafaela 21 2011–12 Gonzalo Castillejos Rosario Central 26 2012–13 Luis Rodríguez Atlético Tucumán 20 2013–14 Juan M. Lucero Defensa y Justicia 24 2014 Ramón Ábila Huracán 9 Nicolás Mazzola Instituto (C) 2015 Fernando Zampedri Juventud Unida (G) 2016 Germán Lesman All Boys 2016–17 Rodrigo Salinas Chacarita Juniors 2017–18 Jonathan Herrera Deportivo Riestra / Ferro Carril Oeste 13 2018–19 Patricio Cucchi Gimnasia y Esgrima (M) 15 2019–20 Pablo Magnín Sarmiento (J) 2020 Claudio Bieler Atlético Rafaela 2021 Pablo Magnín Tigre 2022 Pablo Vegetti Belgrano (C) 2023 Álex Arce Independiente Rivadavia 2024 Agustín Lavezzi Tristán Suárez 2025 Alejandro Gagliardi Agropecuario
Notes
References
External links
Ascenso del Interior Interior Futbolero Promiedos Soccerway