The 2023 Primera División season, officially Liga de Fútbol Profesional Venezolano or Liga FUTVE, is the 67th season of the Venezuelan Primera División, the top-flight football league in Venezuela, and the 42nd season since the start of the professional era. The season began on 3 February and is scheduled to end on 25 November 2023.
Metropolitanos were the defending champions.
Format
The competition format for this season was announced by the Liga FUTVE on 31 January 2023. Similar to the previous season, the 15 participating clubs will take part in a double round-robin first stage in which they will play each other twice (once at home and once away) for a total of 28 games. The top four clubs, which will qualify for the 2024 Copa Libertadores, will also advance to a final stage where they will play each other twice with the top two teams playing a single-match final to decide the league champions. However, and unlike the previous season, no final stage to decide the teams qualified for the 2024 Copa Sudamericana will be played, with the four berths to that competition instead being awarded to the teams placing 5th to 8th in the first stage. The team placing last in the first stage will be relegated to Segunda División for the following season.
Teams
16 teams were expected to compete in the 2023 season, subject to the fulfillment of club licensing requirements: the top 15 teams in the first stage of the 2022 season as well as the 2022 Segunda División champions Angostura, who defeated Academia Anzoátegui in the Segunda División final on 16 October 2022. They replaced Aragua, who were relegated to Segunda División at the end of the previous season after finishing in bottom place.
On 12 December 2022, it was announced that Zulia and Segunda División side Deportivo Rayo Zuliano would merge, with the latter taking the former's place in the league. The merger was officially confirmed on 28 January 2023, with which Rayo Zuliano competed in the top flight for the first time ever in this season. Furthermore, two days later it was confirmed that Deportivo Lara would not take part in the season, ultimately bringing the number of participating teams down to 15.
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Stadia and locations
Personnel and kits
Managerial changes
Notes
First stage
The first stage started on 3 February and ended on 8 October 2023.
Standings
Results
Final stage
The top four teams in the first stage will contest the competition's final stage, playing each other twice. The top two teams will advance to the final and will also qualify for the group stage of the 2024 Copa Libertadores, whilst the third- and fourth-placed teams will qualify for the preliminary stages of the same competition.
Standings
Results
Final
The final match will be hosted by the finalist with the best performance in the first stage of the season.
Top goalscorers
{ | class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" ! Rank ! Player ! Club ! Goals |- |1 |align="left"| Luifer Hernández |align="left"|Academia Puerto Cabello |17 |- |2 |align="left"| Ade Oguns |align="left"|Caracas |12 |- |3 |align="left"| Richard Blanco |align="left"|Mineros de Guayana / Portuguesa |11 |- |rowspan=3|4 |align="left"| Franklin González |align="left"|Hermanos Colmenarez |rowspan=3|9 |- |align="left"| Saúl Guarirapa |align="left"|Caracas |- |align="left"| Ervin Zorrilla |align="left"|Estudiantes de Mérida |- |rowspan=4|7 |align="left"| Edder Farías |align="left"|Deportivo Táchira / Deportivo La Guaira |rowspan=4|8 |- |align="left"| Charlis Ortiz |align="left"|Metropolitanos |- |align="left"| Gonzalo Ritacco |align="left"|Deportivo Táchira |- |align="left"| Anthony Uribe |align="left"|Deportivo Táchira |} Source: Soccerway