The 2020 Liga 2 (Peru) was the 75th edition of the Peruvian second-tier football league. Organized by the Peruvian Football Federation (FPF), the competition serves as the direct promotion path to the Liga 1, Peru's top professional football division. The 2020 season was significantly impacted and altered due to the global COVID-19 pandemic.
Background: Typically, Liga 2 features a traditional home-and-away format spanning several months. However, the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in Peru led to a nationwide lockdown and the suspension of all sporting activities in March 2020. This necessitated a complete re-evaluation and restructuring of the league format to ensure its completion within safety protocols.
Competition Format (2020 Season): To mitigate the risks associated with travel and congregation, the FPF implemented a modified, shortened tournament. All matches were played in a centralized venue in Lima, primarily at the Estadio San Marcos and the Estadio Alberto Gallardo, without spectators. The format consisted of:
- Regular Season: Ten teams participated in a single round-robin tournament. Each team played every other team once, totaling nine matches per team.
- Play-offs: Upon completion of the regular season, the top four teams qualified for a two-round play-off stage.
- Semifinals: The 1st placed team played the 4th placed team, and the 2nd placed team played the 3rd placed team. These were single-leg matches.
- Final: The winners of the semifinals contested a single-leg final match to determine the champion and the direct promotion spot to Liga 1.
- Promotion Play-off: The runner-up of Liga 2 then participated in an additional promotion play-off match against the 17th placed team from Liga 1 to determine the final spot in the top division for the following season.
- Relegation: Due to the exceptional circumstances of the pandemic, no teams were relegated from Liga 2 at the end of the 2020 season.
Participants: The 2020 Liga 2 comprised ten teams:
- Alianza Atlético
- Sport Chavelines
- Deportivo Coopsol
- Comerciantes Unidos
- Cultural Santa Rosa (Los Chankas)
- Juan Aurich
- Santos FC
- Sportloreto
- Unión Huaral
- Universidad César Vallejo (excluded before the start of the tournament due to administrative issues, reducing the number of participants from 12 to 10 for actual play)
Season Outcome: The 2020 Liga 2 champion, gaining direct promotion to the 2021 Liga 1, was Alianza Atlético. The runner-up, Sport Chavelines, advanced to the promotion play-off against Carlos Stein (17th placed in Liga 1). Sport Chavelines lost this play-off match, meaning they remained in Liga 2 for the 2021 season.
The season, while challenging to organize and execute, successfully concluded, allowing for promotion to the top tier despite the significant disruptions caused by the global health crisis.