The 2023 Argentine Primera Nacional, also known as the Campeonato de Primera Nacional "Campeones del Mundo" 2023,[1] was the 39th season of the Primera Nacional, the second-tier competition of Argentine football. The season began on 3 February and ended on 2 December 2023. Thirty-seven teams competed in the league, thirty-three of which took part in the 2022 season, along with two teams relegated from Primera División, one team promoted from Torneo Federal A and another one promoted from Primera B Metropolitana.
Independiente Rivadavia promoted to Primera División and won the competition for the first time in this season, defeating Almirante Brown 2–0 after extra time in the championship final played on 29 October 2023.[2] The other promoted side was Deportivo Riestra, who won the Torneo Reducido after defeating Deportivo Maipú in the final.[3]
For this season, the competition was played under a format similar to the one used for the 2021 season, with the thirty-seven participating teams being split into two zones, one of 19 teams and another one of 18 teams, where they played against the other teams in their group twice: once at home and once away, with one team in Zone A having a bye in each round. No interzonal or derby matchdays were played, and teams from the same city were drawn into different zones. Both zone winners played a final match on neutral ground to decide the first promoted team to the Liga Profesional for the 2024 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, which joined the Reducido in the second round. The teams placing in bottom place of each zone were relegated at the end of the season, with a third relegated team slated to be decided in a playoff match between the sides placing second-from-bottom in each group.[4] However, the third relegation from Primera Nacional and consequently, the relegation playoffs, were cancelled by the Argentine Football Association on 23 October 2023 in order to have a 38-team competition for 2024.[5]
This tournament also served as part of the qualification process for the 2024 Copa Argentina, qualifying 15 teams for that competition: the top 7 teams in each group plus the best eighth-placed one.[6] The draw to decide the fixture of the season was held on 29 December 2022 at the Argentine Football Association's Ezeiza offices.[1]
Since Almagro and San Telmo ended up tied in points for 18th place, a tiebreaker match would be played to decide the team that would play the relegation play-off. Since the third relegation from the league was voided, this match was cancelled.
The top-ranked teams of each zone played a match on neutral ground to decide the champions and the first team promoted to Primera División. The losing team entered the Torneo Reducido in the second round.
The teams placing second to eighth place in each zone, along with the loser of the championship final play the Torneo Reducido for the second and last promotion berth to Primera División, in which teams were seeded in each round according to their final placement in the first stage of the tournament. The first round was played over a single leg, at the stadium of the higher-seeded team. The second round (in which the championship final loser entered the Reducido) and the semi-finals were played over two legs, with the higher-seeded team hosting the second leg, whilst the final was played as a single match on neutral ground. In all rounds except for the final, the higher-seeded team advanced in case of a tie, with extra time and a penalty shoot-out set to be played in case of a draw in the final.[9]
The winner was the second and last team promoted to Primera División for the 2024 season.
The teams placing second-from-bottom in each zone would play a match on neutral ground to decide the third and last relegated team. The losing team would be relegated to Primera B Metropolitana or Torneo Federal A according to their affiliation to AFA. Since the third relegation from the league was voided, this match was cancelled.
Fifteen Primera Nacional teams qualified for the round of 32 of the 2024 Copa Argentina, which were the top seven teams of each zone and the best eighth-placed team at the end of the season, which was selected according to points earned per game, goal difference, goals scored, and a drawing of lots if needed.[6]
