The 2016/17 season included the 107th and 108th edition of the Liga de Fútbol de Primera División , the highest Costa Rican soccer league. This season, as usual in recent years, two championships - Campeonato Banco Popular Invierno 2016 and Campeonato Banco Popular Verano 2017 - were played. The championship mode was changed for the first time in several years. An overall table is created from the results of both championships in order to determine the relegation to the Liga de Ascenso-Segunda División . Record champions Saprissa and Heredia were able to win their 33rd and 26th championship titles respectively and thus qualify for the CONCACAF Champions League 2018 . Alajuela and Guápiles qualified as the next best-placed teams for the first season of the newly created CONCACAF League .
The 2016/17 season was divided into the two seasons Campeonato Banco Popular Invierno 2016 and Campeonato Banco Popular Verano 2017 . The two championships are played in the following mode:
First, the twelve participating teams played the best four teams in a single round (return leg) in the "everyone against everyone" mode.
This was followed by a championship finals for the four best clubs, also in the "everyone against everyone" mode.
In the final, the best placed in the main round and the winner of the championship finals met to play off the champions.
From the main rounds of the two championships (Invierno and Verano) an overall table was created to determine the relegated team and the participants in the international competitions.
Special additional rule
In each squad (consisting of a maximum of 30 players) there may be a maximum of four foreigners.
All teams must allow U-21 players to play for at least 810 minutes. Clubs that do not adhere to this rule have to pay a fine of one million colones, all others are paid this sum as a bonus, the club with the most accumulated minutes even 3 million colones.
Attendees
Except for relegated CS Uruguay de Coronado , all eleven clubs from the previous season will continue to participate. New is AD San Carlos as a climber from the Liga de Ascenso-Segunda División . Of the seven Costa Rican provinces, only Puntarenas has no representative in the FPD; San José and Alajuela are most strongly represented with three clubs each. The city of Alajuela is home to two clubs (AD Carmelita and LD Alajuelense), which play their home games in the same stadium.