1981 Torneo Descentralizado
Introduction The '''1981 Torneo Descentralizado''' was the sixty-fifth season of Peruvian football. A total of 16 teams competed in the tournament. The season was divided into two phases. Melgar won its first national title and become the first club outside the Lima Region to win the title.
Format The national league was divided into two phases. The first phase divided the sixteen teams into groups. Each team was placed into one of four groups depending on the region where the club was located. This dubbed regional tournament was contested in this season because the Peru national football team was using domestic players in preparation for the 1982 World Cup Qualifiers. In order to reduce the impact of the absence of these key players in the national league, the regional tournament was played in which the winner contested the second berth to the 1982 Copa Libertadores against the Descentralizado runner-up. The second phase of the league was the Descentralizado in which all sixteen teams competed in a single league table and its winner was crowned national champion while its runner-up faced the first phase winner for the second berth of the Copa Libertadores.
Teams  Team City Stadium Capacity Field Alfonso Ugarte  Puno  Enrique Torres Belón 20,000  Grass Alianza Lima  La Victoria, Lima  Alejandro Villanueva35,000  Grass ADT  Tarma  Unión Tarma  Grass Atlético Chalaco  Callao  Miguel Grau 15,000 Grass Atlético Torino  Talara  Campeonísimo8,000  Grass CNI  Iquitos  Max Augustín  24,000  Grass Coronel Bolognesi  Tacna  Jorge Basadre 19,850  Grass Deportivo Junín  Huancayo  Huancayo 20,000  Grass Deportivo Municipal  Cercado de Lima  Nacional 45,750  Grass Juan Aurich  Chiclayo  Elías Aguirre 24,500 Grass León de Huánuco  Huánuco  Heraclio Tapia 15,000  Grass Melgar  Arequipa  Mariano Melgar 20,000  Grass Sport Boys  Callao  Miguel Grau 15,000 Grass Sporting Cristal Rímac, Lima   Nacional 45,750  Grass Unión Huaral  Huaral  Julio Lores Colan10,000  Grass Universitario  Breña, Lima   Nacional 45,750  Grass
Torneo Regional The Torneo Regional was divided into 4 groups. The groups of the North, South and Central had its group winners advance to a Provincial final group where the top two advanced to the semifinals of the regional tournament. In the Metropolitan group, the top two advanced directly to the semifinals.===Group stage===The North, Central, and South followed these rules:*2 points were given for a win;*1 point for a draw;*No points for a loss.====Grupo Norte=========Results=========Grupo Central=========Results=========Grupo Sur=========Results=========Final Provincial=========Results=========Grupo Metropolitano====This group had special rules. Matches ending in draws were decided by a penalty shootout. *3 points were given for a win;*2 points were given for a win after a penalty shootout;*1 point for a draw;*No points for a loss or loss after a penalty shootout.In addition, the top two of this group advanced to the semifinals.Team1Universitario1052031310+3'''19'''  8.0 '''27''' Fase Eliminatoria2Deportivo Municipal106013138+5'''18''' 7.5 '''25.5''' Fase Eliminatoria3Alianza Lima1061031310+3'''20'''  2.5 '''22.5'''4Atlético Chalaco103016812-4'''9''' 4.5 '''13.5'''5Sport Boys1031151215-3'''11''' 1.0 '''12'''6Sporting Cristal1021251014-4'''8'''  2.5 '''10.5'''* Alianza Lima did not advance to the semifinals due to a parallel reserve tournament that was favorable to Universitario (champion) and Deportivo Municipal (runner-up).=====Results========Fase Eliminatoria===*No winner in finals after two matches. Play-off was contested to determine winner.====Play-off====
Torneo Descentralizado ===Standings====== Results ======Copa Libertadores play-off===*No winner after two matches. Play-off was contested to determine winner.
External links * RSSSF Peru 1981