The main exceptions to this system occur in some Latin American leagues, which divide football championships into two sections named Apertura and Clausura ( Spanish for Opening and Closing ), awarding a champion for each.

For the top-flight Argentine Primera División, there is no playoff between the Apertura and Clausura winner.

There is no playoff between the Apertura and Clausura winner.

* Primera División: 1993 Clausura, 1995 Apertura, 1996 Clausura, 1998 Clausura

:: AAF 1919, AAF 1920, AAF 1923, AAF 1924, AAF 1926, 1930, 1931, 1934, 1935, 1940, 1943, 1944, 1954, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1969 Nacional, 1970 Nacional, 1976 Metropolitano, 1976 Nacional, 1981 Metropolitano, 1992 Apertura, 1998 Apertura, 1999 Clausura, 2000 Apertura, 2003 Apertura, 2005 Apertura, 2006 Clausura, 2008 Apertura, 2011 Apertura

The Boca Juniors women's football team plays in the Campeonato de Fútbol Femenino and have won the championship a record 19 times of which 10 were in succession from the 2003 Apertura to the 2008 Clausura.

* Campeonato de Fútbol Femenino ( 20 ): 1992, 1998, 1999, 2000 *, 2001 Apertura, 2002 Clausura, 2003 Apertura, 2004 Clausura, 2004 Apertura, 2005 Clausura, 2005 Apertura, 2006 Clausura, 2006 Apertura, 2007 Clausura, 2007 Apertura, 2008 Clausura, 2009 Apertura, 2010 Apertura, 2011 Clausura and 2011 Apertura

In the Americas, leagues are often organised as either multi-stage tournaments or separate Apertura and Clausura stages.

They are the nation's most successful team, having won the domestic league 29 times ; their most recent title came in the 2011 Apertura tournament.

The club was founded in 1912, and are the nation's most successful team having won 25 domestic league titles ( their latest being the 2011-12 Apertura ).

The two most successful managers in the club history are Conrado Miranda ( 1959, 1975, 1976 ) and Argentinian Hugo Coria ( Apertura 1999, Apertura 2000, Clausura 2001 ) with three titles each, Juan Francisco Barraza ( 1972, 1983 ) and Victor Manuel Ochoa ( 1963, 1964 ) with two titles each, while Honduran Carlos Padilla ( 1960 ), Brazilian Zózimo Alves Calazáns ( 1968 ), Chilean Hernán Carrasco Vivanco ( 1986 ) and Serbian-Salvadoran Vladan Vićević ( Clausura 2006 ) won one title each.

Light-green-countries with Apertura and Clausura tournaments during calendar year ; Orange-countries with Apertura and Clausura starting in the second half of calendar year and finishing at the first half of following year ; Number 1 shows countries where the Apertura and Clausura are only parts of a larger tournament.

The Apertura and Clausura tournaments are a relatively recent innovation for many Latin American football leagues in which the traditional European football season from August to May is divided in two sections per season, each with its own champion.

The places of Copa Libertadores are allocated to the champions of Apertura and Clausura of the previous season, as well as the three best teams which have gained the highest number of points considering the combined table of Apertura and Clausura, besides the two champions.

The champions of previous season's Apertura and Clausura, and the Apertura of the same season are also eligible to play in Copa Libertadores.

The Primera División uses the Apertura and Clausura format, which is the standard in Latin American football, consisting of two championships or tournaments per season ( seasons are one-year long ): Apertura is the name of the championship or tournament that opens the season, Clausura is the championship or tournament that closes it, and relegations and promotions from the lower tiers are defined at ( or just after ) the ending of each Clausura.

The qualification for the Copa Libertadores follows an irregular criterion: the most successful teams are not defined on a season basis ( mid-year to mid-year ), but on a calendar year basis instead, taking into account the Clausura championship of the previous season and the Apertura championship of the current one.

Originally only featuring the Spanish leagues, later versions were developed for Italy ( PC Calcio ) and Argentina ( PC Fútbol Apertura and Clausura ).

Monterrey has 3 top scorers the most in Nuevo León teams with Francisco Javier Cruz 14 Goals in " México 86 " who gave the first championship to Rayados, Guillermo Franco 15 Goals in " Apertura 2004 " and helped get the second championship in clausura 2003 and later on goin to a club in Spain called Villareal C. F, Humberto Suazo 13 Goals in " Clausura 2008 " who gave the third championship for the strip ones in Apertura 2009 and also in CONMEBOL's the top scorer of the 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification with 10 goals, one ahead Brazilian striker Luís Fabiano.

Before the trial, he was elected to the Senate of Venezuela for his native State of Táchira, on the ticket of his newly founded party, Movimiento de Apertura y Participación Nacional ( Apertura ), thus gaining immunity from prosecutions.

San Lorenzo finished the Clausura 2001 with 47 points in a tournament of 19 matches, setting the record for the highest points haul since the inception of the Apertura and Clausura system in 1990.

They loaned him out to Huachipato in 1998, then brought him back, and he became the starting goalkeeper for the club, playing in the Copa Libertadores, and winning the Apertura 2002 Championship.

After missing the playoffs for three straight tournaments, Morelia ended up in third place in the general table in the Apertura 2009.

Arsenal finished 5th in both the Apertura and Clausura of the 2006 – 07 season, which gave it enough points to claim a place in the Copa Libertadores 2008, the first time in their history that Arsenal qualified for South America's premier club tournament.

Hopes were renewed for the Apertura 2009, due to the signings of talented striker Andrés Silvera, Carlos Matheu, Ignacio Piatti, and other 5 first level players.

The Apertura 2010 saw a very poor campaign for Independiente.

After an average campaign on Apertura 2011, Independiente managed to qualify for Copa Sudamericana 2012.

In the last day of the Apertura, several teams played for a spot in Copa Libertadores 2012, these teams were Tigre, Racing Club, Independiente and Godoy Cruz.

During the course of a given season ( Apertura or Clausura ), each club plays every other club twice, once at home and once away, for a total of 18 games.

In 1998, league officials decided to change the league format from a year long tournament to an Apertura / Clausura schedule, with the hope that it would garner more interest in the league and give a chance for its player to rest between seasons.

On the other hand, in the leagues of Nicaragua, Peru, Uruguay and Venezuela, the winners of the Apertura and Clausura play each other in a playoff for the season title, or there is a final stage where teams qualify based on placements in the Apertura and Clausura.

In 2001 Oriente renovated player, and that was one of the most important year for the club because in the Torneo Apertura 2 Oriente end up in the second place but Oriente and Bolivar ( 1st ).

In the La Liga Torneo Apertura Oriente finished third place, so Oriente missed a chance to qualify for Copa Sudamericana, in the Torneo Clausura Oriente finished second and in the aggregate table Oriente and The Strongest drawn the same point so they played two games.

* 1993: The Apertura 1993 was highly competitive, and surprisingly found Lanús battling for the tournament.

In the Apertura, after an irregular start, Lanús finished 1st and for the first time in their history won a local title.

The team closed the Apertura 2010 tournament of the Primera División de México ( Mexico's 1st division ), failing to make the " liguilla ".

In the Apertura 2008 he returned to Mexico where he played with Club Leon in the Primera " A ".

After each Clausura, the two teams with the lowest points-per-game total for the previous six tournaments ( three years, counting only Primera División games ) are relegated to Primera B Nacional to be replaced by that league's champion and runner-up teams ; the two teams immediately above contest promotion / relegation series with the third and fourth places in Primera B Nacional, counted by its aggregate table.

At the end of each Clausura, around the middle of each year, the most successful teams of the whole season qualify to play in the Copa Sudamericana, and the least successful teams of the last three seasons ( i. e., a period of three years instead of one ) are either relegated to the second tier, or compelled to play two additional end-season matches with a team of the second tier ( Primera B Nacional league ) in an away and home format, wherein the winner after these two matches gains the right to play the next season in the Primera División, and the loser is condemned to the second tier.

After each Clausura, the team with the lowest points-per-game total for the previous six tournaments ( three years, counting only Liga MX games ) is relegated to Ascenso MX to be replaced by that league's champion ( if eligible ).

This kit was reintroduced for the 1996 Clausura tournament, and for the debut game of the Copa Libertadores in 1998, in a 2 – 1 success over rivals Nacional.

In 2007, San Lorenzo won the First Division League, Clausura 2007 beating Boca Juniors in the race for the title.

He was renowned for his extraordinary vision and was instrumental in Los Leones's 2007 / 08 Clausura triumph, his performances also securing him the player of the season award.

After a poor performance in the 2006 FIFA Club World Cup, América started the Clausura 2007 off on a slow start, but quickly recovered and qualified for the playoffs, beating Atlas and Chivas in the quarter and semi-finals.

He ended the Clausura 2011 with an 8-1-5 record for him.

As the city stadium will host the 2011 Copa América, it is expected to reopen in time for the 2011 Clausura.

Pavón has played for Morelia in the Mexican Primera División, winning the 2000 Clausura with the club.

* 2006: With young players based from their youth academy, Lanús finished sub-champions for the 3rd time in their history in the Clausura.