| Season | 1977 |
|---|---|
| Dates | 13 February 1977 – 22 January 1978 |
| Champions | Alianza Lima |
| Relegated | Cienciano |
| Copa Libertadores | Alianza Lima Sporting Cristal |
← 1976 1978 → | |
The 1977 Torneo Descentralizado, the top category of Peruvian football (soccer), was played by 16 teams. The national champion was Alianza Lima.
The season was divided into 3 stages. The Preliminary Tournament contested in two groups (home and away matches plus 2 inter-group matches); each group winner qualified for the Championship Group. The second stage was the Descentralised (league tournament); the top 4 qualified for the Championship Group and the bottom two played for relegation. Championship Group was contested by 6 teams in home and away matches; teams carried their Descentralised Tournament record. Although finishing fifth in Descentralised, Universitario qualified for Championship Group, as Alianza had already qualified in Preliminary Tournament. Municipal and Cienciano played a third relegation playoff on a neutral ground, as each team won one match after home and away matches.
Teams
| Team | City | Stadium | Capacity | Field |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alfonso Ugarte | Puno | Enrique Torres Belón | 20,000 | Grass |
| Alianza Lima | La Victoria, Lima | Alejandro Villanueva | 35,000 | Grass |
| Atlético Chalaco | Callao | Miguel Grau | 15,000 | Grass |
| Cienciano | Cusco | Garcilaso | 40,000 | Grass |
| CNI | Iquitos | Max Augustín | 24,000 | Grass |
| Coronel Bolognesi | Tacna | Jorge Basadre | 19,850 | Grass |
| Defensor Lima | Breña, Lima | Nacional | 45,750 | 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 Colan | 10,000 | Grass |
| Universitario | Breña, Lima | Nacional | 45,750 | Grass |
Torneo Interzonal
Group A
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alianza Lima | 16 | 10 | 2 | 4 | 35 | 25 | +10 | 22 | Liguilla Final |
| 2 | CNI | 16 | 7 | 7 | 2 | 30 | 20 | +10 | 21 | |
| 3 | Sport Boys | 16 | 7 | 6 | 3 | 31 | 23 | +8 | 20 | |
| 4 | Sporting Cristal | 16 | 7 | 4 | 5 | 29 | 24 | +5 | 18 | |
| 5 | Deportivo Junín | 16 | 6 | 4 | 6 | 26 | 23 | +3 | 16 | |
| 6 | Melgar | 16 | 6 | 3 | 7 | 14 | 22 | −8 | 15 | |
| 7 | Alfonso Ugarte | 16 | 5 | 3 | 8 | 21 | 25 | −4 | 13 | |
| 8 | Defensor Lima | 16 | 1 | 2 | 13 | 19 | 42 | −23 | 4 |
Group B
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Coronel Bolognesi | 16 | 7 | 5 | 4 | 17 | 10 | +7 | 19 | Liguilla Final |
| 2 | Unión Huaral | 16 | 6 | 7 | 3 | 18 | 12 | +6 | 19 | |
| 3 | Juan Aurich | 16 | 6 | 7 | 3 | 18 | 13 | +5 | 19 | |
| 4 | Universitario | 16 | 7 | 4 | 5 | 16 | 15 | +1 | 18 | |
| 5 | Atlético Chalaco | 16 | 5 | 6 | 5 | 21 | 19 | +2 | 16 | |
| 6 | León de Huánuco | 16 | 5 | 4 | 7 | 15 | 15 | 0 | 14 | |
| 7 | Deportivo Municipal | 16 | 3 | 5 | 8 | 18 | 23 | −5 | 11 | |
| 8 | Cienciano | 16 | 3 | 5 | 8 | 12 | 28 | −16 | 11 |
Torneo Descentralizado
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | CNI | 30 | 14 | 11 | 5 | 39 | 26 | +13 | 39 | Liguilla Final |
| 2 | Melgar | 30 | 13 | 13 | 4 | 38 | 27 | +11 | 39 | |
| 3 | Sporting Cristal | 30 | 14 | 9 | 7 | 52 | 28 | +24 | 37 | |
| 4 | Alianza Lima | 30 | 13 | 11 | 6 | 59 | 40 | +19 | 37 | |
| 5 | Universitario | 30 | 11 | 10 | 9 | 44 | 40 | +4 | 32 | |
| 6 | Coronel Bolognesi | 30 | 11 | 9 | 10 | 33 | 33 | 0 | 31 | |
| 7 | Sport Boys | 30 | 13 | 5 | 12 | 37 | 48 | −11 | 31 | |
| 8 | Atlético Chalaco | 30 | 9 | 11 | 10 | 43 | 40 | +3 | 29 | |
| 9 | Unión Huaral | 30 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 44 | 53 | −9 | 28 | |
| 10 | Deportivo Junín | 30 | 10 | 8 | 12 | 41 | 53 | −12 | 28 | |
| 11 | Defensor Lima | 30 | 9 | 8 | 13 | 48 | 52 | −4 | 26 | |
| 12 | Alfonso Ugarte | 30 | 9 | 8 | 13 | 43 | 47 | −4 | 26 | |
| 13 | Juan Aurich | 30 | 7 | 12 | 11 | 31 | 37 | −6 | 26 | |
| 14 | León de Huánuco | 30 | 10 | 6 | 14 | 35 | 47 | −12 | 26 | |
| 15 | Deportivo Municipal | 30 | 7 | 10 | 13 | 36 | 46 | −10 | 24 | Relegation play-off |
| 16 | Cienciano | 30 | 6 | 9 | 15 | 21 | 37 | −16 | 21 |
Relegation play-off
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Deportivo Municipal | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 3 | +2 | 4 | |
| 2 | Cienciano | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 5 | −2 | 2 | 1978 Copa Perú |
Liguilla Final
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alianza Lima | 40 | 19 | 14 | 7 | 82 | 50 | +32 | 52 | 1978 Copa Libertadores |
| 2 | Sporting Cristal | 40 | 19 | 11 | 10 | 74 | 40 | +34 | 49 | 1978 Copa Libertadores |
| 3 | Melgar | 40 | 17 | 14 | 9 | 51 | 42 | +9 | 48 | |
| 4 | CNI | 40 | 16 | 15 | 9 | 49 | 45 | +4 | 47 | |
| 5 | Coronel Bolognesi | 40 | 15 | 11 | 14 | 45 | 47 | −2 | 41 | |
| 6 | Universitario | 40 | 13 | 12 | 15 | 55 | 51 | +4 | 38 |
Top scorers
| Player | Nationality | Goals | Club |
|---|---|---|---|
| Freddy Ravello |  Peru | 27 | Alianza Lima |