Unión Magdalena won the first final of the BetPlay Tournament 4-0 at the Sierra Nevada Stadium in Santa Marta and confirmed its title in the second leg at the Bello Horizonte Rey Pelé Stadium in Llaneros after equalizing at one goal.
Even though Both teams were left with the first positions in the reclassification, there is still no clarity about who will be promoted to the first division.
After the resounding draw, Unión Magdalena became champion of the second half of the Betplay Dimayor 2024 tournament and became a first B finalist.
The ascent complex
The complex promotion system presented a problem that does not allow clarity about the teams that will be in the highest category of Colombian football in 2025, since, on the one handsuggests that Llaneros and Unión Magdalena already have their tickets for ‘A’, while on the other hand, they explain that Real Cartagena is still involved in the fight.
In theory, Unión Magdalena and Llaneros should face each other again in the ‘Grand Final’, where the winner would be promoted directly to category ‘A’, while the loser would compete in the playoff against the team best positioned in the reclassification. However, a discrepancy arises in the interpretation of the rules, since both teams occupied positions 1 and 2, which, according to some criteria, would grant them direct promotion to the first division without needing to consider the result of the ‘Grand End’.
For its part, Real Cartagena maintains that the playoff match must be held, in which the loser of the ‘Grand Final’ would face them. To support this position, the club called an extraordinary assembly that has the support of 27 of the 36 Colombian soccer teams. This meeting, scheduled for next Monday, December 9, aims to make a final decision on the places for the first division.