Let's say you have 20 teams in a league. In the first round a team plays 19 games (against every other team in the league). Is this what is normally called Apertura? and then the play the other 19 games. Is that clausura? or do they play all 34 games once (apertura) and then they play another 34 games (clausura) thanks.
Brasileirão 2003 was the first Brazilian championship that was played in the league tournament (24 teams - round robin). The team that sums more points in the 2 turns is now the Brazilian champion, like Cruzeiro was this year. The difference of the Apertura/Clausura is that you have 2 champions in one year. There's no such concept in Brazil.
so apertura/clausura is basically half a tournament? for instance, in brasil you have 24 teams, which means each team will have to play 23 games at home and 23 away. When every team has played 23 games it would reach the middle of the competition and therefore this would be called the apertura tournament? (assuming brasil had apertura/clausura) and then after they play the other 23 games that would be the clausura tournament?
Yeah, but again, we don't have these concepts of Apertura/Clausura. For us there's only one champion that is the winner of the whole tournament.
Let me use the Mexican League as an example: The Apertura (opening) and Clausura (closing) tournaments consist of 19 games each (one against each team), then three (or four, depending on points) rounds of playoffs to determine the champion. There are two champions per year. Last year's champs were Toluca (Apertura) and Monterrey (Clausura). Because we are in the Apertura playoffs right now, Monterrey is considered the defending champion. Points do not carry over from one tournament to another. At the beginning of each tournament, all teams start with zero points. Basically, instead of one champ per year, there are two. There is a break between the tournaments (usually around two months), with each tournament lasting approximately four months (current Apertura started in August and will end later this month).
To be honest, its very strange for me. But in many hispanic countries there are these kind of tounament (Apertura and Clausura). They could make a game between the winners (only a sugestion)