Liga Profesional 2026 format: will Clásicos return with both sets of fans? | OneFootball

The leaders of the Primera División clubs are already discussing how the 2026 season of the Liga Profesional will be played: the current format would be maintained, although there is also debate about the possibility of adding a clásico with both sets of fans!

The executives met at the Lionel Andrés Messi complex in Ezeiza, in an Executive Committee meeting led by Claudio Tapia—president of the AFA—and Francisco Duarte, CEO of the LPF. There, they discussed the tournament format for next year.

In principle, the current format would be maintained, with two zones of 15 teams and playoff matches starting from the round of 16. The Apertura would be played in the first half of the year and the Clausura in the second, after the World Cup in the United States, Mexico, and Canada. In addition, the zones would be redrawn again.

The main new development is that the possibility of adding one more clásico per semester was discussed, which could even be with both sets of fans present. However, it has emerged that the idea does not have unanimous support and will be put to a vote at the end of the year to decide whether this change will be approved or not.

“It’s a topic that was brought up today. It will be analyzed and will only be tested in December, when we have to determine some variables like venues, people, and whether it will be with fans from both sides… We have to work on the proposal. There’s also the issue of TV revenue for those matches. It’s attractive to have a clásico in the year with both sets of fans. It’s pending approval for the end of the year.”, explained Cristian Malaspina, president of Argentinos and Secretary General of the AFA, in an interview with Radio La Red (AM 910).

“Today we were looking at economic indexes, audience numbers, membership… All the numbers are higher than what we had before. The level of competitiveness in these tournaments… Last year, 76% of the teams fought for something or had a chance to become champions until the last match of the qualifiers. Now, with four matches to go, 100 percent of the teams can still become champions. There’s nothing like it. In other formats, it doesn’t fit well (SIC) in the calendar; it’s a tremendous load of matches that the year can’t accommodate,” he added.

In this way, everything indicates that next season there will be Apertura and Clausura, as in the current one, although it remains to be decided whether one more clásico per semester will be played in the Primera División of Argentine football: this will be resolved in an upcoming meeting at the end of the year.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇪🇸 here.