How the Apertura last 16 would look, according to the AFA draft | OneFootball

The 16 qualified teams are almost all confirmed and the matchups are taking shape. The only thing left to know is who will take the last spot in Zone A between Unión and Defensa y Justicia.

The 2026 Apertura playoffs are just around the corner, and the AFA met to decide the dates and times for the round of 16 matches, although they still need approval from the Buenos Aires City Security Ministry.

Independiente Rivadavia and Estudiantes de La Plata have already secured control of their respective brackets after winning their groups, which guarantees them home-field advantage up to a possible final, which will be played as a single match at a neutral venue. The rest of the fixture list is already practically set, with 15 of the 16 qualified teams confirmed.

Although official confirmation is still pending and there are no tentative kickoff times yet, the truth is that club officials already have a first draft of the days on which the matches could be played, but they need the City’s approval because there would be three matches on Saturday in Buenos Aires.

This is how the round of 16 would be played

Top half of the bracket

Bottom half of the bracket

What still needs to be decided for the Apertura round of 16

The only spot still up for grabs is eighth place in Zone A. For now, Unión de Santa Fe holds it with 21 points, but Defensa y Justicia can snatch it away this Monday when they face Gimnasia de Mendoza. El Halcón needs to win to level on points with El Tate, but also must do so by two goals or more to overtake them on goal difference, since they come in at -2 while San Lorenzo, which is also in the mix, has 0.

On the other hand, Vélez still mathematically has a chance to take second place in its group from Boca when it faces Newell’s at the Amalfitani. However, Xeneize has a +13 goal difference and the Liniers side has +6, so Barros Schelotto’s team would have to win by seven goals or more to overtake them. An almost impossible scenario that does not change the overall picture.

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