How the Apertura last 16 would look under the AFA draft | OneFootball

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

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

Independiente Rivadavia and Estudiantes de La Plata have already secured the top spot in their respective brackets by winning their zones, which guarantees them home-field advantage until a potential final, which will be played as a single match at a neutral venue. The rest of the fixture list is practically set, with 15 of the 16 qualified teams already confirmed.

Although it still hasn’t been made official 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, it belongs to Unión de Santa Fe 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 catch up with El Tate on points, but also must do so by two goals or more to overtake them on goal difference, since they come in with -2, while San Lorenzo, which is also in the mix, has 0.

On the other hand, Vélez still has a mathematical chance of taking second place in its zone away from Boca when it faces Newell’s at the Amalfitani. However, Xeneize has a goal difference of +13 and the team from Liniers has +6, so Barros Schelotto’s side would need to win by seven goals or more to overtake them. A nearly 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.