Liga Profesional 2026: Clásicos to welcome back both sets of fans? | OneFootball

The leaders of the First Division clubs are already discussing how the 2026 season of the Professional League will be played: the current format would be respected although there is also a debate about the possibility of adding ¡a classic match with both fan bases!

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

Initially, the current format would be respected, 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. Additionally, the zones would be drawn again.

The main novelty is that the possibility of adding one more classic per semester was discussed, which could even be with both fan bases. However, it 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 is approved or not.

It's a topic that was raised today. It will be under analysis and will be tested only in December, when we have to determine some variables of locations, people, if it is with fans from both sides... We need to work on the proposal. There's the issue of TV revenue for those matches. It's attractive to have a classic match in the year with both fan bases. It was left for approval at 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, audience, and membership indices... All indices are higher than 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 remaining, 100% of the teams can become champions. There's no comparison. In other formats, it becomes misaligned (SIC) in the calendar, it's an enormous load of matches that the year doesn't allow for», he added.

In this way, everything indicates that the next season will have Apertura and Clausura, as in the current one, although it remains to be decided whether one more classic per semester will be played in the First Division of Argentine football: it will be resolved in a next conclave at the end of the year.

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