No River, new faces: Argentine teams in next Libertadores | OneFootball

Although the Clausura of the Argentine Championship has not yet ended, Boca Juniors' elimination sealed River Plate's absence from the next edition of the Libertadores. In addition to not having the four-time continental champion, Argentine football will also have two debutants in South America's main tournament.

On the night of last Sunday, Racing defeated Boca Juniors 1-0 at La Bombonera and reached the Clausura final. The Argentine football spots are determined by the winners of the rounds (Apertura and Clausura), the champion of the Copa Argentina, and the three best campaigns in the overall standings.

Therefore, River Plate was hoping that rival Boca Juniors, who had already secured a spot in the Libertadores through their campaign in the overall standings, would eliminate Racing and win the Clausura. If that happened, Marcelo Gallardo's team would inherit the spot in the competition, as they finished fourth in the overall tally.

As a result, River Plate ends a ten-year streak of participating in the Copa Libertadores and will play in the Copa Sudamericana in 2026. This was the second-longest streak in the club's history, having competed in the tournament for 15 consecutive years, from 1995 to 2009.

Debutants

Without giants like River Plate and Independiente, Argentine football will be represented in the Libertadores by seven clubs, including two debutants. Rosario Central, Argentinos Juniors, and Boca Juniors have already secured their spots through their performance in the overall standings of the Argentine Championship. In addition, Lanús, the Copa Sudamericana champion against Atlético-MG this season, also secured a place in the next edition of the continental tournament.

Of the remaining spots, two will be occupied by debutants in South America's main competition: Platense and Independiente Rivadavia.

Platense secured a spot in the 2026 Libertadores with their campaign in the Apertura. After qualifying in sixth place in Group B, the Buenos Aires club eliminated Racing, River Plate, and San Lorenzo in the knockout stage before reaching the final. In the final, they defeated Huracán 1-0 and achieved this unprecedented spot in their 120-year history.

Meanwhile, Independiente Rivadavia secured their spot by winning the Copa Argentina. Founded in 1913, the club only reached the top tier of Argentine football in 2023. The Mendoza team eliminated Platense, Central Córdoba, Tigre, and River Plate, and won the title over Argentinos Juniors, 5-3 on penalties, after a 2-2 draw in regular time.

The last Argentine spot is yet to be determined. Racing awaits the winner of Gimnasia y Esgrima and Estudiantes de La Plata for the Clausura final, scheduled for this Saturday.

See the teams qualified for the Conmebol tournaments

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