Liga 26 last 16: when Unión face Ind Rivadavia, unless Instituto win by 7 | OneFootball

The teams qualified for the Round of 16 of the 2026 Liga Profesional Apertura Tournament are being finalized, and the 16 teams that will remain in contention will be confirmed, along with their respective matchups as they look to crown the new champion of the Argentine league. The ties will be played as single-elimination matches at the stadium of the higher-seeded team, except for the final, which will be held at the Mario Alberto Kempes Stadium in Córdoba. Check out the matchups, when they will be played, and more.

Estudiantes, Boca, Vélez, Talleres, Lanús, Independiente, and San Lorenzo have already secured their place in the playoffs from Zone A, while Independiente Rivadavia, River, Argentinos Juniors, Rosario Central, Belgrano, and Gimnasia have done the same in Zone B. At the same time, the Mendoza-based Lepra locked up first place in its group and, if it advances, will play through the semifinals at Bautista Gargantini Stadium. The same goes for Estudiantes, which won Zone A with 31 points.

This is where Tatengue comes into play: Unión and Instituto are battling for the only remaining spot in Zone A after Defensa y Justicia’s defeat and elimination. If Instituto does not win by 7 goals or more, Madelón’s team will claim the last ticket to the Round of 16, while Huracán and Racing took the final two spots in Zone B. The eight Round of 16 matchups will be played next weekend, with the dates confirmed and kickoff times still to be decided.

This is what the 2026 Apertura Tournament playoffs would look like

With only one spot still to be decided, AFA has already made official when the eight Round of 16 ties will be played, although the kickoff times have yet to be confirmed. What is certain is that all matches will be played on Saturday and Sunday, and the only matchup that could still change is Independiente Rivadavia-Unión, in the event Tatengue is eliminated.

Top half of the bracket

Bottom half of the bracket

*Already qualified.

At the same time, Liga Profesional reported that the teams that win their respective ties on Saturday will play the quarterfinals on Tuesday, May 12, while those that prevail on Sunday will play their quarterfinal matchups on Wednesday, May 13. The semifinals will be held on Saturday, May 16 or Sunday, May 17, and the Apertura Tournament final will be played on Sunday, May 24 at 3:30 p.m. at the Mario Alberto Kempes Stadium

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