AFA to change Argentine championship format while keeping 30 clubs — Buenos Aires Times
The Argentine Football Association (AFA) has announced a new format for the country’s football championship for the 2027 season. The top division will retain 30 teams: a proposal to reduce the number of participants to 20 clubs was rejected, Buenos Aires Times reports.
New season format
The Apertura and Clausura tournaments will remain, but clubs will no longer play in two groups of 15 teams. Instead, all participants will face one another: 29 rounds are planned, as well as a separate matchday for derbies.
In the Apertura, after the regular phase ending with the 15th round, the 16 best teams in the standings will play off for the title. The Clausura will begin in the second half of the year with the 16th round. Points earned in the Apertura will not carry over to this tournament, and a playoff will also take place after the 30th round.
Three champions and the relegation issue
At the end of the season, three champions will be determined in Argentina: the winners of the Apertura and Clausura, as well as the team that tops the annual table after 30 rounds. The new format provides for two fewer rounds than the current system of two 16-round tournaments.
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The rules for relegation from the top division have not yet been approved. The current plan provides for one team to be relegated based on its position in the annual table and another based on its average points total over the past three seasons. An option of a playoff for one more team against the club that finishes third in the second division is also being discussed.
Argentinos Juniors president Cristian Malaspina said after the executive committee meeting that only River Plate supported the 20-team format. According to him, no other club supported the proposal for 10 relegations.
The qualification procedure for international tournaments will not change. The three season champions, the Argentine Cup winner, and the teams finishing second and third in the annual table will qualify for the Copa Libertadores. Clubs in fourth through ninth places will play in the Copa Sudamericana.
