This Sunday's Superclásico between Boca and River, to be held at La Bombonera, will be of great importance for both teams as they compete for qualification to the 2026 Copa Libertadores. Following Platense's title in the Torneo Apertura and Independiente Rivadavia de Mendoza's Copa Argentina win, this Torneo Clausura has become crucial for Boca and River, who can only qualify for the Copa Libertadores via the annual table or by winning the Clausura trophy. For this reason, the Superclásico will be fundamental for the two most popular teams in Argentine football, who are very close to securing qualification through the annual table. In that table, Boca is in second place with 56 points, and a win would secure their direct qualification to the group stage. Even if they were to lose, the team coached by Claudio Úbeda would remain in second place but would be obliged to get a good result in the final matchday when they host Tigre. River, on the other hand, is going through a very poor spell, having lost seven of their last 10 matches. This has seriously complicated the situation for Marcelo Gallardo's side, who are third in the annual table and would only qualify for the Copa Libertadores preliminary round. If they beat Boca, they would maintain third place and trail 'Xeneize' by one point. However, if they draw or lose, the team from Núñez could be overtaken by Argentinos Juniors and/or Deportivo Riestra, which would seriously jeopardize their qualification for the 2026 Copa Libertadores, a tournament they have participated in continuously since 2015.
