Meanwhile, the Avellaneda-based team can only achieve this if they can shout champion at the end of the season. On the other hand, River Plate lost the chance to rely on themselves to play in the Copa Libertadores after the agonizing elimination by 3-2 against Racing, so they will have to wait for Boca or Argentinos Juniors (who face each other in the quarterfinals) to win the Clausura trophy to qualify for the second stage of the competition. For now, Rosario Central, Platense (winner of the Apertura Tournament), Boca, Argentinos Juniors, Independiente Rivadavia (winner of the Copa Argentina), and Lanús (champion of the 2025 Copa Sudamericana) are the teams qualified for the next edition of the Libertadores. Buenos Aires, November 26 (NA) - The 2026 Copa Sudamericana could feature four of the five biggest teams in Argentine football: River, Racing, San Lorenzo, and Independiente, while Boca has guaranteed its place in the next Copa Libertadores. To do this, the champion of the Torneo Clausura must come out of Tigre or Barracas Central, ninth and tenth in the annual table, which would free up an additional spot for the second-tier international tournament, a place that Independiente would take advantage of, just as if the 'Xeneize', Argentinos Juniors, the 'Academy', the 'Guapo', Lanús, or the 'Matador' were to win. According to what the Argentine News Agency was able to find out, if Central Córdoba, Estudiantes de La Plata, and Gimnasia y Esgrima La Plata win the local championship title, the 'Rojo' will have lost any chance of playing in the 2026 Sudamericana. Meanwhile, the 'Ciclón' will no longer be able to compete in the continent's most prestigious competition. The 'Bicho', for now, will play the second round of the playoff.
