The 2024 Professional League Cup fixture is not yet official but the most important data is already known. The first tournament of the year will begin on January 27th, with 26 of the 28 teams in 2023 will play in the same areas of the last championship that had Rosario Central as champion. They will even have the same rivals day to date but with inverted locations. Thus, the “day of classics” will be February 25 (River will receive Boca at the Monumental stadium) and the two new ones will be Independiente Rivadavia de Mendoza and Deportivo Riestra, who will play in Zone A because Colón and Arsenal were there, both relegated.
There is a legal issue why the Argentine Football Association (AFA) cannot yet officially broadcast the match program: must wait for the Disciplinary Court’s definition regarding Columbus’ claim to cancel his descent. It is ruled out that the request will be rejected but until that happens they cannot make the scheduling of the first competition of the year, the League Cup, official.
The format is fresh because it is the Cup that has just been consecrated to Rosario Central, which defeated Platense in the final. The 14 teams are divided into two zones, A and B, 14 dates will be played (in the seventh there will be the interzonals, the true classics and the pairings), there will be three dates during the week, and the first four in each zone will compete. They will qualify for the quarterfinals, which will be played in a single match on a neutral field, just like the semifinals and the final, scheduled for May 5. The champion will qualify for Libertadores 2025.
The last Superclásico was played at the Bombonera on October 1, for the seventh date of the 2023 League Cup. Now, also for matchday 7, it will be played at the Monumental, most likely, on Sunday, February 25. Something that was already stipulated since the beginning of the 2023 season. It is assumed that the classic in the 2024 League Tournament will be played in the 15th. date at the Bombonera. Thus, the two classics scheduled for the two Professional League competitions will be played on both fields. The same will happen with the other real classics: Racing-Independiente, San Lorenzo-Huracán, Central-Newell’s, Gimnasia- Estudiantes, Talleres-Belgrano and Lanús-Banfield.
It was curious in the last League Cup that Arsenal had to play four games in a row as a visitor. And many are now surprised by the string of Deportivo Riestrareplacement for those of the Viaducto in the combination of matches, which will be played four games in a row at home. It will be between the 3rd and the 6th where they will receive (it remains to be defined in which scenario because their stadium would not be enabled for the moment) Barracas Central, River, Vélez and Atlético Tucumán.
These fixture inconsistencies were previously solved by UBA Exact Sciences mathematicians, hired for several years to do so, but now it is done by an automatic program.
Without pause, the League Tournament will begin a week after the final of the League Cup, meaning that the first date will be played between Friday, May 10 and Monday, May 13. But the championship will suffer a pause due to the Copa América dispute between June 20 and July 14.
Then it will continue and the last day will be played on December 15. There a new champion will be known and who will be the two relegated teams, one by the relegation average table and the other by the annual table, exactly the same as this year. The Champions Trophy will be played on December 22.
The first date (January 27 to 30)
Zone A
- Barracas Central – Vélez
- River – Argentines
- Institute – Deportivo Riestra
- Atlético Tucumán – Rosario Central
- Banfield – Hurricane
- Workshops – Gymnastics
- Independent Rivadavia – Independent
Zone B
- Tiger – Sarmiento
- Platense – Boca
- Godoy Cruz – Defense and Justice
- Central Córdoba – Newell’s
- San Lorenzo – Lanús
- Students – Belgrano
- Racing – Union
The date of the classics, the 7th. (February 23 to 26)
- Sarmiento – Barracas
- Union – Independiente Rivadavia
- Hurricane – San Lorenzo
- Gymnastics – Students
- Newell’s – Rosario Central
- Independent – Racing
- River – Boca
- Belgrano – Workshops
- Argentines – Platense
- Velez – Tigre
- Defense – Deportivo Riestra
- Lanus – Banfield
- Central Cordoba – At. Tucuman
- Institute – Godoy Cruz