Liga Profesional de Fútbol (Argentina)

What is the Liga Profesional?

The Liga Profesional de Fútbol runs the Primera División of Argentine men’s football on behalf of the Asociación del Fútbol Argentino. Thirty clubs — the largest top division in CONMEBOL — compete in two tournaments a year, each named for its sponsor: the 2026 editions are the Torneo Apertura and Torneo Clausura Mercado Libre.^[1] [2]

How does it work?

Each tournament splits the 30 clubs into two zones of 15, playing a single round-robin plus interzonal fixtures over 16 rounds; the top eight in each zone go into a single-match knockout from the round of 16, with the final at a neutral venue. The Apertura and Clausura champions meet in the Trofeo de Campeones, set for 19 December 2026. Continental places for 2027 go to the two tournament champions, the Copa Argentina winner and the next three in the annual table, with the following six in the annual table entering the Copa Sudamericana. Two clubs are relegated to the Primera Nacional at the end of each year — the worst by promedios, points per game over recent seasons, and the worst in the annual table. Clubs may register six foreign players and name five on the match sheet.^{[2] [5] [7]}

Since when does it exist?

Argentina’s first championship was played in 1891 and the professional era began in 1931, with Boca Juniors the first professional champions. The format has changed repeatedly in the 2020s — a single table in 2022–24 alongside a Copa de la Liga, then the two-zone Apertura and Clausura from 2025 as the league grew to 30 clubs — and the sponsor names with it: Socios, Binance, Betano, Mercado Libre. In November 2025 the AFA also declared Rosario Central “Campeón de Liga” for topping the 2025 annual table.^{[1] [3] [4] [9]}

Champions of the last ten tournaments.

Why does it matter?

CONMEBOL’s 2026 club ranking places River Plate third and Boca Juniors fourth, the two highest-ranked Argentine clubs. For work-permit purposes the FA lists the Argentine Primera in Band 3 of its Governing Body Endorsement criteria, with the Brasileirão, Liga MX and MLS.^[6] [8]