Copa Argentina · History

Boca Juniors have won the Copa Argentina more times than any other club, with four titles: the 1969 edition plus the 2011-12, 2014-15 and 2019-20 tournaments. River Plate have three, won in 2016, 2017 and 2019. Arsenal de Sarandí, Huracán, Rosario Central, Patronato, Estudiantes de La Plata, Central Córdoba of Santiago del Estero and Independiente Rivadavia have one each. The Copa Argentina is organised by the Argentine Football Association (AFA). It is a knockout competition open to clubs from all five official tiers of Argentine football. Its modern era began in 2011, when the AFA revived a tournament that had not been played since 1970.

Origins: the Copa de la República and the 1969 and 1970 editions

Argentina already had a national cup in the 1940s, the Copa de la República, played in 1943, 1944 and 1945. The first competition called the Copa Argentina was held in 1969 with 32 teams. Boca Juniors won it by beating Atlanta in a two-legged final (3-1 and 0-1). The 1970 edition was never completed: San Lorenzo and Vélez Sarsfield drew 2-2 in the first leg of the final, and the return match was never played. The tournament then disappeared from the calendar for more than four decades. Whether the version revived in 2011 is the same competition as the 1969 and 1970 tournaments is still a matter of debate.

The 2011 relaunch

The AFA launched the new Copa Argentina in August 2011. The 2011-12 edition brought together the 20 Primera División clubs and the 20 sides of the Primera B Nacional, along with teams from the lower divisions and the regional leagues of the interior. The final was played in San Juan in August 2012, where Boca Juniors beat Racing Club 2-1. A year later, in Catamarca, Arsenal de Sarandí thrashed San Lorenzo 3-0 to win the 2012-13 edition. The 2013-14 final was again held in San Juan: Huracán and Rosario Central drew 0-0, and the Parque Patricios club won the shoot-out 5-4.

Format and reward

Every round is a single match, and drawn games go straight to penalties. Clubs from the lower tiers play a preliminary stage to earn a place in the final phase, which has 64 teams. Because sides from different divisions meet, the scorelines can be lopsided: the biggest win of the modern era was Independiente’s 8-0 over Central Ballester in 2017-18, and the highest-scoring match was Chaco For Ever’s 7-4 win over Sanjustino in 2013-14. The winner earns a place in the following year’s Copa Libertadores, a prize that matters most to clubs unable to qualify through the league.

Rosario Central’s finals and River’s run

Rosario Central reached four finals in five editions and lost the first three. In 2015 they went down 2-0 to Boca Juniors in Córdoba; in 2016, again in Córdoba, River Plate beat them 4-3. River won again in 2017, beating Atlético Tucumán 2-1 in Mendoza. Central finally lifted the trophy in the 2018 final, also in Mendoza, drawing 1-1 with Gimnasia y Esgrima La Plata and winning the shoot-out 4-1. In 2019 River claimed their third title with a 3-0 win over Central Córdoba of Santiago del Estero, once more in Mendoza.

The 2021 final and Patronato’s title

The 2019-20 edition was not completed until December 2021. The final was staged at the Madre de Ciudades stadium in Santiago del Estero, where Boca Juniors and Talleres de Córdoba drew 0-0; Boca scored all five of their penalties and won 5-4 for their fourth cup. Talleres lost the final again in the next edition. On 30 October 2022, at the Malvinas Argentinas stadium in Mendoza, Patronato beat them 1-0 with a goal from Tiago Banega. The club from Paraná had just been relegated from the Primera División, and the win gave them their first official national title and a place in the 2023 Copa Libertadores. In 2023 the trophy went to Estudiantes de La Plata, who beat Defensa y Justicia 1-0 in the final in Lanús.

The 2024 and 2025 finals

On 11 December 2024, at the Estadio 15 de Abril in Santa Fe, Central Córdoba of Santiago del Estero beat Vélez Sarsfield 1-0 through a Matías Godoy goal. It was the club’s first major trophy and secured a place in the 2025 Copa Libertadores. The 2025 final was played on 5 November at Instituto’s stadium in Córdoba, between Independiente Rivadavia and Argentinos Juniors. The Mendoza side led 2-0 at one point, finished with nine men after red cards for Amarfil and Osella, and saw Argentinos draw level at 2-2. They won the shoot-out 5-3, with Sebastián Villa scoring the decisive kick. Independiente Rivadavia thus won their first top-flight title and a place in the group stage of the 2026 Copa Libertadores.