Papelón: the AFA changes the classification system to cups and now the ninth in the annual table goes to the Libertadores

In the midst of a judicial conflict between the Argentine Football Association (AFA) and its leaders, which resulted in the stoppage of activities between Thursday 5 and Sunday 8 March, the The Executive Committee of the Professional League advanced with an unusual regulatory amendment that will impact the qualification for international cups starting in 2027 for the 2028 season

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The proposal, promoted by Cristian Malaspina, general secretary of the AFA, aims to change the criteria for granting one of the seats to the Copa Libertadores and preventing teams from being left without continental competition after falling into the preliminary stages.

The initiative gained strength after the recent removals in previous instances: Godoy Cruz against Colo Colo in 2024, Boca against Alianza Lima in 2025 and now Argentinos Juniors, the club that presides over Malaspina, against Barcelona de Guayaquil in 2026. In all three cases, the Argentine teams were left out in Phase 2 and also said goodbye to the possibility of competing in the South American one

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Until now, the third best placed in the annual table entered the second qualifying phase of the Libertadores. If he exceeded two rounds, he entered the group stage, while if he won one, he would secure his place in the South American Championship; but if he lost the first series, he would be eliminated from all international competition. This scenario, considered by several leaders to be a supposed "regulatory injustice “, motivated

the change.

As decided by the Executive Committee, starting from the 2026 season, the “Argentina 6" place for the Libertadores will be in the hands of the ninth team in the Annual Table, which will compete in the repechage (Phase 2 and eventually Phase 3). Consequently, the third best placed in the overall standings will qualify directly for the Copa Sudamericana

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In this way, the distribution for the Copa Libertadores 2028 would be formed as follows:

Argentina 1:

Argentina 4: first in the Annual Table.

Argentina 5: second in the Annual Table.

Argentina 6: ninth in the Annual Table, which will play the repechage.

In parallel, the teams placed third to eighth in the cumulative table, if they do not win another title, will enter the 2028 Copa Sudamericana, as long as they maintain the category.

As an illustrative fact, if this system had been applied in 2025, the ninth in the general table, and benefited from the repechage quota, would have been Barracas Central, a club linked to the unpresentable president of the AFA, Claudio “Chiqui” Tapia.

Although it seems like a fair change for the teams that performed best throughout the year, the reality is that there is going to be a completely unsportsmanlike situation: clubs fighting to finish ninth. This implies that teams with better places intentionally try to lose to get the repechage quota, while it also opens the door for teams with a much lower level to undeservedly access the most important tournament in the continent

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