AFA will extend the transfer window for one more week

When everything indicated that the summer transfer market would close this Tuesday, January 20, an administrative resolution by AFA changed the scenario at the last minute. While everyone waits for the official confirmation, the Professional League will have a one-week extension and the closing of signings will be moved to next Tuesday, the 27th.

The measure will grant an extra margin to the clubs, which had been negotiating against the clock in the final hours of the original deadline. With this extension, the transfer window will remain open beyond what was expected and will make it possible to reorganize deals that seemed to have fallen through or been delayed. In addition, the measure would benefit the only two teams that have not yet completed any signings: Banfield and Boca.

However, what will not undergo changes is the exception established for international transfers. The regulations will continue to allow clubs to sign players until March 21 in those cases in which an Argentine club sells or loans players abroad once the local market has closed.

One of the most relevant aspects of the decision is that the closing of the market will overlap with the start of the official competition. The 2026 Apertura Tournament will begin this Thursday, January 22, so the first matchday will be played with the transfer window still open. In that context, several teams could add reinforcements near the end of the deadline and only hand them their debuts on the second matchday.

Meanwhile, this situation is beginning to become a constant in Argentine football. In recent tournaments, the closing of the market underwent changes on the fly, with last-minute extensions and alterations to the initially established calendar.

The club executives maintain that the objective is to avoid sporting disadvantages and guarantee greater competitive fairness, although these recurring decisions also raise questions because of the lack of predictability in the clubs' planning.