Amid the Sur Finanzas scandal affecting the Argentine Football Association (AFA) and several top-flight and lower-division clubs, the Professional League held the draw for the 2026 Apertura and Clausura tournament groups, as well as the interzonal matchups.
Through a committee meeting attended by the mobster Claudio "Chiqui" Tapia and his partners Pablo Toviggino and Cristian Malaspina, the organization announced the tournament structure: two groups of 15 teams that will play 16 matchdays (14 matches against teams from the same group + interzonal with the classic rival and one additional match against another team). As in previous editions, the top eight teams from each group will advance to the play-offs. Meanwhile, throughout the day the fixture for each team will be published through official channels.
Despite this limitation, it was confirmed that the start date for the Apertura will be January 24. This decision is mainly due to the 2026 World Cup, which requires the tournament to be decided as soon as possible to avoid calendar conflicts. Meanwhile, for now the Clausura doesn't have a start date.
