The 2026 Torneo Apertura final was the last match of the 2026 Torneo Apertura of the 2026 Argentine Primera División. It was held at the Estadio Mario Alberto Kempes in Córdoba on 24 May 2026, between River Plate and Belgrano. It was River Plate's ninth Primera División final (they had won four of them), while Belgrano were making their debut as finalists in the top division of Argentine football.
Both teams had previously played in the thirteenth round of the Torneo Apertura group stage. On 5 April 2026, River Plate defeated Belgrano 3–0 in a match held at the Estadio Monumental in Buenos Aires, with goals from Galván (2) and Colidio securing the win.
The match also resembled the 2011 Argentine Primera División relegation playoffs, in which Belgrano defeated River Plate 3–1 on aggregate, earning promotion to the Primera División while River Plate were relegated to the second division for the first time in their history. Manager Ricardo Zielinski, assistant manager Juan Carlos Olave (former goalkeeper) and Franco Vázquez were all part of the 2011 Belgrano team and were present at the 2026 Torneo Apertura final.
Belgrano won their first title in the highest division after they defeated River Plate 3–2. As champions, Belgrano qualified for the 2027 Copa Libertadores and the 2026 Trofeo de Campeones.
Qualified teams Team Previous finals app. River Plate 1932, 1936, 1969 Met, 1972 Nac, 1976 Nac, 1978 Nac, 1979 Met, 1981 Nac, 1984 Nac Belgrano (none)
Road to the final
Note: In all results below, the score of the finalist is given first (H: home; A: away; N: neutral venue). River PlateRoundBelgranoOpponentResultGroup stageOpponentResultBarracas Central1–0 (A)Matchday 1Rosario Central2–1 (A)Gimnasia y Esgrima (LP)2–0 (H)Matchday 2Tigre1–1 (H)Rosario Central0–0 (A)Matchday 3Argentinos Juniors0–0 (A)Tigre1–4 (H)Matchday 4Banfield1–0 (H)Argentinos Juniors0–1 (A)Matchday 5Independiente Rivadavia1–0 (A) Vélez Sarsfield 0–1 (A)Matchday 6Defensa y Justicia1–1 (A)Banfield 3–1 (H)Matchday 7Atlético Tucumán3–1 (H)Independiente Rivadavia 1–1 (A)Matchday 8Huracán1–3 (A)Atlético Tucumán0–1 (H)Matchday 9Sarmiento (J)4–0 (H)Huracán2–1 (A)Estudiantes (RC)1–0 (A)Sarmiento (J)2–0 (H)Matchday 11Talleres (C)0–0 (H)Estudiantes (RC)2–0 (A)Matchday 12Racing1–2 (H)Belgrano3–0 (H)Matchday 13River Plate0–3 (A)Racing2–0 (A)Matchday 14Aldosivi1–0 (H)Boca Juniors0–1 (H)Matchday 15Barracas Central0–0 (A)Aldosivi3–1 (H)Matchday 16Gimnasia y Esgrima (LP)0–1 (H)Zone B second placeFinal standingsZone B fifth placeRiver PlateRoundBelgrano OpponentResult Final stagesOpponentResultSan Lorenzo2–2 (H)Round of 16Talleres (C)1–0 (A)Gimnasia y Esgrima (LP)2–0 (H)Quarter-finalsUnión2–0 (H)Rosario Central1–0 (H)Semi-finalsArgentinos Juniors1–1 (A)
Match details Sebastián Driussi, Juan Portillo, Agustín Ruberto and Matías Viña (all from River Plate) and Lisandro López (from Belgrano) all missed the match due to injury.
GK 41 Santiago BeltránRB 16 Fabricio BustosCB 28 Lucas Martínez Quarta (c)CB 13 Lautaro RiveroLB 21 Marcos Acuña DM 6 Aníbal Moreno DM 15 Fausto VeraRM 24 Juan Cruz Meza LM 26 Tomás Galván AM 11 Facundo ColidioCF 35 Joaquín FreitasSubstitutes:GK 1 Franco Armani DF 20 Germán Pezzella DF 29 Gonzalo MontielDF 31 Facundo GonzálezMF 8 Maximiliano MezaMF 10 Juan Fernando Quintero MF 19 Kendry Páez MF 22 Kevin CastañoMF 34 Giuliano GaloppoMF 44 Lucas SilvaFW 7 Maximiliano Salas FW 25 Lautaro PereyraManager: Eduardo Coudet
GK 25 Thiago CardozoRB 45 Agustín FalcónCB 14 Leonardo MoralesCB 2 Alexis Maldonado LB 3 Adrián SpörleCM 21 Adrián Sánchez CM 5 Santiago Longo RM 24 Emiliano Rigoni AM 10 Lucas Zelarayán (c)LM 53 Juan Velázquez CF 9 Lucas Passerini Substitutes:GK 23 Manuel VicentiniDF 13 Álvaro Ocampo DF 16 Federico Ricca DF 26 Alcides BenítezMF 11 Francisco González MetilliMF 20 Franco Vázquez MF 30 Gonzalo ZelarayánMF 32 Julián MavillaMF 51 Ramiro Hernandes FW 22 Nicolás Fernández FW 37 Lautaro GutiérrezFW 42 Jeremías LuccoManager: Ricardo Zielinski
Man of the Match: Nicolás Fernández (Belgrano)
Assistant referees: Facundo Rodríguez Maximiliano Del Yesso Fourth official: Luis Lobo Medina Fifth official: Pablo Gualtieri Video assistant referee: Leandro Rey Hilfer Assistant video assistant referees: Salomé di IorioMatch rules 90 minutes 30 minutes of extra time if necessary Penalty shoot-out if scores still level Twelve named substitutes Maximum of five substitutions, with a sixth allowed in extra time
Statistics +Overall BelgranoGoals scored 2 3Total shots 8 13Shots on target 6 9Ball possession 58% 42%Corner kicks 6 4 7 11Offsides 2 3Yellow cards 2 3Red cards 1 0
References