The murals of Diego Maradona and Lionel Messi are everywhere. Fifty percent of the people seem to wear a T-shirt of their favorite team. Argentina loves and lives and breathes football. And with its many clubs and stadiums hidden in every neighborhood, Buenos Aires has become a pilgrimage for fans around the world.
For me it was also the main reason to visit Buenos Aires -and only Buenos Aires- for two weeks. I can do without tango. The meat was harder to ignore. But the football was something I had to experience for myself, even after having done a World Cup Final before.
How it feels and smells and sounds to be in Argentinian stadiums is a topic of another article. Here I will try to deal with a lot of practical questions people might have who are considering to go. And for the clubs and stadiums that I visited myself I have created specific articles with some more info and photos. Here we go, vamos!
How does the Argentinian competition work?
Well, the Argentinian football federation (AFA, headquarters next to the international airport) keeps changing the format. At the moment the Primera Division consists of 28 teams. They play each other once, so there are 27 matchdays, and the number 1 is champion of Argentina.
More competitions?
Yes, there are more options to experience Argentinian football. There are lower divisions, so if you look around you will find a football game every night in Buenos Aires. Then there is the Argentinian cup, where the semi-finals and final are on neutral grounds.
The Copa Libertadores is the big international competition, the South-American equivalent of the Champions League. And the Copa Sudamericana is their version of the Europa League. The finals are played nowadays as one game in a neutral ground, hence I saw the 2024 final between the Brazilian teams of Botafogo and Atletico Mineiro in El Monumental, the home ground of River Plate.
Ah you already mentioned one of the big teams in Buenos Aires?
In Argentina they call them the ‘cinco grandes’, the big five, although there is some discussion whether one or two additional clubs should be included. River Plate and Boca Juniors (their games are the Superclasicos) are the biggest ones. Then there is San Lorenzo in the southwest of the city. And just across the city borders (you won’t notice) in the Avellaneda district you will find Racing Club and Independiente, crazy enough real neighbours, their stadiums only 200 metres apart. Racing Club is famous for their round stadium (El Cilindro), only two train stops from Constitucion station. Independiente has a red square stadium with special corners. Their matches are called ‘the derby of Avellaneda’.
The big five all have stadiums with at least a 45k capacity. But there are at least three clubs aspiring to be part or the ‘cinco grandes” as well:
- Velez Sarsfield is the big one in the west of the city
- In the southwest you also have Huracan. When they play nearby San Lorenzo we have the Derby Porteño (porteño is the nickname of people from Buenos Aires)
- Argentinos Juniors, the original club of Diego Maradona, are in the west of the city in a relatively compact stadium
- But there are many more clubs, even in the Primera Division. Most of them are concentrated along the famous suburban train line (officially outside the capital) that starts at Plaza Constitucion station:
- Lanus, a relatively low-key neighborhood is the next down the train line after Avellaneda, with still a pretty big stadium
- Banfield are their neighbours, five kilometres further
- Talleres is one of the next stops. Their hardcore fans ‘Los Pibes de 3 Febrero’ are notorious
- Then there are more clubs at the various levels spread out all over town:
- Platense, on the north side of town, can be reached easily by suburban train from Retiro
- Atlanta, the club from Palermo, has a lovely small stadium perched in a barrio quite close to the Chacarita cemetery. Playing in Primera B in the 2024 season
- Ferro Carril Oeste, located only two stops from Once train station, on your way to Velez Sarsfield. Small stadium, they usually do not play at the highest level
- Nuevo Chicago is closer to the Primera Division, hidden far in the southwest of the city
That list is not by any means complete, but that is a detail for football fetishists. If you want to experience Argentinian football, you mainly want to visit the big ones anyway. You have two more options in La Plata, a city 40km away that can be easily reached by bus and suburban trains. Gimnasia and Estudiantes have decent intimate stadiums, also located next to each other by the way in the same park.
The million dollar question: how to get tickets?
The more important information for planning is that matches are only scheduled for a specific day and time only two to four weeks ahead (www.ligaprofesional.ar). So matchdays are spread out almost throughout the week. The big clasicos and derbys are almost always played on saturday and sunday, but besides that you can expect everything, and kick-off times are between 5pm and 9.45pm. And then because of cup games and international club fixtures games might be moved again as well a bit. That is why for instance in my two week visit I entirely missed out on home games of River Plate and Racing Club.
Ticket sales vary from club to club and change continually. But except for River Plate and Boca Juniors, most clubs first sell tickets to their members (called socios). In return for a monthly membership fee they can often get to matches for free by claiming a ticket. Often the terraces (standing places) are reserved only for socios. But there are of course exceptions, and there are black markets.
These sales usually take place one to four days before the game. After that, ‘invitados’ can buy. Officially these are people invited by members, but in practice this is the general sale. Usually starts a day before, or often on matchday until the gates open. Often conveniently online, sometimes at the stadium, usually both. Most games don’t sell out, so this is the easiest way to get your tickets. As an invitado you pay much more than a socio, and often you can only buy seats (on the so-called plateas, the seated stands). So becoming a member is sometimes a good option, even when you often pay three months of membership in advance and usually have to visit the membership office in person and BEFORE matchday. Yes, getting tickets is a bit of work.
Besides becoming a socio or buying a ticket as an invitado, the third option is through contacts and/or black market. This is also your only realistic option for going to Boca, as they for many years have sold only tickets to their socios. They have 320,000 of them, for the 54k capacity Bombonera, so that makes sense.
You have to ask around. The taxi driver, the hotel receptionist, the Airbnb host: they know people, have friends, they might have their own ticket fixers. And there are several agencies who sell at inflated prices. Often as a ‘matchday experience’ with a local fan and sometimes a tour, if you want to. What these agencies don’t tell you: you can often buy tickets yourself, as explained above. But if you want to stand instead of sit, or want to see Boca, it might be the only option.
For example: I paid 115 dollars for my Boca standing ticket, which was 15 dollar face value. So yes, it costs. But for the other matches average prices were around 30 dollar, even for seats, with notable exceptions. And yes, I bought all except Boca by myself.
With River Plate the situation is similar, but slightly easier than Boca.
Which ticket agencies do you recommend?
The biggest one, but expensive, is HERE. I used another agency by the way. But do your own research and you will find what you need. The generic ticket platforms like Viagogo are a bit riskier as they only resell tickets. The local agencies know their suppliers, and they often accompany you into the stadiums.
More stuff I need to know when going?
There are no away fans allowed anymore after many violent incidents. This has hugely improved safety in and around the stadiums. So in general things are very relaxed in the arenas. There is always a last minute rush (Argentinians arrive very late). If you are standing, stay a bit to the side when on the same stand as the hardcore fans (barra bravas). They claim their own space in the center and only show up with the drum band (baterias) fifteen minutes before kick-off.
As some stadiums are in residential neighborhoods, it can be a bit sketchy especially in the dark to find the right entrance. There are often identity checks (always bring your ID), ticket checks, and stripsearches. Twice, for big games, but not very thorough.
One last word on safety. As said, some stadiums are in the middle of neighborhoods. Some are next to slums (villas). Do your research beforehand (on my site for example for the stadiums I visited), avoid empty streets, use common sense, don’t take valuables with you, and you will be fine. Stubborn me did everything by foot and public transport. And otherwise there is Uber or taxi.
The weather. The weather!
Eh yes. Most stadiums have no roof. If it rains in Buenos Aires, there is usually a short downpour. So check the weather forecast and prepare… or get soaked!
