The Torneo Apertura playoffs kick off this weekend: Heres all you need to know

The matchups for the 2026 Torneo Apertura playoffs are set, as the tournament enters its final phase to determine the first champion of the Liga Profesional season. Since 2025, the Argentine football league has been played with 30 teams split into two groups of 15, facing each other once in the Torneo Apertura and the Torneo Clausura. The top eight teams in each group advance to the knockout stages. These matchups will be single-elimination games, with the top four teams on each side playing at home. In the event of a tie, the game will go into 30 minutes of extra time. If the score remains tied, a penalty shootout will be held. Proceedings are set to start on Saturday with four games, with the remaining four to be played on Sunday. Córdoba derby at the forefront on Saturday Action kicks off on a high note on Saturday, with one of the most intense rivalries in the country. Starting at 4:30 p.m., Talleres (Córdoba) and Belgrano will face off at the Mario Alberto Kempes Stadium to determine bragging rights and a spot in the quarterfinals. It could be the first series to go all the way to penalties, based on the last seven matches between the Córdoba rivals, all of which ended in ties. Later that day, Boca will take on Huracán at 7:00 p.m. at La Bombonera. The Xeneize will be on the back foot, having traveled to Guayaquil to face Barcelona SC in the Copa Libertadores, while Huracán will be aiming for another shot at the title, having finished as runners-up in the 2025 Apertura. The 9:30 p.m. slot brings double action, as Argentinos Juniors will take on Lanús while annual table-leaders Independiente Rivadavia will host Unión (Santa Fe). Sunday matchups Sunday’s agenda starts early, with Ángel Di María’s Rosario Central taking on Independiente at 3 p.m. Odds are with the Qatar 2022 winner, with the team that plays at home undefeated in the past five years in the duel between the two. If Independiente breaks the streak, they could be up for an Avellaneda derby in the quarters, as Group A winners Estudiantes de La Plata host Racing at 5 p.m. River and San Lorenzo will face off at 7 p.m. at the Monumental Stadium, having traveled long distances this week. Both have Copa Sudamericana commitments, with both teams facing key rivals to lock in the top spot in their respective spots. The Cuervos will travel to Ecuador to face Deportivo Cuenca on Tuesday, while the Millonarios will visit Carabobo in Caracas, Venezuela, on Thursday. The schedule wraps up at 9:30 p.m., as Vélez Sarsfield hosts Gimnasia y Esgrima (La Plata).  What comes next? The Argentine Football Association (AFA) has confirmed the quarterfinals will take place on Tuesday and Wednesday, with the time and place to be determined depending on the winners of each matchup. Semifinals could be scheduled for the following weekend, depending on teams’ commitments in international tournaments, while the final is set for Sunday, May 24, at the Mario Alberto Kempes Stadium.