Torneo Apertura 2026: The semifinals are here, can River make it all the way?

The semifinals of the 2026 Torneo Apertura, the opening tournament of the Argentine Professional Football League, are ready to kick off.  River Plate is set to take on Rosario Central, while Argentinos Juniors will face off against Belgrano (Córdoba). The Millonario aims for first-ever final After taking out San Lorenzo in a thrilling round of 16 match that had to be settled on penalties, River comfortably beat Gimnasia y Esgrima La Plata 2-0 on Wednesday to book a spot in the final four. It marks the Millonario’s return to a tournament playoff semifinal for the first time since 2023, with the club now aiming to reach the final for the first time since the format was introduced with the Copa de la Liga in 2019. It’ll be the first time the team reaches a semifinal under head coach Eduardo Coudet, who took over from River legend Marcelo Gallardo in March. Since then, the team has seen some improvements, although a defeat against Boca Juniors in the Superclásico has left wanting more. River is the only one of Argentine football’s big five to make it into the deciding stages, with archrivals Boca eliminated in the round of 16 by Huracán, and San Lorenzo, Independiente, and finally Racing also out. Rosario Central win sparks heated words They’ll face off against the team that ousted the other two big teams in Argentine football, Avellaneda giants Independiente and Racing. Rosario Central took out the Diablos Rojos with a comfortable 3-1 in the round of 16. However, the team spearheaded by Ángel Di María had its work cut out on Wednesday, needing extra time to beat Racing 2-1 in a game marred by controversial calls from referee Darío Herrera.  Two Racing players saw red cards, while the Canallas had a goal disallowed. The game sparked a war of words between Dí María and Racing president Diego Milito, after the latter said he and the team felt “robbed [of a result] once again,” and called for action to fix “broken” Argentine football. Di María replied on his Instagram account, implying directors at big Buenos Aires-based clubs “are annoyed at [Rosario Central’s] success” because they are a smaller club from one of the provinces, and saying that “it’s easier to point a finger at Central than to fix their mistakes.” River and Rosario Central will face off at the Monumental Stadium on Saturday, May 16, at 7:30 p.m. The favorite against the darkhorse in the other semi The other semifinal will match Argentinos Juniors against Belgrano (Córdoba). Belgrano beat Unión with a comfortable 2–0 at home, thanks to goals by Adrián Sánchez and Ramiro Hernández. The Pirata played a solid, mistake-free game, even showing some flashes of great play. They’ll go up against Argentinos, who defeated Huracán 1-0 with a goal by Tomás Molina.  The semifinal between the two is set to be played at the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium in La Paternal, on Sunday, May 17 at 5 p.m.