The second half of the Argentine football season will crown a national cup champion and secure a spot in the Champions Trophy.
After River Plate were crowned champions of the 2023 Professional League, the remainder of Argentina’s topflight campaign will host the fourth edition of the LPF Cup, a competition that hands a National Cup title to its winner.
All national cup champions in Argentine football history
The tournament, taking place after the league salutes its champion this year, holds a lot to decide, and GOAL covers every key detail here.
SIZE, CUP CLASSIFICATION AND RELEGATIONS
Since the 2018/19 season, when the Super League existed, the calendar has split into two championships with distinct formats: the LPF league tournament, which runs in a single round-robin and decides the league champion, and the LPF Cup, played in two zones and counting as the National Cup.
With 28 teams in the First Division, the League Cup is organized into two zones of 14 teams each. Within each group, teams face one another, and there is an interzonal weekend where the country’s classic derbies are staged on the same matchday.
The top four from each zone advance to the quarterfinals. The pairings are first against fourth and second against third, played as single-elimination ties; the higher-ranked sides host the first round, while the semifinal and final are held at neutral venues.
The cup winner earns a place to play the Champions Trophy against River Plate and secures a berth in the 2024 Libertadores Cup. Three additional spots are allocated to the continental competition and six to the Copa Sudamericana via the annual table.
Participation requires registration with a local betting platform to access all benefits.
The LPF Cup also determines relegations to the Primera Nacional: one through the averages system and the other via financial performance metrics.
WHEN IT STARTS AND ENDS
The group stage kicks off on Friday August 18 and wraps in the weekend of Sunday November 26. The quarterfinals are set for the weekend of December 3, the semifinals on Friday December 8, and the final on Saturday December 16.
DATES BETWEEN WEEKS AND BREAKS
The League Cup faces four weekend gaps in activity—three due to FIFA dates and one for a presidential election event. As a result, three group-stage rounds move to weekdays, with September 20, October 18 and October 25 hosting midweek matchups, and September 10, October 15, and November 19 taking weekend breaks.
HOW AND WHEN THE DRAW WAS MADE
The calendar draw for the 2023 season occurred on Thursday, November 3, 2022, at the Ezeiza venue — recently renamed in honor of Lionel Messi. Group compositions were determined by a pairing system where a Boca Juniors move to one area automatically places River Plate in the other, with matchups finalized by a mathematical formula.
THE COMPLETE FIXTURE OF THE 2023 PROFESSIONAL LEAGUE CUP
DATE 1
Thursday, August 17
19.30 Belgrano – Students (Zone B)
Friday the 18th
4.30 pm Defense and Justice – Godoy Cruz (Zone B)
19.00 Union – Racing (Zone B)
21.00 Mond – Platense (Zone B)
Saturday 19
16.30 Independiente – Colon (Zone A)
19.00 Gymnastics – Workshops (Zone A)
21.00 Vélez – Central Barracas (Zone A)
Sunday 20
14.00 Arsenal – Institute (Zone A)
4:00 PM Sarmiento – Tigre (Zone B)
16.15 Rosario Central – Atlético Tucumán (Zone A)
18.30 Lanús – San Lorenzo (Zone B)
21.00 Argentinos – River (Zone A)
Monday 21
6:00 PM Huracán – Banfield (Zone A)
20.30 Newell’s – Central Córdoba (Zone B)
DATE 2 (August 27)
Zone A
Independent – Vélez
Colon – Gymnastics (LP)
Workshops – Huracán
Banfield – Rosario Central
Atlético Tucumán – Institute
Arsenal – Argentinos
River – Barracas
Zone B
Tigre – Racing
Union – San Lorenzo
Newell’s – Lanús
Godoy Cruz – Central Córdoba
Platense – Defense and Justice
Sarmiento – Mouth
DATE 3 (September 3)
Zone A
Vélez – River
Central Córdoba – Arsenal
Argentinos – Atlético Tucumán
Institute – Banfield
Rosario Central – Workshops
Huracán – Colón
Gymnastics (LP) – Independent
Zone B
Mouth – Tigre
Defense and Justice – Sarmiento
Central Córdoba – Platense
Lanús – Godoy Cruz
Belgrano – Newell’s
Union – San Lorenzo
Racing – students
DATE 4 (September 17)
Zone A
Gymnastics (LP) – Vélez
Independent – Huracán
Colón – Rosario Central
Workshops – Sarmiento de ascenso
Banfield – Argentinos
Atlético Tucumán – Barracas Central
Arsenal – River
Zone B
Tigre – Students
San Lorenzo – Racing
Newell’s – Union
Godoy Cruz – Belgrano
Platense – Lanús
Institute – Central Córdoba
Mouth – Defense and Justice
DATE 5 (September 20)
Zone A
Vélez – Arsenal
River – Atlético Tucumán
Central Barracas – Banfield
Argentinos – Workshops
Sarmiento – Colón
Rosario Central – Independent
Huracán – Gymnastics (LP)
Zone B
Defense and Justice – Tigre
Central Córdoba – Boca
Lanús – Sarmiento
Belgrano – Platense
Union – Godoy Cruz
Racing – Newell’s
Students – San Lorenzo
DATE 6 (September 24)
Zone A
Huracán – Vélez
Gymnastics (LP) – Rosario Central
Independent – Institute
Colón – Argentinos
Workshops – Barracas Central
Banfield – River
Atlético Tucumán – Arsenal
Zone B
Tigre – San Lorenzo
Newell’s – Students
Godoy Cruz – Racing
Platense – Union
Sarmiento – Belgrano
Mouth – Lanús
Defense and Justice – Central Córdoba
DATE 7 – Interzonal (October 1)
Central Barracks – Sarmiento
Colón – Union
San Lorenzo – Huracán
Students – Gymnastics (LP)
Rosario Central – Newell’s
Racing – Independent
Mouth – River
Workshops – Belgrano
Platense – Argentinos
Vélez – Tigre
Defense and Justice – Arsenal
Banfield – Lanús
Atlético Tucumán – Central Córdoba
Godoy Cruz – Institute
DATE 8 (October 8)
Zone A
Vélez – Atlético Tucumán
Arsenal – Banfield
River – Workshops
Barracas Central – Colón
Argentinos – Independent
Institute – Gymnastics (LP)
Rosario Central – Huracán
Zone B
Central Córdoba – Tigre
Lanús – Defense and Justice
Belgrano – Mouth
Union – Sarmiento
Racing – Platense
Students – Godoy Cruz
San Lorenzo – Newell’s
DATE 9 (October 18)
Zone A
Rosario Central – Vélez
Huracán – Institute
Gymnastics (LP) – Argentinos
Independent – Barracas Central
Colón – River
Workshops – Arsenal
Banfield – Atlético Tucumán
Zone B
Tigre – Newell’s
Godoy Cruz – San Lorenzo
Platense – Students
Sarmiento – Racing
Mouth – Union
Defense and Justice – Belgrano
Central Córdoba – Lanús
DATE 10 (October 25)
Zone A
Vélez – Banfield
Atlético Tucumán – Workshops
Arsenal – Colón
River – Independent
Barracas Central – Gymnastics (LP)
Argentinos – Huracán
Institute – Central Rosario
Zone B
Lanús – Tigre
Belgrano – Central Córdoba
Union – Defense and Justice
Racing – Mouth
Students – Sarmiento
San Lorenzo – Platense
Newell’s – Godoy Cruz
DATE 11 (October 30)
Zone A
Institute – Vélez
Rosario Central – Argentinos
Huracán – Central Barracas
Gymnastics (LP) – River
Independent – Arsenal
Colón – Atlético Tucumán
Workshops – Banfield
Zone B
Tigre – Godoy Cruz
Platense – Newell’s
Sarmiento – San Lorenzo
Mouth – Students
Defense and Justice – Racing
Central Córdoba – Union
Lanús – Belgrano
DATE 12 (November 5)
Zone A
Vélez – Workshops
Banfield – Colón
Atlético Tucumán – Independent
Arsenal – Gymnastics (LP)
River – Huracán
Barracas Central – Rosario Central
Argentinos – Institute
Zone B
Belgrano – Tigre
Union – Lanús
Racing – Central Córdoba
Students – Defense and Justice
San Lorenzo – Mond
Newell’s – Sarmiento
Godoy Cruz – Platense
DATE 13 (November 12)
Zone A
Argentinos – Vélez
Institute – Central Barracks
Rosario Central – River
Huracán – Arsenal
Gymnastics (LP) – Atlético Tucumán
Independent – Banfield
Colón – Workshops
Zone B
Tigre – Platense
Sarmiento – Godoy Cruz
Mouth – Newell’s
Defense and Justice – San Lorenzo
Central Córdoba – Students
Lanús – Racing
Belgrano – Union
DATE 14 (November 26)
Zone A
Vélez – Colón
Workshops – Independent
Banfield – Gymnastics (LP)
Atlético Tucumán – Huracán
Arsenal – Rosario Central
River – Institute
Barracas Central – Argentinos
Zone B
Union – Tigre
Racing – Belgrano
Students – Lanús
San Lorenzo – Central Córdoba
Newell’s – Defense and Justice
Godoy Cruz – Mouth
Platense – Sarmiento
(Goal)”