If you ask any football lover what's at the top of their bucket list, it's a football trip to Buenos Aires. The absolute football capital of the world, and especially La Bombonera, the Boca Juniors stadium. In this blog, we give you tips and tricks for planning a football trip to Buenos Aires.
Information for your Buenos Aires football trip
It's truly remarkable – Buenos Aires really is unlike anywhere else. Every neighbourhood (barrio) has its own football club (and there are quite a few of them), with the local cafés decorated with memorabilia from the club. From the wealthier barrios where, for example, River Plate is based, to the poorer barrios such as La Boca, the barrio of Boca Juniors. But also the wonderful food and drink, the grilled cuts of meat and the beautiful wines, the nightlife, and of course, the birthplace of the greatest footballer ever: Diego Armando Maradona. Buenos Aires has it all. Immerse yourself, let the many football clubs guide you, and everything will fall into place.
The fixture schedule
The Argentine football capital has plenty of choice when it comes to clubs. Many clubs play at the highest level (Primera División), but there's also plenty of choice in the 2 lower divisions. If you want to, you can attend a football match every evening at whatever level you fancy. The big matches are played on Saturday and Sunday. Big matches such as Boca Juniors – River Plate are broadcast at prime time. Tourists wanting to attend a match should plan well around the weekends. Fixtures are only confirmed 2 weeks before the match.
The Argentine league starts at the end of January and runs until November, with a short break at the end of July/beginning of August – the winter break, so to speak. The league currently has 28 teams. Up to July, 27 matches are played, meaning only a single round-robin phase takes place. A further 14 matches are played after the summer break. Each round has its own winner, and at the end of the season, both winners play each other for the Argentine championship. The relegation system is also rather unusual. The results of the last 4 years are added together, which can mean that the team finishing last in the league doesn't necessarily get relegated.
Safety in the stadiums
Away supporters aren't welcome at matches in Argentine football. There was a lot of violence in the 1990s around the stadiums, and the Barras Bravas were responsible for this. The Barra Brava is the hardcore fan group of a football club. It's now reasonably safe, but do use your common sense. Some neighbourhoods are simply safer than others. Football clubs are sometimes even located in rundown areas. So don't wear visibly expensive watches or carry expensive cameras, for instance – that should go without saying. At some clubs, it's better to have your taxi driver drop you off right inside the stadium gates.
There's more than Boca Juniors and River Plate
Most football lovers still want to attend a Boca Juniors or River Plate match, and that's understandable. But there's obviously so much more than just these two clubs. What about the Avellaneda derby between Independiente and Racing Club? Both clubs have fantastic stadiums, and they're also just a stone's throw apart. For Maradona, the best crowd was that of San Lorenzo. Huracán has the most monumental stadium. Then there's Velez Sarsfield and Maradona's first club, Argentinos Juniors, to talk about as well. And in the suburb of La Plata, there's also a well-known club: Estudiantes de la Plata. So there's plenty of material left over for another blog.
Are you already excited about a football trip to the football capital of the world? You'll find our football trip packages to Argentina, Boca Juniors and River Plate here.
