The 2021 Professional League fixture was drawn: the details

This is how the first date of the Professional Football League will be played

• Union vs. Mouth
• Central Córdoba vs. Banfield
• Arsenal vs. San Lorenzo
• Newell’s vs. Talleres
• Independent vs. Argentinos Jrs.
• Sarmiento vs. Students
• Aldosivi vs. Patronage
• Gymnastics vs. Platense
• Vélez vs. Racing
• Godoy Cruz vs. Rosario Central
• Hurricane vs Defense and Justice
• Lanús vs Atlético Tucumán
• River vs. Colon

Cristian Malaspina announced five midweek dates for the Professional League

Due to the limited schedule, especially due to the multiple international competitions, the president of Argentinos Juniors confirmed that there will be “five dates between weeks” and that it will be “a full semester.”

All the classics of the Professional Football League were raffled

Beyond the Superclásico, the rest of the teams know when they will face their greatest rivals.

The first to cross will be Independiente and Racing, on date 5. Then, Newell’s – Central (date 7), Lanús – Banfield (date 16), Huracán – San Lorenzo (date 18), Gimnasia – Estudiantes (date 24) and Unión – Columbus (date 25),

The Superclásico already has a date

Before announcing the general draw, the Professional League announced that the Superclásico between River and Boca will take place on date 14, which will be played on Sunday, October 3 at the Monumental.

All set for the giveaway to begin!

The Professional League published in its networks a photo of the cups and balls, ready to define the crosses of the new tournament.

The classics, with inverted seats

Taking the last local tournament as a reference, it was decided that the classics should invest localities with respect to their previous matches. Thus, the cross between Independiente and Racing will be in the Libertadores de América; Hurricane will return to Tomás Adolfo Ducó to face San Lorenzo; Newell’s and Rosario Central will meet at the Marcelo Bielsa; Lanus and Banfield, in the Fortress; Gymnastics and Students will be measured in the Juan Carmelo Zerillo and Unión y Colón, in the Tatengue field.

How will qualify for the international cups in the new Professional Football League tournament

The champion of the Professional Soccer League tournament will win his ticket to the Copa Libertadores 2022. Because Argentina has six places, Colón already has his place to win the Professional League Cup and the team that lifts the Argentine Cup will take another quota.

The last three places will be set by the top three teams in the annual general table. There the points achieved in the 13 matches of the group stage of the Professional League Cup will be accumulated and the next tournament that will raise that number to a total of 38 matches. The third club that completes the podium will access the playoffs of the continental tournament.

In addition, for the 2022 South American Cup there will also be six teams and Banfield has his place assured after winning the Diego Maradona Cup final against Vélez while the remaining five will leave that annual table. If the team that is already classified is repeated, it will leave its place to the next institution.

The VAR, the great novelty of the Professional Football League

One of the great innovations that the new Professional Football League tournament will present will be the implementation of video referee assistance in the competition.

Since last year, a 900-square-meter building has been built on the Ezeiza site with seven VOR rooms (acronym for video operations room) and the possibility of adding seven more on an upper floor. However, as the work lasts for several more months, for now between three and five will be in use temporarily mounted on the side.

The mechanics of the operation of the system will be the instantaneous sending of the images from the stadiums to the center of Ezeiza, where they will be monitored by video operators with communication with the referees on the field.

Another implementation problem, the lack of fiber optics in some stadiums in the country, will be corrected with the emergence of mobile VORs in vans that will receive and process the images.

The Superclassic, once again to the Monumental

The return to the format of all against all in the Professional Soccer League will reverse the localities of the classics that were played in the last tournament and, in this way, River will face Boca at the Monumental after two years without encounters in that scenario.

The averages return to the Professional League, but there will be no decreases

As it happened in the Professional League Cup, the new tournament will not have relegation, although the points will be taken into account for the purposes of the averages. The latter will define the teams that will be relegated only at the end of 2022. Of course, the points that were added in the Diego Maradona Cup will not be taken into account.

The new Professional League tournament, with a return to the traditional format

After what was the last local championship, which had the system of division by zones and playoffs to meet the champion, the idea is to go back to the sources and use the well-known league system and all against all.

Thus, the zones and the playoffs will be left behind to give rise to the traditional system of a 25-date wheel, very similar to what was the last Super League, in the 2019/20 season.

As for the start of the tournament, it is expected to be on July 16, with the Copa América 2021 already finished and just before the start of the Olympic Games in Tokyo 2020. Its completion, meanwhile, will be in December, so it will have some weekday dates to finish on time.

When is the new Professional Football League tournament raffled?

The draw will take place today, from 5:00 p.m. in Puerto Madero and will not be televised.