Copa Argentina
Organising bodyAFA
Founded1969
2011 (relaunch)
RegionArgentina
Number of teams64 (2021–22)
Qualifier forCopa Libertadores
Supercopa Argentina
Related competitionsPrimera División
Supercopa Argentina
Current championsEstudiantes de La Plata (2023)
Most successful club(s)Boca Juniors
(4 titles)
Television broadcasters
Websitecopaargentina.org
2023 Copa Argentina

The Copa Argentina (English: Argentine Cup), officially known as the "Copa Argentina AXION energy" due to sponsorship reasons, is an official football cup competition organized by the Argentine Football Association (AFA).

The first editions of the championship were contested by teams playing in Primera División that did not earn eligibility to participate in the Copa Libertadores of the following year, and the best placed clubs playing in regional leagues.

The tournament was re-launched in 2011, with teams of all divisions that form the Argentine football league system taking part of the championship.[1][2] The winner of Copa Argentina qualifies for the Supercopa Argentina against the reigning champions of Primera División.

Boca Juniors is the most successful team with four titles won, the latest in 2019–20.

History

Background

The "Campeonato de la República" (or Copa General Pedro Ramírez[3]) had been the first Argentine cup contested by clubs playing not only in Primera División but in regional leagues as well, with a total of 35 teams in the first edition.[4][5] The cup was held from 1943 to 1945.

A new international competition, "Copa Ganadores de Copa (also known as "Recopa Sudamericana"), organised by CONMEBOL in 1970 as a South American counterpart of UEFA Cup Winners' Cup, served as inspiration to the Argentine Association to create a new competition, with the winner team being eligible to play the 1970 edition of Copa Ganadores de Copa.

First edition: 1969

The original trophy of Copa Argentina, awarded in 1969 and 1970. When the competition was relaunched in 2011, a new cup was designed for the occasion

The competition was contested by 32 teams using a two-legged elimination format. Two points were awarded for winning a leg, one for a draw and null for a loss. The teams having more points would qualify to the next round. If both teams had the same number of points, it would be determined by the total number of goals, total number of goals conceded, and penalty shootout accordingly.

All teams in the Primera División Argentina participated in the competition with some top teams from the regional leagues, except teams that had already qualified to the Copa Libertadores, namely, Vélez Sársfield and River Plate, the winners and runners-up of 1968 Nacional respectively, and Estudiantes (LP), the champions of 1968 Copa Libertadores.[6]

Boca Juniors and Atlanta entered the final. Boca won the tournament by defeating Atlanta 3–2 on aggregate after two matches were played.

However, as Boca later won the 1969 Nacional and qualified to the 1970 Copa Libertadores, Atlanta qualified to the 1970 "Copa Ganadores de Copa" as the runner-up.[6]

Second edition: 1970

Apart from teams that had got the Copa Libertadores eligibility, namely Boca Juniors and River Plate, the champions and runners-up of Nacional 1969, and Estudiantes (LP), who won the Copa Libertadores 1969, all clubs in the Primera División Argentina participated this competition. The champions of Primera B, Ferro, also took part in the tournament, along with 13 top clubs from regional leagues.[7]

Copa Argentina 1970 never finished. 32 teams played the competition and San Lorenzo and Vélez Sársfield entered the final. The tournament had been lasting for a long period in that year. Starting in March 1970, the first leg of the final was played in March 1971. At that time, the Copa Ganadores de Copa, which the winner of Copa Argentina would be qualifying for, had already started. Moreover, as Huracán Buceo and Deportes Concepción, the two other team in the same group with the Argentine representative in the Copa Ganadores de Copa, had not confirmed their participation, so the organizer announced the Copa Ganadores de Copa would become a friendly tournament.[8] Therefore, after the first leg of the Copa Argentina final was held, which the teams drew 2–2, the second leg was never played. No Argentine teams participated in the Copa Ganadores de Copa 1971.

Relaunch

The rescheduling of the Copa Argentina, officialized in 2011,[9] included 186 teams of 7 divisions of the Argentine football league system in a knock-out system competition. All the matches were disputed in neutral locations. The teams of the first division were included in rounds of 32. The champion of the tournament qualified for the next edition of Copa Sudamericana.

For the relaunching of the tournament, a new trophy was designed. The cup, made of aluminium, was manufactured at the Norberto Ambrosetti factory of Lobos, Buenos Aires.[10]

The 2012 final between Boca and Racing was scheduled many times due to fixture congestion. The match was finally played on August 8, 2012, at the Estadio del Bicentenario in San Juan.[11] Boca Juniors won its second trophy after defeating Racing Club by 2–1.[12]

The 2012–13 Copa Argentina was scheduled to begin October 23, 2012 in a new two-phase knock-out competition.[13] Arsenal defeated San Lorenzo and won its first trophy of this competition.

Champions

The following is the list of Copa Argentina winners with the finals played:[14]

Ed. Year Champion Score(s) Runner-up Venue(s) City
11969Boca Juniors AtlantaGasómetro[note 2]Buenos Aires
21970
(no champion crowned)[note 3]
Don León KolbowskiBuenos Aires
32011–12Boca JuniorsRacingBicentenarioSan Juan
42012–13ArsenalSan LorenzoBicentenarioCatamarca
52013–14HuracánRosario CentralBicentenarioSan Juan
62014–15Boca JuniorsRosario CentralMario A. KempesCórdoba
72015–16River PlateRosario CentralMario A. KempesCórdoba
82016–17River PlateAtlético TucumánMalvinas ArgentinasMendoza
92017–18Rosario CentralGimnasia y Esgrima (LP)Malvinas ArgentinasMendoza
102018–19River PlateCentral Córdoba (SdE)Malvinas ArgentinasMendoza
112019–20Boca JuniorsTalleres (C)Madre de CiudadesSantiago del Estero
2020–21
(Not held because of COVID-19 pandemic in Argentina)
122021–22PatronatoTalleres (C)Malvinas ArgentinasMendoza
132023Estudiantes (LP)Defensa y JusticiaCiudad de Lanús – Néstor Díaz PérezLanús

Notes:

  1. Two-legged format, Boca Juniors won 3–2 on goal difference.
  2. Venue for both matches.
  3. The competition was abandoned as the second leg between San Lorenzo and Vélez Sarsfield was never played. In the first leg, both teams had tied 2–2

Titles by club

Club Titles Runners-up Seasons won Seasons runner-up
Boca Juniors41969, 2011–12, 2014–15, 2019–20
River Plate32015–16, 2016–17, 2018–19
Rosario Central132017–182013–14, 2014–15, 2015–16
Arsenal12012–13
Huracán12013–14
Patronato
1
2021–22
Estudiantes (LP)
1
2023
Talleres (C)022019–20, 2021–22
Atlanta011969
Racing012011–12
San Lorenzo012012–13
Atlético Tucumán012016–17
Gimnasia y Esgrima (LP)012017–18
Central Córdoba (SdE)012018–19
Defensa y Justicia012023

Top Scorers

Source:[15]

Year Player Goals Club
1969Argentina Daniel Quevedo
7
Lanús
1970Argentina Rubén Ayala
5
San Lorenzo
2011–12Argentina Ramón Ábila
3
Sarmiento (J)
2012–13Argentina Daniel Bazán Vera
5
Tristán Suárez
2013–14Argentina Mariano Gorosito
5
Luján
Argentina Walter IbáñezSanjustino (Santa Fe)
2014–15Argentina Luis Luna
5
Vélez Sársfield (SdE)
2015–16Argentina Lucas Alario
7
River Plate
2016–17Argentina Maximiliano Tunessi
7
Sol de Mayo (Viedma)
2017–18Argentina Héctor Rueda
5
Dep. Rincón (Neuquén)
Argentina Luis A. SilbaSarmiento (R)
2018–19Argentina Christian Duma
4
Douglas Haig
2019–20Uruguay Michael Santos
4
Talleres (C)
2021–22Argentina Jesús Dátolo
4
Banfield
Argentina Marcelo EstigarribiaPatronato
2023Paraguay Gabriel Ávalos
3
Argentinos Juniors
Argentina Enzo Ariel FernándezAlmagro
Uruguay Miguel MerentielBoca Juniors

See also

References

  1. "Confirmaron el lanzamiento de la Copa Argentina", El Cronista, 18 May 2011
  2. "Presentaron la Copa Argentina" Archived 2012-12-29 at archive.today, Diario Uno, 19 May 2011
  3. Asociación del Fútbol Argentino: Memoria y Balance General 1943, p. 135-137, AFA Library
  4. 1943 Campeonato de la República
  5. Copa General Pedro Ramírez by José Carluccio
  6. 1 2 1969 Copa Argentina – RSSSF
  7. 1970 Copa Argentina – RSSSF
  8. Recopa Sudamericana de Clubes 1971
  9. "En medio de las polémicas, Grondona lanzó la Copa Argentina", Notio, 2011-05-19
  10. ""Concluyó la realización en alumnio de la Copa Argentina", Lobos News, 14 May 2012". Archived from the original on 14 July 2014. Retrieved 24 June 2014.
  11. 2012 fixture Archived 2012-06-19 at the Wayback Machine
  12. "Boca se sacó la espina y pegó el grito de campeón", Clarín, 8 August 2012
  13. "Se larga la segunda edicion" Archived 2012-10-26 at the Wayback Machine, 18 October 2012
  14. Campeones (Primera División y Copas Nacionales) Archived 2015-06-17 at the Wayback Machine on AFA website
  15. Argentina – List of Topscorers – Domestic Cups by Pablo Kersevan and Pablo Ciullini on the RSSSF
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