Updated on April 22, 2025

Boca Juniors and River Plate. Two giants of Argentine football will face each other on Sunday, April 27 in a new Superclásico that, as usual, will see the country grind to a halt.

The stage is set at River’s iconic home of the Monumental stadium at 3:30 p.m. Argentina time, part of match day 15 of the 2025 Torneo Apertura. With both teams already qualified to the play off stage, the match will purely be centered around bragging rights between city rivals.

Here’s everything you need to know to follow Argentina’s most emblematic football clash.

How to watch the Superclásico

As with all Liga Profesional games, only home team fans and neutrals are allowed to attend. Membership owners will have priority to purchase tickets when they become available.

Both teams regularly fill their over 50,000-seat stadiums, so tickets will be hard to come by. Hotels and tour sites offer tickets and experience packages for tourists, although prices can be hefty.

In order to watch the match at home, you’ll need a cable TV subscription and the additional Pack Fútbol — which grants access to premium channels ESPN Premium and TNT Sports.

Several bars across Buenos Aires will be playing the game on TV. Locos x el Fútbol (Las Heras 2101, Recoleta) is one of the city’s biggest sports bars, with several giant screens and plenty of football-themed decor.

For those hoping for a classic pub experience, Sullivan’s (Jorge Luis Borges 1702, Palermo) offers a wide selection of beers and foods.

If you prefer a more Argentine option, try El Banderín (Guardia Vieja 3601, Almagro), one of Buenos Aires’ historical bares notables, which opened in 1923 and takes its name from its incredible collection of team flags from across the globe..

How are Boca and River doing ahead of the Superclasico?

With nothing major left to play for in the standings table for now, this Superclásico will be all about bragging rights.

Boca and River have secured their spot in the Torneo Apertura playoffs. In 2025, the Argentine first division shifted to a two-stage competition. The 30 teams were split into two groups, playing 14 games against group rivals and two additional fixtures against teams from the other group. The top eight teams from each group qualify for the playoff stage. With two games to go, including this Superclásico, Boca top their group while River sit fourth in theirs.

While part one of the season may be coming to a close, this matchup between two longstanding rivals could still have big repercussions for both teams. 

Xeneize head coach Fernando Gago has been on thin ice ever since Boca was  eliminated from the 2025 Copa Libertadores. The team has since shown its best form, winning six of their last seven matches. Yet, rumbles of disapproval can be heard from the terraces in La Bombonera. And while Gago insisted he feels he has the board’s backing to continue working at the club, a Superclásico defeat could be a knockout blow that brings an end to his fairly short reign as head coach.

For River, the effects of the honeymoon after Marcelo Gallardo’s return are finally ending. The iconic coach, who oversaw the Millonario’s historic 2018 Copa Libertadores win over Boca, returned to the helm in August 2024. So far, however, he has failed to bring the same joy as he did during his first spell in charge. 

A loss on penalties against Talleres in the 2024 Supercopa Internacional means Gallardo is still without a title to show for in his second stint, but the issues at the club run deeper than trophies. The team has struggled to find its best form, with just one win in its last five Primera Division games. Gallardo’s legacy has so far outweighed any criticism from fans, but a defeat at home to Boca could eliminate the nostalgia factor that originally brought him back to the club.

Is it safe to attend the Superclasico?

While match-going in Argentina isn’t dangerous, caution is always advised. Fans from away teams have been banned in local tournament matches since 2013, when Lanús fan Javier Gerez died from a rubber bullet in the chest shot by anti-riot Police.

As with all well-attended events, match-goers should stay alert for flare-ups and heated arguments that can occur at any moment. Depending on which side of the stadium you purchase tickets for, remember not to wear the other side’s colors to avoid problems.

Why is the Boca-River rivalry so big? 

First played in 1908, every game adds a chapter to the most heated rivalry in the country, with British football magazine FourFourTwo labelling it “the biggest derby in the world.”

The rivalry goes back to the dawn of Argentine football when both teams hauled the same turf: the immigrant-populated area of La Boca. The feud later developed into a socio-cultural clash when River moved to the more affluent Belgrano neighborhood. On the pitch, viewers can expect brutal tackles and a lot of referee interruptions. For the players, like the fans, this rivalry means everything in the landscape of Argentine club football.

Over the years, as Boca and River became Argentina’s two biggest teams with fans from all economic backgrounds, the differences between the teams have become somewhat blurred. But as this Superclásico will show, the rivalry remains as intense as ever.