The 2026 Argentine Primera Nacional, officially known as the Campeonato de Primera Nacional Sur Finanzas 2026 for sponsorship purposes, is the 42nd season of the Primera Nacional, the second-tier competition of Argentine football. Thirty-six teams compete in the league, thirty of which took part in the 2025 season, along with two teams relegated from Liga Profesional, two teams promoted from Torneo Federal A and two teams promoted from Primera B Metropolitana. The fixture draw was held on 22 December 2025, and the season began on 13 February and is scheduled to end in December 2026.
Format For this season, the competition is played under the same format as the previous season, with the thirty-six participating teams split into two zones of 18 teams, where they will play against the other teams in their group twice: once at home and once away. However, interzonal matches between rival teams will also be played as rival sides were paired together for the season draw and drawn into different zones.
Both zone winners will play a final match on neutral ground to decide the first promoted team to the top flight for the following season, while the teams placing from second to eighth place in each zone will play a knockout tournament (Torneo Reducido) for the second promotion berth along with the loser of the final between the zone winners. The bottom two teams from each zone will be relegated to the third-tier leagues, Primera B Metropolitana (for teams located in Buenos Aires or its metropolitan area, or directly affiliated to AFA) or Torneo Federal A (for teams outside Greater Buenos Aires or indirectly affiliated to AFA).
Similar to previous seasons, fifteen Primera Nacional teams will qualify for the following year's Copa Argentina through league performance, those being the top seven teams of each zone plus the best eighth-placed one.
Club information Stadia and locations
ClubCityProvinceStadiumCapacity Acassuso Boulogne Sur Mer Buenos Aires La Quema 1,500 Agropecuario Argentino Carlos Casares Buenos Aires Ofelia Rosenzuaig 8,000 All Boys Buenos Aires Capital Federal Islas Malvinas 12,199 Almagro José Ingenieros Buenos Aires Tres de Febrero 12,500 Almirante Brown Isidro Casanova Buenos Aires Fragata Presidente Sarmiento 25,000 Atlanta Buenos Aires Capital Federal Don León Kolbowski 14,000 Atlético de Rafaela Rafaela Santa Fe Nuevo Monumental 16,000 Central Norte Salta Salta Padre Ernesto Martearena 20,408 Chacarita Juniors Villa Maipú Buenos Aires Chacarita Juniors 19,000 Chaco For Ever Resistencia Chaco Juan Alberto García 23,000 Ciudad de Bolívar San Carlos de Bolívar Buenos Aires Municipal Eva Perón 4,000 Colegiales Florida Oeste Buenos Aires Libertarios Unidos 6,500 Colón Santa Fe Santa Fe Brigadier Estanislao López 40,000 Buenos Aires Capital Federal Juan Pasquale 9,000 Deportivo Madryn Puerto Madryn Chubut Abel Sastre 8,000 Deportivo Maipú Maipú Mendoza Omar Higinio Sperdutti 8,000 Deportivo Morón Morón Buenos Aires Nuevo Francisco Urbano 32,000 Estudiantes Caseros Buenos Aires Ciudad de Caseros 16,740 Ferrocarril Midland Libertad Buenos Aires Ciudad de Libertad 9,000 Ferro Carril Oeste Buenos Aires Capital Federal Ricardo Etcheverri 24,442 Gimnasia y Esgrima Jujuy Jujuy 23 de Agosto 23,200 Gimnasia y Tiro Salta Salta Gigante del Norte 24,300 Godoy Cruz Godoy Cruz Mendoza Feliciano Gambarte 21,000 Güemes Arturo Miranda 15,000 Los Andes Lomas de Zamora Buenos Aires Eduardo Gallardón 38,000 Mitre Santiago del Estero Santiago del Estero José y Antonio Castiglione 10,500 Nueva Chicago Buenos Aires Capital Federal Nueva Chicago 28,500 Patronato Paraná Entre Ríos Presbítero Bartolomé Grella 22,000 Quilmes Quilmes Buenos Aires Centenario 35,200 Racing Córdoba Córdoba Miguel Sancho 15,000 San Martín San Juan San Juan Ingeniero Hilario Sánchez 26,500 San Martín Tucumán Tucumán La Ciudadela 30,250 San Miguel Los Polvorines Buenos Aires Malvinas Argentinas 7,176 San Telmo Dock Sud Buenos Aires Osvaldo Baletto 2,000 Temperley Temperley Buenos Aires Alfredo Beranger 13,000 Tristán Suárez Tristán Suárez Buenos Aires 20 de Octubre 15,000
Zone A Standings
Results
Zone B Standings
Results
Interzonal matches The interzonal matches were played on the seventh and twenty-fifth matchdays.
Round 7HomeScoreAwayNueva Chicago0–0All BoysAtlanta0–1Ferro Carril OesteDeportivo Madryn1–1San Martín (T)Chaco For Ever1–2Gimnasia y Esgrima (J)Almagro2–0Deportivo MorónChacarita Juniors0–3Estudiantes (BA)San Martín (SJ)0–0Racing (C)Los Andes0–1TemperleyGüemes2–2Mitre (SdE)Almirante Brown0–1Tristán Suárez Ciudad de Bolívar0–0Agropecuario ArgentinoPatronato0–2ColónGimnasia y Tiro0–1Central NorteDeportivo Maipú0–1Godoy CruzSan Telmo0–3QuilmesColegiales0–0San MiguelDefensores de Belgrano1–1Atlético de RafaelaFerrocarril Midland1–0Acassuso
Round 25HomeScoreAwayAll Boys1–0Nueva ChicagoFerro Carril Oeste3–1AtlantaSan Martín (T)2–2Deportivo MadrynGimnasia y Esgrima (J)1–0Chaco For EverDeportivo Morón2–0AlmagroEstudiantes (BA)2–0Chacarita JuniorsRacing (C)0–0San Martín (SJ)Temperley3–0Los AndesMitre (SdE)1–1GüemesTristán Suárez 3–1Almirante BrownAgropecuario Argentino1–0Ciudad de BolívarColón3–0PatronatoCentral Norte0–0Gimnasia y TiroGodoy Cruz1–2Deportivo MaipúQuilmes3–0San TelmoSan Miguel2–0ColegialesAtlético de Rafaela0–0Defensores de BelgranoAcassuso1–1Ferrocarril Midland
Copa Argentina qualification Fifteen Primera Nacional teams will qualify for the round of 32 of the 2027 Copa Argentina, which will be the top seven teams of each zone and the best eighth-placed team at the end of the season, which will be selected according to points, goal difference, goals scored, and a drawing of lots if needed.
Ranking of eighth-placed teams
Season statistics
Top scorers {| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" |- !Rank !Player !Club !Goals |- |1 |align="left"| Franco Fagúndez |align="left"|Deportivo Morón |14 |- |rowspan=2|2 |align="left"| Lautaro Gordillo |align="left"|Gimnasia y Tiro |rowspan=2|13 |- |align="left"| Martín Pino |align="left"|Godoy Cruz |- |rowspan=3|4 |align="left"| Ignacio Lago |align="left"|Colón |rowspan=3|12 |- |align="left"| Luis Silba |align="left"|Deportivo Madryn |- |align="left"| Marcos Machado |align="left"|Mitre (SdE) |- |rowspan=2|7 |align="left"| Juan Sánchez Sotelo |align="left"|Güemes |rowspan=2|10 |- |align="left"| Nazareno Fúnez |align="left"|San Martín (SJ) |- |rowspan=2|9 |align="left"| Agustín Lavezzi |align="left"|Quilmes |rowspan=2|9 |- |align="left"| Pablo Chavarría |align="left"|Racing (C)
See also 2026 Liga Profesional 2026 Copa Argentina 2026 Torneo Federal A
References
External links Ascenso del Interior Interior Futbolero Promiedos