Estudiantes de La Plata, beaten finalists in this year’s Copa Libertadores, will face Palmeiras in Montevideo on 28 November. Beyond the chance to win a fifth continental title, a victory would also secure Argentina’s first place in the second edition of the Club World Cup, scheduled for 2029.
Argentina’s route to the Club World Cup
Argentina sent two clubs to the 2025 Club World Cup, River Plate and Boca Juniors, and both were eliminated in the group stage. If the 32-team format and the current allocation of places are kept, South America will have six clubs: the Libertadores champions from 2025 to 2028, plus the two highest-ranked clubs in the CONMEBOL standings, as long as no country exceeds two entries. The only exception to that cap is a Libertadores title, which is how Brazil ended up with four teams in 2025.
Estudiantes climb the rankings
Estudiantes reached the semi-finals last year and the final this year, which lifted them to third in the CONMEBOL ranking with 62 points. That makes them the highest-placed Argentine club. Flamengo lead the table with 83 points, one ahead of Palmeiras, the very opponent Estudiantes will meet in the decider. Flamengo already have a place in the tournament because they won last year’s Libertadores.
The updated top ten reads: Flamengo (BRA) 83, Palmeiras (BRA) 82, Estudiantes (ARG) 62, LDU (ECU) 61, Independiente del Valle (ECU) 40, Racing (ARG) 35, Cerro Porteño (PAR) 34, Fluminense (BRA) 28, Peñarol (URU) 26, and Corinthians and São Paulo (BRA) 25.
River and Boca far off the pace
Argentina’s two most decorated clubs are well behind. River, who did not play in this year’s Libertadores, sit 16th with 23 points, behind five other Argentine teams. Boca, who exited in the Pre-Libertadores in 2025 and were knocked out in this year’s group stage, are 37th with 10 points, the tenth Argentine club in the list. Since only Libertadores participation earns ranking points, both need deep runs in the competition to climb.
The paths still open
For clubs near the bottom, the most realistic route is winning the Libertadores. Belgrano, champions of the 2026 Apertura, are the only Argentine side with a guaranteed place in the 2027 edition so far. Argentina has four more places through the group stage and one through the Pre-Libertadores.
The Copa Sudamericana offers another way in. Boca Juniors face Atlético Mineiro in the final on 21 November in Barranquilla, Colombia. The remaining three Argentine Libertadores places for 2027 will come from the Copa Argentina, where Boca are in the semi-finals and River have already been eliminated, the Torneo Clausura, which has only just begun, and the overall annual table, where Boca and Argentinos Juniors share the lead on 54 points and River are eighth with 49.
Source: ge.globo.com
