Soccer Tour — See a Game Live

Wander Argentina offers exciting, safe and affordable tours to Argentine soccer games.

Tour Includes:

– Transport and accompaniment to the game.
– Tickets to the game (even for games in which only ‘club members’ are normally provided access)
– Expert explanations: bilingual guides explain the ins and outs of the game, translate chants and provide insider details on players and clubs
– Accompanied return from the stadium

Terms of online booking:

– Specific game days and times are usually not decided until a few days before the game. If game time is not confirmed upon booking please be flexible.
– If for some reason you cannot attend the elected game, please inform us as soon as possible. We will work with you to arrange to see another game.
-Price is determined by the cost of the match tickets

Upcoming games

To inquire about upcoming games, check our list of upcoming soccer games and send us a message at the bottom of the page, or go ahead and contact us through our contact form.

Football Argentina: The Teams

Club Atlético Boca Juniors
Known as: Boca, Los Xeneizes, Los Bosteros (The Shit Boys)
Founded: 1905
Colors: Blue and Yellow
Stadium: Estadio Alberto J. Armando (La Bombonera)
Titles: 23 Domestic Championships, 6 Copa Libertadores, 3 Intercontinental Cups
Along with River Plate, Boca is one of the titans of Argentine football. With a glittering history and huge fan base, the club and its stadium, the Bombonera, are world famous. Based in the poor, but colorful neighborhood of La Boca, the team inspires a multitude of fanatical supporters. Boca fans place more importance on guts and commitment from their players than displays of pretty football. For them, Boca Juniors is not just a football club, it’s a way of life.
Arch Rivals: River

Club Atlético River Plate
Known as: River, Los Millonarios (The Millionaires), Las Gallinas (The Chickens)
Founded: 1901
Colors: White and Red
Stadium: El Monumental
Titles: 33 Domestic Championships, 2 Copa Libertadores, 1 Intercontinental Cup
The Yin to Boca’s Yang, River Plate’s mythical white shirt with its diagonal red stripe incites just as much passion amongst supporters as the blue and yellow of their rivals. Regarded by some as the greatest of all South American teams because of their trophy-laden history, River pride themselves on their attractive, attacking style of football above all else. Traditionally, fans come from the middle and upper classes of society, but you’ll find River supporters in all walks of life.
Arch Rivals: Boca

Club Atlético Vélez Sársfield
Known as: Vélez, El Fortín (The Fortress)
Founded: 1910
Colors: White and Blue
Stadium: Estadio José Amalfitani
Titles: 6 Domestic Championships, 1 Copa Libertadores, 1 Intercontinental Cup
In relation to the amount of success Vélez has enjoyed over the years, it has surprisingly few fans. This is perhaps the main factor preventing the club from being considered one of the ‘big’ Argentine teams. Supporters are also considered to be particularly amargo (literally ‘bitter’) and usually prefer to see the glass as half empty. But surely if the team can return to winning ways and continue producing talented players, more fans will be tempted to jump on the Vélez bandwagon.
Arch Rivals: Ferro (2nd Division)

Club Atlético Independiente
Known as: Independiente, Diablo Rojo (Red Devils)
Founded: 1905
Colors: Red with Blue or White
Stadium: Estadio Libertadores de America (La Doble Visera)
Titles: 14 Domestic Championships, 7 Copa Libertadores, 2 Intercontinental Cups
A club that was until recently known as “The King of the Cups” (until Boca overtook their number of international trophies), Independiente has a glorious past, and a present that can best be described as mediocre. Fans are notoriously demanding). They not only expect success on the pitch, they want beautiful football as well. These days, unfortunately, they more often than not go home disappointed.
Arch Rivals: Racing

Club Atlético San Lorenzo de Almagro
Known as: San Lorenzo, El Ciclón (The Cyclone), Los Santos (The Saints), Los Cuervos (The Crows)
Founded: 1908
Colors: Blue and Red
Stadium: Estadio Pedro Bidegain (El nuevo Gasómetro)
Titles: 10 Domestic Championships
San Lorenzo is a powerhouse club with a big local fan base and plenty of domestic glory; the only thing missing so far is international success. The Saints are the pride of the working class Boedo neighborhood, and fans are renowned for their passionate singing of a colorful array of club songs from the terraces. They were once the owners of a majestic stadium, the Gasómetro, which unfortunately was torn down for financial reasons, and replaced by a supermarket. It is a team that almost has it all, but is just not quite Boca or River.
Arch Rivals: Huracán

Racing Club de Avellaneda
Known as: Racing, La Academia (The Academy)
Founded: 1903
Colors: Sky Blue and White
Stadium: El Cilindro de Avellaneda
Titles: 7 Domestic Championships, 1 Copa Libertadores, 1 Intercontinental Cup
For a club whose glory years are in the distant past, Racing has managed to maintain a huge group of stoic supporters and remains one of the Big Five teams of Argentine football. It is said that the Racing faithful love to suffer, and suffer is what they have mostly done since 1967, with only one championship (the 2001 Apertura) in all that time. The team seems to be in constant danger of relegation to the second division, which has caused countless cases of premature baldness among fans. The club is known for producing many talented players, who often go on to represent big European clubs, and the Argentine national team.
Arch Rivals: Independiente

Estudiantes de la Plata
Known as: Estudiantes, Los Pincharratas (The Rat-stabbers) or pinchas
Founded: 1905
Colors: Red and White
Stadium: Estadio Jorge Luis Hirschi
Titles: 4 Domestic Championships, 3 Copa Libertadores, 1 Intercontinental Cup
In the city of La Plata, Boca Juniors doesn’t exist. Neither does River Plate. That’s because in La Plata, the footballing world revolves around two teams only; Estudiantes and Gimnasia. While support for the two clubs is fairly evenly split, it is Estudiantes who have won the big tournaments both locally and internationally, while their cousins Gimnasia have never actually won a major trophy.
Arch Rivals: Gimnasia de la Plata

Newell’s Old Boys
Known as: Newell’s, Los Leprosos (The Lepers)
Founded: 1903
Colors: Red and Black
Stadium: Estadio Newell’s Old Boys (El Coloso del Parque)
Titles: 5 Domestic Championships
Much like in La Plata, the two teams of the city of Rosario define themselves by their mutual hatred of one another. Fans of Newell’s are traditionally more middle class, while Central supporters come from the lower classes. Historically, both teams have done very well for themselves, gaining nine Argentine championships for the city of Rosario, and turning out many great international players.
Arch Rivals: Rosario Central

Rosario Central
Known as: Central, Los Canallas (The scoundrels)
La Academia Rosarina (The Academy of Rosario)
Founded: 1889
Colors: Blue and Yellow
Stadium: Estadio Gigante de Arroyito
Titles: 4 Domestic championships
When not busy being bitter rivals of Newell’s, Central has found time to produce a great many exceptional players, earning them (like Racing), the nickname of ‘The Academy’. With recent teams struggling to make an impact in the top division, the biggest days of the year for them remain the clasico fixtures against their cross-town enemies.
Arch Rivals: Newell’s

Asociación Atlética Argentinos Juniors
Known as: Argentinos Juniors, Bichos Colorados (Red Bugs)
Founded: 1904
Colors: Red and White
Stadium: Estadio Diego Armando Maradona
Titles: 2 Domestic Championships, 1 Copa Libertadores
A popular team with just two national titles, the glittering star of Argentinos Juniors’ trophy cabinet is no doubt the 1985 Copa Libertadores. A great producer of talent, they can take particular credit for handing a certain 15-year-old by the name of Diego Maradona his professional debut in 1976. It was arguably the club’s most telling contribution to world football, and they made sure to remind everybody of the fact by naming their stadium after the mythical number 10.
Arch Rivals: Platense (2nd Division)

—by Dan Colasimone

• Getting a Hold of Tickets

• Which Games to Attend?

• Choosing ‘Your Team’

Football Argentina: Getting a Hold of Tickets

The easiest way of getting a ticket to an Argentine football game is probably to purchase a ticket online.

Purchasing the tickets this way is a full tour that includes a guide and transport to and from the stadium.

The only downside with this method is that prices will be marked up from the cost at stadium counters. Considering exchange rates, even with such a mark up, this might just be the most convenient approach because getting tickets from the source can be an exercise in frustration.

Due to the popularity of their teams, prices to Boca and River games are by far the most expensive. Suffice to say, because only ‘team members’ can purchase tickets it is now impossible to buy Boca, River tickets the conventional way — you will have to go through an agency unless you have a local friend that is a member and can get you tickets. Most tourists to Argentina want to see the world famous Boca or River play a match, but there are many exciting Division I matches with equally rabid rivalries between the fans that are worth attending, as well as the Copa Libertadores, which has six local Argentine teams competing.

Buying Tickets at the Stadium

— If you have more time than money, you can take a chance and go to the stadium before the match to buy a ticket (aside from Boca and River games, where that will probably not work). The problem here is that procedures vary depending on the importance of the match, or on other factors which often don’t make any sense at all. Sometimes tickets are available at the stadium ticket stalls a couple of weeks before the match in question, sometimes they only go on sale to the public the day before and big games featuring popular teams often do not offer tickets to the public. Purchasing tickets at the stadium will work for most of the smaller teams, it’s just a matter of finding out when those tickets go on sale.

If it’s a big match, people will line up early in the morning to make sure they get a ticket. If you’re a hardcore enough fan to do this, make sure you get all the details beforehand — you don’t want to go on the wrong day, and stand in the wrong line!

Sometimes tickets to important games are sold in other venues as well, such as the Luna Park entertainment complex downtown. For many matches, tickets should still be available right up until kickoff, but unless you have your finger on the pulse of Argentine football it can be hard to determine this beforehand. There are sometimes tickets for sale on Mercado Libre, Argentina’s version of Ebay and Viagogo, but, again, purchasers will need to know what a real ticket looks like and there are fake tickets in circulation.

Buying Soccer Tickets from a Scalper

— If it’s the day of a big game, and you don’t yet have a ticket, one other option is to try to pick one up from an ‘unauthorized’ (read: illegal) vendor outside the stadium in the hours leading up to the match. Do so at your own peril, though. It might just work, but you also might end up — as many have before — with a bunk ticket, just as can happen buying from individuals online .

Scalpers are found in the parks and streets outside the stadium shouting out ‘¡Boletos!’ (Tickets!). Ticket prices will be substantially marked up, probably more so if you are a foreigner, but that is to be expected going through an intermediary. Try to use your good judgment on the legitimacy of the tickets and talk to several of the vendors to compare prices — if they see you talking to the competition, they will probably drop the price a little too.

The scalper will undoubtedly assure you until he’s blue in the face that the ticket is real, but be careful. If he won’t let you inspect the ticket before you buy, forget it. Very carefully check the details written on the ticket. Is it the right game? The right date? An adult ticket? If you’re buying more than one, make sure they’re all the same.

If you’re with a friend who has a legitimate ticket, you can use it to compare. You may do everything right and still find out the ticket is a fake when you get to the stadium entrance. If you’re desperate enough to see the match, and you think it’s worth the risk of throwing your money away, buying from a scalper is a final resort that may actually work.

*updated: 2018

⇒ Purchase a Tour to a Soccer Game Online

Football Argentina: Which Games to Attend?

Soccer games in Buenos Aires —

WA-football-bombenera-josé porras — photo: José Porras

If trying to sort out which soccer match to go see in Buenos Aires, it obviously depends on scheduling and the length of your stay. Assuming you had all options available to you, and you’re a neutral supporter, the games could be prioritized in this order:

1. Boca-River: The ‘Superclasico’ of Argentine football, and a unique experience that is worth blowing your budget on. An event you’ll never forget even if you’re not a football fan, and if you are, it’s something akin to Nirvana. It’s preferable to see it at the home stadium, the Bombonera in La Boca.

* Editor’s Note: In June 2011, River was relegated to the ‘B’ division, and for a while the Superclasico was defunct. The downgrade was temporary however and now River is back in the ‘A’ division.

2. Argentina-Brazil: You may not find the same level of fanatical fans as at a club game, but when two of South American football’s oldest and fiercest rivals go head to head with squads bursting to the brim with superstar talent, footballing history is made every time.

3. Any Boca game at the Bombonera: Although Boca and River rival each other for the highest number of supporters in Argentina, Boca’s ‘chocolate box’ home stadium is unique in world football. Comparatively small, with steep stands full of rabid supporters in one of the most colorful neighborhoods of Buenos Aires, the atmosphere at big matches is pure shock and awe.

4. Other matches: If none of the above games are available to you during your stay, there are plenty of alternatives that are sure to leave you satisfied. Argentine football is full of colorful local rivalries and historical grudge matches. Any match played by the national team is a momentous event.

River fans are just as fanatical as their Boca rivals. Although their stadium is slightly less intimate, it’s the biggest in the country and more than worth a visit. And don’t disregard a trip to any of the match ups during a regular weekend of fixtures or intra-continental affairs against clubs from elsewhere in South America.

—by Dan Colasimone