It’s been a very quiet time for HEGS over the last few weeks, and I must say I’ve enjoyed it. If you’re looking to get back up to date with what’s been going, you could do a lot worse than check out the latest episode of the internet’s finest Argentine football podcast, Hand Of Pod. As far as the Primera División is concerned, though: Olimpo and Banfield were relegated, whilst Quilmes and – of course – River Plate have come up, both after just twelve months in Nacional B. The other change is to the format of the Primera División next season; the Apertura and Clausura will be renamed Inicial and Final, and rather than each being a standalone championship, the winners of each will now play a one-off final on the 30th June next year to decide the Argentine champion of the 2012-13 season. The Torneo Inicial kicks off on Friday, 3rd August, and the fixtures for every round, released on Tuesday, are right here.
Argentine Primera División 2012-13, Torneo Inicial
Clásicos are marked in red. All dates are for the Sunday of the given weekend. In actuality, matches will be fully scheduled closer to the time and played between Friday and Monday evenings. In the case of midweek matches (normally due to international breaks), the Wednesday date is given here, but matches will be played between Tuesday and Thursday evenings.
As well as the system for deciding the championship, the relegation system also changes for 2012-13; the old points-average system (the promedio) will still be used, but from this season onwards it will be a straight three up, three down system; no more relegation playoffs.
Round 1: 5th August
Club Atlético Vélez Sarsfield v Asociación Atlética Argentinos Juniors
Racing Club v Asociación Mutual Social y Deportiva Atlético de Rafaela
Arsenal Fútbol Club v Club Atlético Unión de Santa Fe
Club Deportivo Godoy Cruz Antonio Tomba v Club Atlético All Boys
Club Atlético Tigre v Club Estudiantes de La Plata
Quilmes Atlético Club v Club Atlético Boca Juniors
Club Atlético River Plate v Club Atlético Belgrano
Club Atlético San Lorenzo de Almagro v Club Atlético San Martín de San Juan
Club Atlético Colón v Club Atlético Lanús
Club Atlético Newell’s Old Boys v Club Atlético Independiente
Round 2: 12th August
Argentinos Juniors v Racing
Independiente v Vélez Sarsfield
Lanús v Newell’s Old Boys
San Martín v Colón
Belgrano v San Lorenzo
Estudiantes v River Plate
Boca Juniors v Tigre
All Boys v Quilmes
Unión v Godoy Cruz
Rafaela v Arsenal
Round 3: 19th August
Vélez Sarsfield v Lanús
Racing v Independiente
Arsenal v Argentinos Juniors
Godoy Cruz v Rafaela
Tigre v River Plate
Quilmes v Unión
Boca Juniors v All Boys
San Lorenzo v Estudiantes
Colón v Belgrano
Newell’s Old Boys v San Martín
Round 4: 26th August
Argentinos Juniors v Godoy Cruz
Independiente v Arsenal
Lanús v Racing
San Martín v Vélez Sarsfield
Belgrano v Newell’s Old Boys
Estudiantes v Colón
River Plate v San Lorenzo
All Boys v Tigre
Unión v Boca Juniors
Rafaela v Quilmes
Round 5: 2nd September
Vélez Sarsfield v Belgrano
Racing v San Martín
Arsenal v Lanús
Godoy Cruz v Independiente
Tigre v San Lorenzo
Quilmes v Argentinos Juniors
Boca Juniors v Rafaela
All Boys v Unión
Colón v River Plate
Newell’s Old Boys v Estudiantes
Round 6: 5th September (midweek)
Argentinos Juniors v Boca Juniors
Independiente v Quilmes
Lanús v Godoy Cruz
San Martín v Arsenal
Belgrano v Racing
Estudiantes v Vélez Sarsfield
River Plate v Newell’s Old Boys
San Lorenzo v Colón
Unión v Tigre
Rafaela v All Boys
Round 7: 16th September
Vélez Sarsfield v River Plate
Racing v Estudiantes
Arsenal v Belgrano
Godoy Cruz v San Martín
Tigre v Colón
Quilmes v Lanús
Boca Juniors v Independiente
All Boys v Argentinos Juniors
Unión v Rafaela
Newell’s Old Boys v San Lorenzo
Round 8: 23rd September
Argentinos Juniors v Unión
Independiente v All Boys
Lanús v Boca Juniors
San Martín v Quilmes
Belgrano v Godoy Cruz
Estudiantes v Arsenal
River Plate v Racing
San Lorenzo v Vélez Sarsfield
Colón v Newell’s Old Boys
Rafaela v Tigre
Round 9: 30th September
Vélez Sarsfield v Colón
Racing v San Lorenzo
Arsenal v River Plate
Godoy Cruz v Estudiantes
Tigre v Newell’s Old Boys
Quilmes v Belgrano
Boca Juniors v San Martín
All Boys v Lanús
Unión v Independiente
Rafaela v Argentinos Juniors
Round 10: 7th October
Argentinos Juniors v Tigre
Independiente v Rafaela
Lanús v Unión
San Martín v All Boys
Belgrano v Boca Juniors
Estudiantes v Quilmes
River Plate v Godoy Cruz
San Lorenzo v Arsenal
Colón v Racing
Newell’s Old Boys v Vélez Sarsfield
Round 11: 21st October
Argentinos Juniors v Independiente
Racing v Newell’s Old Boys
Arsenal v Colón
Godoy Cruz v San Lorenzo
Tigre v Vélez Sarsfield
Quilmes v River Plate
Boca Juniors v Estudiantes
All Boys v Belgrano
Unión v San Martín
Rafaela v Lanús
Round 12: 28th October
Vélez Sarsfield v Racing
Independiente v Tigre
Lanús v Argentinos Juniors
San Martín v Rafaela
Belgrano v Unión
Estudiantes v All Boys
River Plate v Boca Juniors
San Lorenzo v Quilmes
Colón v Godoy Cruz
Newell’s Old Boys v Arsenal
Round 13: 4th November
Argentinos Juniors v San Martín
Independiente v Lanús
Arsenal v Vélez Sarsfield
Godoy Cruz v Newell’s Old Boys
Tigre v Racing
Quilmes v Colón
Boca Juniors v San Lorenzo
All Boys v River Plate
Unión v Estudiantes
Rafaela v Belgrano
Round 14: 11th November
Vélez Sarsfield v Godoy Cruz
Racing v Arsenal
Lanús v Tigre
San Martín v Independiente
Belgrano v Argentinos Juniors
Estudiantes v Rafaela
River Plate v Unión
San Lorenzo v All Boys
Colón v Boca Juniors
Newell’s Old Boys v Quilmes
Round 15: 14th November (midweek)
Argentinos Juniors v Estudiantes
Independiente v Belgrano
Lanús v San Martín
Godoy Cruz v Racing
Tigre v Arsenal
Quilmes v Vélez Sarsfield
Boca Juniors v Newell’s Old Boys
All Boys v Colón
Unión v San Lorenzo
Rafaela v River Plate
Round 16: 18th November
Vélez Sarsfield v Boca Juniors
Racing v Quilmes
Arsenal v Godoy Cruz
San Martín v Tigre
Belgrano v Lanús
Estudiantes v Independiente
River Plate v Argentinos Juniors
San Lorenzo v Rafaela
Colón v Unión
Newell’s Old Boys v All Boys
Round 17: 25th November
Argentinos Juniors v San Lorenzo
Independiente v River Plate
Lanús v Estudiantes
San Martín v Belgrano
Tigre v Godoy Cruz
Quilmes v Arsenal
Boca Juniors v Racing
All Boys v Vélez Sarsfield
Unión v Newell’s Old Boys
Rafaela v Colón
Round 18: 2nd December
Vélez Sarsfield v Unión
Racing v All Boys
Arsenal v Boca Juniors
Godoy Cruz v Quilmes
Belgrano v Tigre
Estudiantes v San Martín
River Plate v Lanús
San Lorenzo v Independiente
Colón v Argentinos Juniors
Newell’s Old Boys v Rafaela
Round 19: 9th December
Argentinos Juniors v Newell’s Old Boys
Independiente v Colón
Lanús v San Lorenzo
San Martín v River Plate
Belgrano v Estudiantes
Quilmes v Tigre
Boca Juniors v Godoy Cruz
All Boys v Arsenal
Unión v Racing
Rafaela v Vélez Sarsfield
Hasta El Gol Siempre 
I will be in BA 9 december 2012. At what time do these matches start please ?
The following quote is from the second paragraph of the above post.
‘All dates are for the Sunday of the given weekend. In actuality, matches will be fully scheduled closer to the time and played between Friday and Monday evenings.’
But how big are the chances they play on monday ? I am leaving that monday, so I truly hope that all matches will be played at the same time on that sunday.
In early December, there will almost definitely be at least one, and possibly two, matches on the Monday. Argentine players’ union rules state that during summer months matches can’t kick off before 5pm, so Monday evenings are used as well to spread the matches out for TV coverage. Generally speaking, though, the more attractive to attend matches will probably be played on Saturday and Sunday. If you want to check out the ‘Football De Tours’ page of this blog (check the menu at the top) you can drop Dan and I a note closer to the time if you’d like us to sort something out for you.
Thanks Sam.
Real interesting choice. There was a strike-shortened season in Major League Baseball in 1981 or 82, when they took the winners of the division from the first half of the season and put them into the playoffs against the division winners from the second half. It made for a great playoffs, but it is kind of weird when you see a team do so well in the Apertura then fall off the face of the earth in the Clasura.
Argentina’s done well to have a much more unpredictable tournament than most countries with the short mad dash to the end league, and has always led to more passionate matches (I mean, finding the right angle to show Arsenal’s lifting the cup with the confetti was incredible difficult with that rinky-dink stadium and ridiculous confetti cannon, but that’s a good problem to have when it comes to unpredictability.) I hope the “Grande Final” can work out for them.
So the grand final is the same date as the Confederations Cup final? FIFA/CONMEBOL ok with that? Great days tv unless AFA decide to clash. Knowing AFA…..
I will eat my hat, coat, shirt and trousers if any Argentine club has a player involved in the Confederations Cup final.