The Argentina–Uruguay football rivalry (also known as Clásico del Río de la Plata) is a highly competitive

sports rivalry A sports rivalry is intense competition between athletic teams or athletes, affecting participants, management, and supporters all to varying degrees. The intensity of the rivalry can range anywhere from a light hearted banter to serious violen ...

that exists between the national football teams of the two countries, as well as their respective sets of

fans Fan commonly refers to: * Fan (machine), a machine for producing airflow, often used for cooling ** Hand fan, an implement held and waved by hand to move air for cooling * Fan (person), short for fanatic; an enthusiast or supporter, especially wit ...

. Games between the two teams, even those that are only

friendly match An exhibition game (also known as a friendly, a scrimmage, a demonstration, a preseason game, a warmup match, or a preparation match, depending at least in part on the sport) is a sporting event whose prize money and impact on the player's or ...

es, are often marked by notable and sometimes controversial incidents. On 20 July 1902, both teams played the first international match outside the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

, with Argentina being the winner by 6–0.Primer partido de Selecciones
on Fútbol Nostalgia This derby is the most played in football history, with 197 official matches to date. Argentina won 92, Uruguay 57, and 48 ended in a

draw Draw, drawing, draws, or drawn may refer to: Common uses * Draw (terrain), a terrain feature formed by two parallel ridges or spurs with low ground in between them * Drawing (manufacturing), a process where metal, glass, or plastic or anything ...

History

Background

Football had been introduced many years ago in both countries, being the first game played in Argentina on 20 June 1867, with the establishment of Buenos Aires Football Club, the first football club not only in Argentina but in South America. In Uruguay, football had been introduced in 1870. Argentina organised its first league championship, Primera División, in 1891 while Uruguay held its first domestic tournament, also named Primera División, in 1900. Both countries considered themselves rivals due to their proximity. Moreover, the Argentine and

Uruguayan Uruguay (; ), officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay ( es, República Oriental del Uruguay), is a country in South America. It shares borders with Argentina to its west and southwest and Brazil to its north and northeast; while bordering ...

Associations were the first in South America, organising together the first international competitions in the

Río de la Plata The Río de la Plata (, "river of silver"), also called the River Plate or La Plata River in English, is the estuary formed by the confluence of the Uruguay River and the Paraná River at Punta Gorda. It empties into the Atlantic Ocean and fo ...

, such as

Tie Cup The Tie Cup Competition (also known as Copa de Competencia Chevallier Boutell) is a defunct international football tournament played between representatives of the Argentina and Uruguay Associations. It was one of the earliest international footbal ...

(1900) or

Copa de Honor Cousenier The Copa de Honor Cusenier was an international football club competition which was played 13 times between representatives of the Argentina and Uruguay associations between 1905 and 1920. History The trophy was donated by "E. Cusenier Fils Auné ...

(1905), played by champions of each associations.

First match

Although the first match ever recorded between Argentina and Uruguay was played on 16 May 1901, this is not considered an official game due to the match was not organized by Uruguay's Football Association but by Albion F.C. in its home field in

Paso del Molino Paso del Molino (''Mill's Crossing'') is a ''barrio'' (neighbourhood or district) of Montevideo, capital of Uruguay. External links Official Site
{{coord, 34, 51, S, 56, 13, W, display=title, region:UY_type:city_source:GNS-enwiki Barrios ...

. The Uruguayan side had nine players from that club and the remainder from Nacional. Argentina won the match 3–2. In fact, the first official match was held in the same venue, on 20 July 1902,"Historias, curiosidades y estadísticas de la Selección, tras sus "primeros" 900 partidos"
''El Gráfico'', 4 Jul 2012 with Argentina beating Uruguay 6–0. The Argentina line-up was:

José Buruca Laforia José María Buruca, also known as José Buruca Laforia ( Atalaya, Spain, 16 May 1884 - Buenos Aires, Argentina, 6 Jun 1957) was an Argentine association football goalkeeper. Nicknamed ''El Vasco'', Buruca Laforia is considered the first great g ...

; William Leslie, Walter Buchanan; Eduardo Duggan,

Ernesto Brown Ernesto Alejandro Brown (7 January 1885 – 12 July 1935) was an Argentine international footballer who played as a left back. He was nicknamed ''El Pacifico'' ("the Calm One") for his assured performances for both club and country. Early life B ...

, Carlos J. Buchanan; Juan O. Anderson, Edward O. Morgan, Carlos Edgar Dickinson, Juan José Moore (cap.),

Jorge Brown Jorge Gibson Brown (3 April 1880 – 3 January 1936) was an Argentine footballer of Scottish ancestry, who was one of the most important figures in the early years of the sport in that country.Alumni Alumni (singular: alumnus (masculine) or alumna (feminine)) are former students of a school, college, or university who have either attended or graduated in some fashion from the institution. The feminine plural alumnae is sometimes used for grou ...

(5 players),

Quilmes Quilmes () is a city on the coast of the Rio de la Plata, in the , on the south east of the Greater Buenos Aires. The city was founded in 1666 and it is the seat of the eponymous county. With a population of 230,810, it is located south of the ...

(2), Belgrano AC (2),

Lomas Lomas (Spanish for "hills"), also called fog oases and mist oases, are areas of fog-watered vegetation in the coastal desert of Peru and northern Chile. About 100 lomas near the Pacific Ocean are identified between 5°S and 30°S latitude, a nort ...

(1) and Barracas AC (1). Uruguay line-up was Enrique Sanderson; Carlos Carve Urioste, Germán Arímalo; Miguel Nebel (cap.), Alberto Peixoto, Luis Carbone; Bolívar Céspedes, Gonzalo Rincón, Juan Sanderson, Ernesto Boutón Reyes, Carlos Céspedes. The squad was formed by eight players from Nacional and 3 from Albion. There were no players of

CURCC Central Uruguay Railway Cricket Club (mostly known for its acronym CURCC) was a Uruguayan sports club, originally established by British railway workers for the practise of cricket. Nevertheless, the club would be notable for its football section ...

in Uruguay due to the club refused to allow them to play. The goals were scored by Dickinson, Arímalo, Morgan, Carve Urioste, Anderson and J. Brown."Uruguay 0-6 Argentina"
on Fútbol Nostalgia

First competitions

In 1905, the first edition of

Copa Lipton The Copa Lipton or Copa de Caridad Lipton was a football friendly competition contested between Argentina and Uruguay national teams. The competition was held 29 times between 1905 and 1992. History The trophy was donated by the Scottish tea ...

was played between Argentina and Uruguay. The trophy had been donated by the Scottish

tea Tea is an aromatic beverage prepared by pouring hot or boiling water over cured or fresh leaves of ''Camellia sinensis'', an evergreen shrub native to East Asia which probably originated in the borderlands of southwestern China and north ...

magnate

Thomas Lipton Sir Thomas Johnstone Lipton, 1st Baronet (10 May 18482 October 1931) was a Scotsman of Ulster-Scots parentage who was a self-made man, as company founder of Lipton Tea, merchant, philanthropist and yachtsman who lost 5 straight America's Cup ...

with the condition that the teams be made up of only native born players. The tournament was contested on an annual basis between 1905 and 1992. The decade of 1910 is considered "the golden age" of the competition, due to Argentina and Uruguay were the predominant teams in South America by then and the Copa Lipton was the most important competition for both sides, considering that CONMEBOL had not been established until 1916. Argentina v uruguay 1912

Other notable competition for both sides was the

Copa Newton Copa Newton was a football friendly competition contested between Argentina and Uruguay. The trophy, donated by Nicanor Newton, was contested 27 times between 1906 and 1976. History Nicanor Newton, director of ''Sportsman'' magazine, donated t ...

, first held in 1906 and continued on an annual basis until 1930. It has only been played sporadically since, with the last edition being contested in 1976.Copa Newton
by José Luis Pierrend at

RSSSF The Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation (RSSSF) is an international organization dedicated to collecting statistics about association football. The foundation aims to build an exhaustive archive of football-related information from around th ...

Apart from Copa Lipton and Copa Newton, other two competitions were established, with the particularity of each one being hosted in each side of the Río del Plata. The

Copa Premier Honor Argentino The Copa Premier Honor Argentino or the Copa Honor Argentino was an international football friendly competition contested by Argentina and Uruguay national teams. All games were played in Buenos Aires. It was held in ten occasions between 1908 an ...

was held in Buenos Aires (it was played until 1920) while the

Copa Premier Honor Uruguayo The Copa Premier Honor Uruguayo or the Copa Honor Uruguayo was an international association football, football friendly competition contested by Uruguay national football team, Uruguay and Argentina national football team, Argentina national teams. ...

(1911-1924) was always held in Montevideo. In 1910, the

Copa Centenario Revolución de Mayo The Copa Centenario Revolución de Mayo was an international football tournament, held in Argentina from 29 May to 12 June 1910, and organized by the Argentine Football Association. It was the first international tournament in South America where ...

was played as part of the celebrations for the

May Revolution The May Revolution ( es, Revolución de Mayo) was a week-long series of events that took place from May 18 to 25, 1810, in Buenos Aires, capital of the Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata. This Spanish colony included roughly the terri ...

in Argentina. The competition is notable for being the first international tournament of

South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere at the northern tip of the continent. It can also be described as the sout ...

where more than two football nations participated. The "Copa Centenario" is also considered a predecessor to Copa América. Teams were Argentina (champion), Uruguay and

Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica, occupying a long and narrow strip of land between the Andes to the east a ...

. Because of having featured three of the subsequent four founding members of CONMEBOL, the Copa Centenario Revolución de Mayo was sometimes called "the first Copa América". However, CONMEBOL recognizes the

1916 South American Championship The 1916 South American Championship was the first continental championship for national association football teams in South America. It was held in Buenos Aires, Argentina from 2 to 17 July during Argentina's Independence Centenary commemora ...

as the first edition of the competition.

Copa América

With CONMEBOL established as the sport governing body in South America, the confederation organised its first competition in 1916, the first edition of the "Campeonato Sudamericano de Fútbol" (South-American Football Championship), now known as the " Copa América". It was held in Argentina to commemorate the centenary of the

Declaration of Independence A declaration of independence or declaration of statehood or proclamation of independence is an assertion by a polity in a defined territory that it is independent and constitutes a state. Such places are usually declared from part or all of th ...

. The first Copa América match between Argentina and Uruguay was played at Racing Club on 17 July 1916. The game finished 0–0. Uruguay was the winner of the first continental trophy. Despite Argentina and Uruguay's large history in the most important competition of South America, they have never played a final match facing each other.

The "Olympic goal"

In 1924, Argentina played a friendly match against Uruguay at

Sportivo Barracas Club Sportivo Barracas is an Argentine sports club from Buenos Aires. The institution was born as a rowing club, nevertheless it is mostly known for its football activities nowadays. The team currently plays in Primera D Metropolitana, the fifth d ...

' stadium. When only 15 minutes had been played, winger

Cesáreo Onzari Cesáreo Onzari (February, 1903 – January, 1964) was an Argentine footballer who played as a left winger. He made his entire career in Huracán, playing from 1921 until his retirement in 1933. He was the first footballer known to have scored ...

scored from a

corner kick A corner kick is the method of restarting play in a game of association football when the ball goes out of play over the goal line, without a goal being scored and having last been touched by a member of the defending team. The kick is take ...

, with no other player touching the ball before scoring. Due to the fact that Uruguay was the Olympic champion, this play was called "Gol Olímpico". This denomination still remains. The goal stood since FIFA had previously regulated goals scored directly from the corner kick, as Onzari did during that match. According to ''La Nación'' newspaper, 52,000 fans attended the game, an Argentina 2–1 win, where the Uruguayan team left the field with only four minutes to play. Argentine players later complained about the rough play of the Uruguayans during the match, while their rivals also complained about the aggressiveness of local spectators, who threw bottles at them at the end of the match.

1928 Summer Olympics

Final football Argentina vs Uruguay Olympics 1928

The 1928 Summer Olympics saw the first match of Argentina and Uruguay playing each other outside South America. In the final the Uruguayans played Argentina who had trounced Egypt, a team (Egypt) that would now fold like a house of cards; clearly out of their depth against more sophisticated opposition, conceding 6 goals to Argentina and as many as eleven to Italy in the Bronze medal match. Argentina came to the final after thrashing

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

11–2,

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...

6–3 and

Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Medit ...

6–0, while Uruguay had defeated

The Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

and

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

in previous rounds. The interest was immense, with The Dutch having received 250,000 requests for tickets from all over Europe. The first game (attended by 28,253 spectators) finished 1-1. The tie went to a replay. With the winning goal by

Héctor Scarone José Juan Héctor Scarone Berreta (26 November 1898 – 4 April 1967) was a Uruguayan footballer who played as inside forward. Scarone was considered one of the best players in the world during his time,. being nicknamed ''El Mago'' ("the Magic ...

, Uruguay won the replay match, also achieving their second consecutive gold medal, with 28,113 spectators in the stadium.Argentina-Uruguay en los juegos de 1928
Diario Uno, 14 Jun 2012 After the finals, players from both teams did not speak with each other. Tango singer Carlos Gardel invited Argentine and Uruguayan players to a show in the cabaret "El Garrón", in Paris. His efforts to achieve a reconciliation between both parts were not successful so Argentine and Uruguayan ended up in a fight during the show.

The World Cup

1930 Events January * January 15 – The Moon moves into its nearest point to Earth, called perigee, at the same time as its fullest phase of the Lunar Cycle. This is the closest moon distance at in recent history, and the next one will b ...

Uruguay organised the first

FIFA World Cup The FIFA World Cup, often simply called the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of the ' ( FIFA), the sport's global governing body. The tournament ha ...

. As two years before at the Summer Olympics, Argentina and Uruguay played the final, held in the

Estadio Centenario Estadio Centenario is a stadium in the Parque Batlle of Montevideo, Uruguay, used primarily for football. The stadium was built between 1929 and 1930 to host the inaugural 1930 FIFA World Cup, as well as to commemorate the centenary of Ur ...

in Montevideo. Argentina had previously defeated

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

and the

, while Uruguay beat

Peru , image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg , image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg , other_symbol = Great Seal of the State , other_symbol_type = National seal , national_motto = "Firm and Happy f ...

Romania Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central, Eastern, and Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Moldova to the east, and ...

and

Yugoslavia Yugoslavia (; sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Jugoslavija, Југославија ; sl, Jugoslavija ; mk, Југославија ;; rup, Iugoslavia; hu, Jugoszlávia; rue, label=Pannonian Rusyn, Югославия, translit=Juhoslavija ...

. Both teams thrashed United States and Yugoslavia for the same score (6–1) at the semifinals. Pasculli gol v uruguay

The final ended 4–2 to Uruguay after they trailed 2–1 at half-time, adding the title of World Cup winners to their status as Olympic champions.

Jules Rimet Jules Rimet (; 14 October 1873 – 16 October 1956) was a French football administrator who was the 3rd President of FIFA, serving from 1921 to 1954. He is FIFA's longest-serving president, in office for 33 years. He also served as the presid ...

, president of FIFA, presented the Uruguayan team with the World Cup Trophy, which was later named after him. The following day was declared a national holiday in Uruguay; in the Argentinian capital

Buenos Aires Buenos Aires ( or ; ), officially the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires ( es, link=no, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires), is the capital and primate city of Argentina. The city is located on the western shore of the Río de la Plata, on South ...

a mob threw stones at the Uruguayan consulate. The last living player from that final,

Francisco Varallo Francisco Antonio “Pancho” Varallo (; – ) was an Argentine football forward. He played for the Argentina national team from 1930 to 1937. He represented Argentina at the inaugural FIFA World Cup in 1930. During his career, Varallo won ...

(who played as a striker for Argentina), died on 30 August 2010 at the age of 100. The second time Argentina and Uruguay met in a World Cup was in

1986 The year 1986 was designated as the International Year of Peace by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 **Aruba gains increased autonomy from the Netherlands by separating from the Netherlands Antilles. **Spain and Portugal enter ...

, when Argentina beat Uruguay 1–0 at round of 16, with goal by

Pedro Pasculli Pedro Pablo Pasculli (born 17 May 1960) is an Argentine former footballer who played as a forward and is currently technical secretary at Bangor City in the Cymru North. He spent most of his career with Argentinos Juniors and Italian club L ...

. The squad managed by

Carlos Bilardo Carlos Salvador Bilardo Digiano (born 16 March 1938) is an Argentine former physician, football player, and manager. Bilardo achieved worldwide renown as a player with Estudiantes de La Plata in the 1960s, and as the manager of the Argentina ...

eliminated the Uruguayan side, advancing to the next stage. Argentina would then win their second world title when they beat

West Germany West Germany is the colloquial term used to indicate the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG; german: Bundesrepublik Deutschland , BRD) between its formation on 23 May 1949 and the German reunification through the accession of East Germany on 3 O ...

3–2 in the final.

Matches overview

* ''Updated to December 2022''

Eliminations

* 1928 Olympics Final : Uruguay 1 x 1 Argentina / Uruguay 2 x 1 Argentina (Agreggate: Uruguay 3 x 2 Argentina) - Uruguay Champion * 1930 World Cup Final: Uruguay 4 x 2 Argentina - Uruguay Champion *

1986 World Cup The 1986 FIFA World Cup was the 13th FIFA World Cup, a quadrennial football tournament for men's senior national teams. It was played in Mexico from 31 May to 29 June 1986. The tournament was the second to feature a 24-team format. Colombia had ...

Round of 16: Argentina 1 x 0 Uruguay - Argentina Classified *

1987 Copa América The 1987 Copa América was the 33rd edition of the Copa América, CONMEBOL's national team competition. It was the first Copa América under the new rotational hosting system. Argentina, as the first country alphabetically, hosted the tournament ...

Semifinal: Argentina 0 x 1 Uruguay - Uruguay Classified * 2011 Copa América Quarterfinal: Argentina 1 (4) x (5) 1 Uruguay - Uruguay Classified

List of matches

The chart includes the complete list of matches played between both teams:Histórico de partidos: Uruguay v Argentina
on AUF ;Notes

Unrecognised matches

;Notes

Titles overview

Official competitions

;Notes

Friendly competitions

All the tournaments played between both countries exclusively:

Club

At club level, Argentine and Uruguayan teams have had a strong rivalry, since the first international competition in Rio de la Plata,

was held in 1900. Other competitions played by teams from both associations include

(1905–20) and

Copa Aldao The Copa Ricardo Aldao (English: ''Ricardo Aldao Cup''), popularly called Campeonato Rioplatense and Copa Río de La Plata, was an official AFA- AUF football club competition contested annually, albeit irregularly, between the league champions of ...

, first held in 1913. Played (although irregularly) until 1955, Copa Aldao is seen today as the first stepping-stone into the creation of Copa Libertadores in

1960 It is also known as the "Year of Africa" because of major events—particularly the independence of seventeen African nations—that focused global attention on the continent and intensified feelings of Pan-Africanism. Events January * Jan ...

. Moreover, in 2015 a CONMEBOL's article described Aldao Cup as the first official international professional football cup in South America.River Plate, ensancha sus vitrinas para seguir sumando copas
on Conmebol, 16 Aug 2015 By the first years of football in Río de la Plata, some of the strongest teams in Argentina were Rosario A.C., Belgrano A.C. or

Alumni Alumni (singular: alumnus (masculine) or alumna (feminine)) are former students of a school, college, or university who have either attended or graduated in some fashion from the institution. The feminine plural alumnae is sometimes used for grou ...

, which played memorable matches against Uruguayan teams

Montevideo Wanderers Montevideo Wanderers Fútbol Club, usually known simply as Wanderers, is a Uruguayan professional football club based in Montevideo. The club are currently members of the Primera División and play at the Estadio Viera. Beside football, the cl ...

and Nacional. Argentine clubs have won the most titles in South America,Infobae: La Argentina es el país con más títulos de América
on Infobae.com with a total of 97 championships since 1900 to date. The most important competition in South America, Copa Libertadores, has been won by Argentine teams 24 times by seven different clubs, while Uruguayan clubs won the competition 8 times (with only Peñarol and Nacional as winning teams). The last title won by an Uruguayan club was the 1989

Copa Interamericana The Copa Interamericana ( en, Interamerican Cup) was an annual club football competition contested between a representative from North America (CONCACAF) and South America (CONMEBOL). Established in 1969, it was discontinued in 1998 after CONCACA ...

, when Nacional beat Hondurean Olimpia 5–1 on aggregate.

Club titles

The table below compares titles won by Argentine and Uruguayan clubs since the first official international competition in 1905:

Finals between clubs in South American competition

Finals between clubs in Río de la Plata competitions

AFA / AUF competitions often generalized as ''Copas Rioplatenses'' were official international competitions contested only by Argentine and Uruguayan clubs before the creation of official South American club competitions by CONMEBOL. Unofficial and unfinalized editions were excluded. The following is a list of all the matches played: ;Notes

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Argentina-Uruguay football rivalry International association football rivalries

Uruguay Uruguay (; ), officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay ( es, República Oriental del Uruguay), is a country in South America. It shares borders with Argentina to its west and southwest and Brazil to its north and northeast; while bordering ...

Uruguay national football team rivalries Argentina–Uruguay relations Argentina at the 1930 FIFA World Cup Uruguay at the 1930 FIFA World Cup Argentina at the 1986 FIFA World Cup Uruguay at the 1986 FIFA World Cup