Five days to the Superclásico: Buenos Aires hunts Bombonera tickets – at prices of up to 1,200 dollars
On Sunday, Boca Juniors host arch-rivals River Plate at La Bombonera. While Boca members have been scrambling for tickets since Monday and resellers ask fantasy prices, both halves of the city hope for far more than three points.
What happened
The Superclásico kicks off on Sunday, 1 November, at 3 p.m. local time at Boca's La Bombonera. It is the penultimate round of the 2026 Clausura and also counts for the annual table that decides the places in the 2027 Copa Libertadores.
No away fans from River are allowed: Boca sells only to its own members, because the stadium cannot even hold all of them. Sales run in stages via the Boca Socios platform – since Monday for active members, from Tuesday evening for adherent members and from Wednesday for life members.
Boca arrive with momentum: after a 1-0 win over Independiente, Rodolfo Arruabarrena's side top the annual table and are also in two cup semi-finals. River beat Racing 1-0 but sit sixth in the annual table, three points behind the last Libertadores spot.
The mood on the ground
The black market shows how high the fever runs: according to Aire de Santa Fe, box seats are being offered for up to 1,200 dollars.
Confidence reigns in the Boca camp. La Nación describes the club's present as hard to beat, and unlike the last meeting at the Monumental, Boca's own fans will be in the stands this time.
At River the mood is more cautious. Interim coach Leonardo Ponzio has taken 16 of a possible 21 points since he took over, but his future remains undecided. For him it is about "more than three points", as El Intransigente puts it in its headline. A win at La Bombonera could strengthen his position and bring the Libertadores back within reach.
Voices from the media
Sources
This article was rewritten from local-language sources. Every statement about the mood is based on the linked reports.