Torneos de Verano (Argentina)

Torneos De Verano (Argentina)

Torneos de Verano (Spanish for "Summer Tournaments") are a series of short friendly football pre-season tournaments held during the southern summer in Argentina every year, usually in January and February. They serve as preparation for the teams for the season coming; however, as the years went by the competitiveness in the tournaments increased, and they are now considered as important competitions. This is clearly reflected in the high crowd attendance for the games.

The Copa de Oro started in 1969 as a friendly tournament between Argentine and foreign clubs. In its first edition, Brazilian Palmeiras, Austrian SK Rapid Wien, Hungarian MTK Budapest and Slovakian Slovan Bratislava participated of the tournament, together with Boca Juniors, Estudiantes, and the Mar del Plata XI team. Later editions though had only Brazilian, Uruguayan or Paraguayan teams, with occasional European clubs or national teams, mainly Hungary and Czechoslovakia. Since the 1980s it has only 3 to 5 Argentine teams, which varied from year to year, but that included the 5 greats, that is Boca Juniors, Independiente, Racing Club, River Plate and San Lorenzo, and sometimes Estudiantes and Vélez Sársfield. Even though they coexisted for several years, the Copa Ciudad de Mar del Plata finally replaced the Copa de Oro as the most important summer tournament.Currently, the Torneo Pentagonal de Verano (previously Copa de Verano) is the currently most important tournament, disputed by the 5 greats, usually in Mar del Plata, Salta and Mendoza.

The Copa Revancha and Copa Desafío are currently one-match cups disputed only between Boca Juniors and River Plate. Other cups are organized by cities or sponsors, but their continuity is even more irregular than aforementioned. Some are organized without any of the 5 Greats. For instance, the Ciudad de Córdoba includes clubs from the Córdoba Province, and occasionally some from Santa Fe Province; and the Copa Ciudad de Tandil or Copa del Sur includes teams from the southern area of the Gran Buenos Aires: Arsenal, Quilmes, Lanús, Gimnasia y Esgrima de La Plata, and occasionally a guest like Rosario Central.