Argentine Football Association
The national governing body for association football in Argentina.
Last updated August 21, 2026
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Overview
The Argentine Football Association, commonly known as the AFA, is the governing body for association football in Argentina. Based in Buenos Aires, it administers the country's national football structure, represents Argentina in international football, and oversees a broad range of domestic competitions and development programs. Its responsibilities include the senior men's national team, youth selections, the women's national team, Olympic teams, futsal teams, children's and youth football, and other forms of organized football. The organization traces its origins to 21 February 1893, when Alexander Watson Hutton established the Argentine Association Football League. The institution is regarded as the oldest football association in South America and one of the oldest national football bodies outside Europe. It has operated under several names as the organization adapted to changes in the country's football structure. The current Spanish name, Asociación del Fútbol Argentino, dates from 1934, following the consolidation of rival amateur and professional associations. For much of its history, the AFA organized Argentina's top men's league as well as domestic cup competitions. Its remit changed in the late 2010s when the Primera División was transferred temporarily to the independently administered Superliga Argentina. The Superliga organized the top division from the 2017–18 season through the 2019–20 season, while remaining contractually connected to the AFA. The Superliga was dissolved in 2020, after which the AFA resumed direct responsibility for the Primera División. The AFA's domestic competition portfolio includes the Primera División, lower national divisions, the Copa Argentina, the Supercopa Argentina, the Trofeo de Campeones de la Liga Profesional and the Supercopa Internacional. The association also organizes or supervises competitions in women's football, futsal, youth football and amateur football. Through its national-team department, it manages the sporting and administrative framework for Argentina's participation in competitions organized by FIFA and other international football bodies. The institution has experienced repeated structural disputes. In the early twentieth century, rival associations established parallel leagues, creating competing championships until mergers restored a single national structure. A further period of institutional strain emerged during the 2015 presidential succession after the death of long-serving president Julio Humberto Grondona. An election between Luis Segura and Marcelo Tinelli produced a disputed 38–38 count, and the vote was postponed. In 2016, Segura faced an aggravated administrative-fraud charge and was replaced temporarily by executive secretary Damián Dupiellet. These events contributed to broader debates over governance, club representation and the administration of Argentine football. The AFA is not a commercial consumer brand in the conventional sense. Its public identity is closely associated with Argentina's national teams, the AFA crest and the country's football competitions. Its principal institutional functions are regulation, competition organization, national-team administration, player development and representation of Argentine football in international forums.
History
The Argentine Football Association originated on 21 February 1893 as the Argentine Association Football League. Alexander Watson Hutton, a Scottish teacher and influential early promoter of football in Argentina, is generally identified as the institution's founder and is often described as the father of Argentine football. The association's creation established a formal structure for organized football in the country and made it one of the earliest national football bodies in South America. The institution changed names several times as its structure and relationship with clubs evolved. It used the English-language name Argentine Association Football League from 1893 to 1903, followed by Argentine Football Association from 1903 to 1912. In 1912 it became Asociación Argentina de Football. Florencio Martínez de Hoz became the first Argentine-born president in 1906, marking an important stage in the development of a locally led football administration. Institutional rivalry was a recurring feature of early Argentine football. In 1912, Ricardo Aldao, president of Gimnasia y Esgrima of Buenos Aires, broke with the association and created the Federación Argentina de Football. Clubs including Gimnasia y Esgrima de La Plata, Independiente, Estudiantes de La Plata and Atlanta participated in the rival structure. The federation organized a parallel championship until 1914, after which the competing organization rejoined the official association for the 1915 season. A second major split began in 1919 with the formation of the Asociación Amateurs de Football. Its competition included several prominent clubs, among them River Plate, Racing Club, Independiente and San Lorenzo, while Boca Juniors remained with the official association. The parallel system continued until 1926, when the rival body merged with the official organization. For the 1927 season, the unified organization adopted the name Asociación Amateur Argentina de Football. Professionalization brought another restructuring. In 1931, the professional championship was organized under the Liga Argentina de Football, and the first round of the new professional competition took place on 31 May of that year. Clubs that wished to preserve amateur status created the Asociación de Football Amateur y Profesionales, which operated a parallel tournament until it merged with the professional league on 3 November 1934. The resulting body was named Asociación del Football Argentino, later rendered in modern Spanish as Asociación del Fútbol Argentino, a name it has retained. For decades, the AFA organized the principal Primera División championships as well as other national competitions. Its functions expanded beyond the men's first division to include the national teams, lower divisions, women's football, youth football, children's football, futsal and amateur competitions. The association also became the institutional representative of Argentine football in international competition. Governance tensions became particularly visible during the succession after the death of Julio Humberto Grondona. In the 2015 election, Luis Segura and Marcelo Tinelli competed for the presidency. The announced result was a 38–38 tie despite 75 club presidents being eligible to vote; officials attributed the discrepancy to a double vote. The election was postponed, and the candidates later agreed to hold a new election in June 2016. In the same period, Segura was charged with aggravated administrative fraud and was temporarily replaced by executive secretary Damián Dupiellet. The association subsequently changed the way the top division was administered. In 2017, it approved the Superliga Argentina, an independently administered organization with its own statute and a contractual relationship with the AFA. The AFA-organized 2016–17 Primera División was the last top-flight championship directly organized by the association before the Superliga assumed that role for the 2017–18 season. The Superliga continued through the 2019–20 season and was then dissolved in March 2020. Responsibility for the Primera División returned to the AFA. Today, the AFA remains Argentina's central football authority. It combines domestic competition administration, regulatory responsibilities, national-team management and development of multiple forms of football. Its institutional history reflects the repeated consolidation of rival leagues, the transition from amateur to professional football, and continuing debates over the balance between national governance and independent competition administration.
- 2020
Top-division administration returns to the AFA
[1]The Superliga was dissolved after the 2019–20 season, and the AFA resumed responsibility for organizing the Primera División.
- 2017
Superliga Argentina approved
[1]The AFA approved an independently administered entity to organize the Primera División.
- 2015
Presidential election postponed after disputed tie
[1]The presidential election between Luis Segura and Marcelo Tinelli produced an announced 38–38 result and was postponed after a ballot irregularity.
- 1934
Modern institutional predecessor created
[1]The professional and amateur associations merged on 3 November, forming the organization that became the Asociación del Fútbol Argentino.
- 1931
Professional football begins
[1]The professional championship was established under the Liga Argentina de Football, with its first round played on 31 May.
- 1927
Rival association merger
[1]The official body and Asociación Amateurs de Football merged, after which the unified organization used the name Asociación Amateur Argentina de Football.
- 1919
Asociación Amateurs de Football established
[1]A second dissident association began organizing a parallel championship involving several leading clubs.
- 1915
First rival league reunification
[1]The Federación Argentina de Football rejoined the official association, creating a unified competition for the 1915 season.
- 1912
First major rival association formed
[1]Ricardo Aldao's break with the association led to the Federación Argentina de Football and a parallel championship structure.
- 1906
First Argentine-born president
[1]Florencio Martínez de Hoz became the association's first president born in Argentina.
Products and positioning
Argentina's national football governing institution, combining regulation of domestic competitions with administration of the country's national teams and football development system.
National-team administration
Argentina senior national teams
The AFA administers Argentina's senior men's and women's national teams, including competition entry, sporting operations and institutional representation in international football. These teams are the association's most visible public-facing activity and connect the domestic football system with FIFA and other international competitions.
Player development
Youth and Olympic national teams
The association manages Argentina's youth selections, including under-20, under-17 and under-15 teams, as well as Olympic football teams. These programs provide a national pathway for identifying and developing players through age-group competitions and international representation.
Domestic league competition · 1893
Primera División
Argentina's top men's league is part of the national competition system administered by the AFA. Although organization was delegated to the Superliga Argentina from 2017–18 through 2019–20, the AFA resumed direct responsibility after the Superliga's dissolution.
Domestic cup competition
Copa Argentina
The Copa Argentina is a national knockout competition organized within the AFA's domestic football structure. It provides clubs from different levels of Argentine football with a common competitive pathway and a route to national cup honors.
Domestic super cup
Supercopa Argentina
The Supercopa Argentina is one of the association's domestic cup competitions. It forms part of the national calendar alongside the league and broader knockout competition structure.
Football development and competition
Women's, futsal, youth and amateur competitions
Beyond the professional men's league, the AFA organizes or supervises women's football, children's and youth football, futsal and other local and amateur competitions. These activities extend the association's remit across multiple formats and participation levels.
Controversies
2016
Administrative-fraud charge involving Luis Segura
AFA president Luis Segura was charged with aggravated administrative fraud during the association's governance crisis. He was temporarily replaced by executive secretary Damián Dupiellet.
2015
Disputed presidential election count
The AFA presidential election between Luis Segura and Marcelo Tinelli was announced as a 38–38 draw despite 75 eligible club presidents. Officials attributed the discrepancy to an apparent double vote, and the executive committee postponed the election.
Brand decisions
2020
Resumption of direct Primera División administrationStrategyBackground
The independently administered Superliga Argentina was dissolved shortly after the 2019–20 season.
Action taken
The AFA took back responsibility for organizing Argentina's top men's division.
Aftermath
The association again became the direct organizing authority for the Primera División within the national football structure.
2017
Creation of Superliga ArgentinaStrategyBackground
The AFA sought a structure for the Primera División that was more independent from the national association and comparable in some respects to separate league organizations in major European football countries.
Action taken
The association approved the creation of Superliga Argentina, an entity with its own statute that would organize the top division while remaining contractually linked to the AFA.
Aftermath
The Superliga organized the Primera División from the 2017–18 season through 2019–20. It was dissolved in 2020, after which top-flight administration returned to the AFA.
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