Latin America Sports Daily for Wednesday, February 25, 2026

Football

Marcelo Gallardo, the most decorated manager in River Plate’s history, announced his resignation on Monday via a video posted on the club’s social media channels. His final match will be Thursday’s Apertura Fecha 7 clash against Banfield at the Monumental. The decision came after Sunday’s 1–0 defeat to Vélez Sársfield — River’s third consecutive loss and one of more than a dozen defeats in the last 20 matches, a run unprecedented in the modern era of the club. In 85 matches during his second spell (from August 2024), Gallardo won just 35, drew 32, and lost 18 — a record that never came close to the brilliance of his first stint from 2014 to 2022, when he won 14 trophies including two Copa Libertadores. “The things didn’t go as we projected,” Gallardo said, visibly emotional. “Thursday will be my last match.” The race to replace him is already underway, with Hernán Crespo, Eduardo Coudet, and Pablo Aimar among the leading candidates.

Football

Central Córdoba handed Carlos Tevez’s Talleres a 2–0 defeat at the Estadio Único Madre de Ciudades in Santiago del Estero, with both goals coming from former Talleres players. Diego Barrera, on loan from the Córdoba club, opened the scoring at 62 minutes, and Uruguayan striker Michael Santos — a recent Talleres icon — sealed it at 73 minutes. The result leaves Talleres stuck on 10 points with three defeats already, while Central Córdoba climb to 8 points. In the other Fecha 7 results, Platense drew 0–0 with an unbeaten Defensa y Justicia side, and San Lorenzo let a lead slip against Instituto at the Pedro Bidegain — Diego Sosa struck on the counter at 37 minutes before Luciano Vietto equalized late for the Ciclón in a 1–1 draw. Belgrano thrashed Atlético Tucumán 3–1 at the Villagra — Rigoni, Fernández, and Mavilla all scoring — to climb to the top of Zona B.

Football

Boca Juniors kicked off their Copa Argentina 2026 campaign with a professional 2–0 victory over fourth-tier side Gimnasia y Esgrima de Chivilcoy at the Padre Martearena in Salta. Claudio Úbeda fielded a rotated squad — resting Edinson Cavani entirely — and was rewarded when Paraguayan forward Adam Bareiro scored twice on debut: a close-range finish from a Lucas Janson cross at 40 minutes, and a commanding header from a Malcom Braida delivery at 57 minutes. It was an emphatic introduction for the former River and Fortaleza striker, who immediately answered Boca’s goal-scoring crisis (no other attacker has found the net consistently in 2026). The Copa Argentina, Argentina’s national knockout cup, remains an important pathway to the Copa Libertadores for clubs who miss out through the league. Boca, who have won the competition four times (most recently 2019-20), will face the winner of Sarmiento vs Tristán Suárez in the round of 16.

Football

Venezuelan club Carabobo FC completed a shock 3–1 aggregate victory over Chilean side Huachipato to advance to the third qualifying round of the Copa Libertadores. After winning the first leg 1–0, Carabobo traveled to Chile and struck twice through Eric Ramírez (29′) and Edson Tortolero (42′) to take a commanding 3–0 aggregate lead at halftime. Cris Martínez pulled one back for Huachipato at 87 minutes but it was far too late. It’s a landmark result for the small Venezuelan club, who will now face Sporting Cristal or 2 de Mayo in the next round. Tuesday’s other Libertadores action saw remaining second-leg ties: Sporting Cristal hosted 2 de Mayo and Independiente Medellín took on Liverpool of Uruguay.

Football

All Argentine professional football clubs have agreed to a strike from March 5 to 8, shutting down all categories in a unified protest against what they describe as judicial persecution of AFA president Claudio Tapia. The work stoppage will affect Apertura Fecha 9 — including a planned Sarmiento vs Unión interzonal match — and potentially other scheduled fixtures. Tuesday’s Apertura matches saw players from all teams wear special jerseys backing Tapia and the AFA, an unusual show of institutional solidarity. The dispute centers on investigations into alleged tax irregularities within the federation. The AFA’s leadership has framed the probe as politically motivated interference in the autonomy of Argentine football governance.

Tennis

American qualifier Patrick Kypson produced the biggest upset of the ATP Acapulco first round, stunning second seed and two-time defending champion Alex de Minaur 6–1, 6–7(4), 7–6(4) on Monday night at the Abierto Mexicano Telcel. Kypson, who earned his spot through qualifying, had only won three tour-level matches in his career entering the event. De Minaur, the 2023 and 2024 Acapulco champion, was playing his first tournament since capturing the Rotterdam title two weeks ago. The Estadio court erupted when Kypson sealed the deciding tiebreak. Elsewhere, Miomir Kecmanovic advanced to face top seed Alexander Zverev with a 6–2, 6–2 rout of Tristan Schoolkate, while Mexican wild card Rodrigo Pacheco Mendez faced Flavio Cobolli in Tuesday’s main draw action.

Preview

Thursday’s marquee event across Latin American football is the Recopa Sudamericana second leg at the Maracanã, where Flamengo need to overturn Lanús’s 1–0 first-leg advantage. Rodrigo Castillo scored the decisive goal in Buenos Aires on February 19 after having two earlier efforts disallowed, while Flamengo managed just a single shot on target despite 65% possession. Over 50,000 tickets have already been sold for the return leg. Flamengo will rely on the wave of confidence from their 3–0 Carioca semifinal win over Madureira — Arrascaeta, De La Cruz, and Pedro should all start — but Lanús have proven their mettle against South American heavyweights throughout their Copa Sudamericana-winning campaign. A draw after 180 minutes sends the tie to extra time and, if necessary, penalties.

Football

The Brasileirão Série A continues its early-season midweek action today, with Fluminense traveling to face Palmeiras at the Arena Barueri in the day’s headliner. Fluminense arrive riding a nine-match unbeaten streak in Rio football and the momentum of their 1–0 Carioca semifinal win over Vasco — but will be without suspended coach Zubeldía and midfielder Bernal. Palmeiras, preparing for next weekend’s Paulistão semifinal Choque-Rei against São Paulo, may rotate their squad but remain a formidable home side under Abel Ferreira. Thursday’s Brasileirão slate features Vasco at Santos — a match with Paulistão elimination hangover written all over it for the hosts — and Botafogo face Vitória as they try to build on their Taça Rio momentum after a miserable six-match losing streak earlier in the season.

Baseball

Nine days until first pitch. The 2026 World Baseball Classic opens March 5 in Tokyo and March 6 at San Juan, Houston, and Miami. With all 20 rosters locked, the focus now shifts to spring training tune-ups and exhibition matchups. Nine Latin American nations are in the field: the Dominican Republic, Venezuela, Cuba, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Colombia, Brazil, Panama, and Nicaragua. Pool B in Houston — featuring the USA, Mexico, Great Britain, Brazil, and Italy — is the group to watch for LATAM fans, with Brazil making their first WBC appearance since 2013. In Pool D in Miami, the Dominican Republic and Venezuela anchor a loaded bracket that also includes the Netherlands, Nicaragua, and Israel. Practice games run March 3–4 before pool play commences.

Preview

A packed 48 hours ahead across the continent. Apertura Fecha 7 continues today with five matches: Barracas Central vs Tigre, Gimnasia vs Rosario Central, Vélez vs Deportivo Riestra, and Newell’s vs Estudiantes, before Thursday’s heavier slate headlined by River vs Banfield — Gallardo’s farewell — and Racing vs Independiente Rivadavia. In Brazil, the Brasileirão rolls on with Fluminense at Palmeiras today and Vasco at Santos on Thursday. The week’s crescendo comes Thursday with the Recopa Sudamericana final: Flamengo vs Lanús at the Maracanã. Libertadores qualifying also resumes: Bahia vs O’Higgins today, then Botafogo vs Nacional Potosí and Argentinos Juniors vs Barcelona SC on Thursday.