How to Easily Get Soccer Tickets as a Tourist in Buenos Aires
Seeing a football match in Buenos Aires is a soccer fan’s dream. Buenos Aires has stadiums with electric energy and world-famous teams like Boca Juniors and River Plate. As a tourist in Buenos Aires, you need to take advantage of your chance to see one of these legendary teams. However, getting Boca Juniors tickets or River Plate tickets as a tourist can be very difficult.
This guide explains the best way to get tickets to a soccer match and have a great experience, written by an expat who lived in Buenos Aires.
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Table of Contents
How Soccer Tickets Work
As a tourist, getting soccer tickets to see a match for a popular team like River Plate or Boca Juniors is very difficult.
Due to past incidents of fights and riots between fans, you can only get official tickets if you have registered as a member directly with a soccer club, which also requires being Argentinian. The clubs require members to attend almost all the games, leaving no tickets for tourists. The only way for tourists to get tickets is through resale.
Less popular football clubs may have some ticket availability for non-members, but I recommend seeing the most popular clubs for the best experience!
Scams
If you search online how to get soccer tickets in Buenos Aires, you will find A LOT of resellers. Be very careful!
People know that tourists are looking for resale tickets since it’s the only way for them to see a match. This means there are lots of fraudulent tickets and scams. With how expensive the tickets can be, you definitely don’t want to waste your time and money.
To be safe, only buy a ticket from someone with good reviews so you know it’s legit.
Timing
Soccer is the lifeblood of Argentina so the season is basically never-ending. You have a good chance of seeing a game no matter what time of year you are visiting. Just check the teams’ schedules that you are interested in seeing to find the exact day and time that matches up best with your plans.
How to Get Soccer Tickets in Buenos Aires
As I mentioned, I recommend getting either Boca Juniors tickets or River Plate tickets since they are the most legendary teams. Below, I’ve outlined the best way for tourists to avoid getting scammed and get guaranteed tickets for each team.
Boca Juniors Tickets
Boca Juniors is probably the most famous soccer club in all of Buenos Aires. Maradona played for the team, and people are still debating if he is the greatest player of all time. The Boca Juniors stadium, called La Bombonera, is also one of the most iconic stadiums in the world for its wild energy and historic matches.
La Boca, the neighborhood where the stadium is located, can be raucous, especially during matches or at night. For that reason, I recommend getting your Boca tickets through Viator where a guide will secure your tickets, guarantee your entrance, and help you navigate the stadium. That way you ensure that you are receiving legitimate tickets and will be safe in and around the stadium. The stadium can also be confusing and chaotic, so it is best to get the help of a local guide on game day. And don’t forget to wear blue and yellow!
Boca tickets are the most expensive but also the most desirable, since the stadium, the surrounding neighborhood, and its fans are so iconic.
I also recommend a walking tour of La Boca neighborhood to learn about the history of this soccer team and Buenos Aires. You will learn about the hardships of the settlers of Buenos Aires and how they shaped a legacy of colorful neighborhood streets and faithful football fans. You will also get to see murals of Maradona and other soccer memorials.
River Plate Tickets
River Plate is another iconic team in Buenos Aires and the fierce rival of Boca Juniors. The River Plate stadium is the largest in all of Argentina, so the atmosphere is extremely energetic.
To get River Plate tickets, I recommend purchasing with a local guide to ensure your tickets are legit, like this experience on Viator that includes convenient pickup and drop off and seating in a newly refurbished section of the stadium. Plus, you can be confident the tickets are legitimate.
Other Soccer Experiences in Buenos Aires
If River Plate and Boca tickets are sold out, don’t worry – there are more ways for tourists to experience Buenos Aires football culture.
Museum and Stadium Tours
Tourists can tour the River Plate stadium and museum or tour the Boca Juniors museum (the Boca stadium tour is no longer offered). You can go behind the scenes of each team with a guide and learn more about the teams’ histories. You will also get to see the locker rooms, memorabilia, trophies, and more. Don’t want to pick sides between River and Boca? No worries, this experience offers tours of both clubs.
Maradona House Museum
To Boca fans, Maradona is a god. That’s why they converted the house he grew up in into a museum and offer a tour, now calling it the Casa de D10S (Casa de dios means house of God in Spanish. Maradona’s jersey was #10).
Other Football Club Matches
If you can’t get River or Boca tickets, you should still try to see a soccer match for one of the other clubs in Buenos Aires. This Viator guide offers tickets for various football clubs and will meet you at the stadium on game day to provide you with a guided experience.
Messi
After Argentina won the world cup in 2022, Messi officially became universally loved by all Argentinians. You will find Messi murals, souvenirs, and jerseys around the city in his honor. You can also check out the Messi interactive experience in Buenos Aires.
Other Attractions
For more information on what to do as a tourist in Buenos Aires, check out my ultimate Argentina travel guide.
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