In an unprecedented move, the Argentine Football Association (AFA) and the Professional League (LPF) awarded Rosario Central the newly created “League Champion” trophy for finishing at the top of the 2025 Annual Table, despite the domestic season still being in progress and the distinction not being scheduled at the start of the year.
The recognition was delivered on Thursday at the league’s offices in Buenos Aires, where club president Gonzalo Belloso, head coach Ariel Holan, captain Jorge Broun, and club icon Ángel Di María received the award directly from league officials.
The LPF Executive Committee justified the move by highlighting the importance of reinstating a season-long champion, a format previously used in Argentine football but discontinued in recent years. Still, the timing raised eyebrows, given that the annual competition is technically ongoing and the playoffs of the Clausura will only begin this weekend.
“This plan has existed for several years — bringing back the annual champion,” Belloso said after the meeting. “From now on, this trophy will accompany the Apertura, Clausura, the Champions Trophy, and we will once again have the annual champion. It’s very well deserved for a club like ours. We were first from the opening match to the last, made more points than anyone, and lost only two games all year.”
Holan and Broun admitted they only learned about the award hours before the ceremony. “We found out last night,” Holan explained. “We even had to move training from the morning to the afternoon.” Broun added: “This is the star for the long tournament, for the Annual Table. It’s already ours.”
Belloso, surprised but pleased, also thanked AFA leadership for what he described as an unexpected recognition: “They brought us this surprise. We are very happy.”
Beyond symbolic value, the Annual Table leader earns a direct qualification to the 2026 Copa Libertadores, as well as a permanent place in the Supercopa Internacional, a competition that has been staged since 2023 in partnership with foreign venues. Recent editions were won by Racing (2023), Talleres (2025), and Vélez Sarsfield (2025).
Holan emphasized that this return to a season-long champion aligns with how many clubs prefer to measure consistency: “It’s a very fair recognition. The annual tournament is something Argentine football needed again.”
When asked whether the Annual Table should eventually expand to include matches against all teams, not just those within each zone, Holan deferred: “There are many models. The directors will choose the best one. We knew the format we were playing, and now another knockout tournament begins. This annual recognition is the result of effort throughout the year.”
The 2025 season was split into two tournaments — Apertura and Clausura — with teams competing against the same group of rivals in both semesters, switching home and away fields. Rosario Central played the clubs from Zone B and the interzonal clásico against Newell’s Old Boys.
Across 32 matches, Central collected 66 points, the highest total among all first-division clubs, securing both the Annual Table leadership and their Copa Libertadores spot for 2026.
The club celebrated on social media shortly after the ceremony, posting:
“Central, 2025 League Champion! We are the best team of the year!”
After the Executive Committee meeting, the LPF released a statement confirming that the team finishing first in the Annual Table will officially be considered “League Champion” each season, in addition to receiving existing benefits such as qualification to international competitions.
Although Central now holds the annual crown, the Clausura playoffs are about to begin, and the tournament’s ultimate champion has yet to be crowned. This season’s Apertura champion was Platense, while Independiente Rivadavia claimed the Copa Argentina. The Clausura winner will be decided in the coming weeks.
