Argentine Primera División Championships

Lore & Background

The term was coined on August 4, 1937, when the Argentine Football Association (AFA) arranged a system of proportional representation. Clubs with at least 15,000 members, 20 years playing the tournament, and two or more championship titles received a threefold vote. Boca Juniors, Independiente, Racing, River Plate, and San Lorenzo were the only five clubs that qualified. During the first 36 years of the AFA (1931 to 1966), no team outside the five won the championship; the first to do so was Estudiantes (LP) in 1967. The 1937 decision was officially promulgated on AFA Bulletin n° 286.

Reader's Guide

The Big Five clubs are all based in Greater Buenos Aires: Boca Juniors, River Plate and San Lorenzo are located in the autonomous city of Buenos Aires, while Independiente and Racing are based in Avellaneda. There are two derbies among the Big Five: the superderby (El Superclásico) between Boca Juniors and River Plate, and the Avellaneda derby between Independiente and Racing. San Lorenzo's derby is with Huracán, a club not considered among the Big Five but which achieved the threefold vote in 1946.

Did You Know?

• In March 1941, Huracán became the sixth club to have 3 votes, and later 'Imparciales' cigarettes advertised 'the big seven' including Huracán.
• The proportional vote system lasted until January 1955, when an extraordinary assembly ruled all representatives would have one vote.