Santa Fe 2026 South American Games are here: Who could take gold for Argentina?

The 2026 South American Games are set to begin with Santa Fe, Argentina as the host city. The games will run September 12 through 26 and are set to welcome over 4,000 athletes from 15 countries, competing across 39 venues in the Santa Fe province. 

It will be the third time the games take place in the country, after the 1982 games in Rosario and the 2006 games in Buenos Aires. With 658 athletes featuring in 59 of the 61 events set to take place, Argentina will have its largest South American Games delegation. 

Sprint canoeist Rubén Rézola and field hockey player Sofía Cairó will lead the Argentine delegation as the flag bearers in the opening ceremony.

The opening ceremony is set to take place in Rosario at the National Flag Memorial, with free public access. It will be headlined by musical performances by Soledad Pastorutti, Abel Pintos, Luck Ra, and others, alongside emerging artists from Santa Fe and Rosario. 

The show will start at 6 p.m. and be broadcast on the sports channel TyC Sports.

Las Leonas aim for another gold

Among the biggest Argentine chances for gold medals will undoubtedly be the women’s and men’s field hockey teams, Las Leonas and Los Leones. For the hockey teams, the stakes will be a bit lower as Argentina has already secured a spot in the 2027 Pan American Games with both teams.

Just seven of the twenty players who lifted the World Cup in the Netherlands will be part of the national team at the South American Games, led by Sofía Cairó and Zoe Díaz, the World Cup’s Best U23 Player.

“They asked us before the World Cup if we wanted to play in the Games, and of course we said yes — we want to represent Argentina in every tournament,” Díaz told news outlet Página 12.

The Argentine men’s team, Los Leones, will be competing in the Games with four players from the squad that won bronze at the World Cup.

Hockey games will be played at the ASH Stadium in Parque del Sur, Santa Fe city, a brand new venue featuring two international-standard water-based pitches.

Las Leonas will make their debut on Monday, September 14, at 10 a.m. against Paraguay, while Los Leones will play on the same day at 12 p.m. against Peru.

Football prepares for 2027

Football will also be featured at the South American Games, with the Argentina U-19 national team, led by Diego Placente, set to compete. 

The tournament will feature a group stage divided into two zones of four teams each, with the top two teams from each group advancing to the semifinals to compete for the medals.

The 18-player squad features a mix of top domestic talents and players making their first moves in Europe, as a trial run for next year’s South American Championship and qualification for the U-20 World Cup in Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan.

River Plate’s Ian Subiabre, a staple in Placente’s squads in recent years, and Newell’s Facundo Guch are among the local talents, with Spanish-born players like goalkeeper Alain Gómez Santillán and Bruno Galassi as the stars from abroad.

Argentina is part of Group B alongside Paraguay — against whom the Albiceleste debuts on Thursday 17 at 10 a.m. — Uruguay, and Venezuela. Group A will consist of Colombia, Peru, Panama, and Chile. 

The matches for the men’s tournament will take place at the Estadio Marcelo Bielsa, home of Club Atlético Newell’s Old Boys, in Rosario.

There will also be a women’s football tournament, in which Argentina won’t feature, as it’s currently competing in the Women’s U-20 World Cup. Chile, Venezuela, Paraguay and Uruguay will compete for a medal, starting September 16, at the Parque Héroes de Malvinas sports complex, also in Rosario.

High stakes for women’s rugby

Argentina men’s and women’s Rugby 7 teams are also in for a medal, although stakes are very different for either team.

The women’s team, Las Yaguaretés, will be playing for a spot in the 2027 Pan American Games in Lima. However, it’s not a win-or-go-home affair, as they can also earn a spot in the South American Championship in October.

Los Pumas Sevens, the men’s team, have already secured their qualification to Lima 2027, but head coach Santiago Gómez Cora said he and his team are “thrilled to compete in Argentina again,” after playing unofficial tournaments before.

“Feeling the warmth of the home crowd and bringing Los Pumas Sevens closer to the people is a wonderful thing and a tremendous privilege,” he said.

Both tournaments will be played as a six-team round-robin at the Rosario Hipodrome. After the first round, the top two teams will play for gold, while the third and fourth will face off for bronze.

Los Pumas Sevens will make their debut on Friday, September 18, at 5:26 p.m. against Paraguay, while Las Yaguaretés will kick off their campaign on the same day at 3:50 p.m. against Peru.

Big absentees and others to look for

Despite a record number of Argentine athletes making their way to Santa Fe, there will be some important absentees from the delegation.

Paris 2024 freestyle BMX gold-winning cyclist José “Maligno” Torres Gil will be unable to defend his 2022 South American gold medal due to injury. Taking his place will be Manuel Turone, an 18-year-old from Neuquén who claimed a silver medal at the recent Junior Pan American Games. The competition is set to take place at the BMX Park – Eco Parque in Rafaela on September 14 and 15.

Another high-profile star set to miss out is swimmer Agostina Hein. The 18-year-old claimed nine gold medals at the Youth South American Games in Panama in April, but had to undergo emergency surgery for appendicitis in the lead-up to the Games and had to prioritize her health and focus on a full recovery.

However, there are plenty of athletes who will compete and have a solid chance of winning medals for the Argentine counter.

3,000-meter steeplechase specialist Belén Casetta will set out to defend the gold medal she claimed at Asunción 2022, having also won the Pan American gold in the same event at Santiago 2023.

2024 Buenos Aires Half Marathon national champion Micaela Levaggi, who set a new South American record in the 1,500 meters in July, and Asunción 2022 400 meters Elián Larregina gold medalist are also in the run.

Eugenia De Armas, who in August became the first woman in history to win three world titles in wakeboarding at the World Championships in Rieti, Italy, will be chasing her second consecutive South American gold medal.

How to watch the South American Games

All events will be available to watch in Argentina on cable broadcaster TyC Sports, and via streaming on TyC Sports Play.

Panam Sports Channel, the broadcasting service of the Americas National Olympic Committees organization Panam Sports, will broadcast the games on six live feeds, available free of charge through the Panam Sports Channel app.