Argentina–Uruguay football rivalry

The Argentina–Uruguay football rivalry, also known as Clásico del Río de la Plata, is a highly competitive sports rivalry that exists between the Argentine and Uruguayan national football teams and their respective set of fans. Considered by football journalists and fans alike as one of the most important rivalries in the sport, the derby is also the most played in football history. According to FIFA records, 197 official matches have been played to date, the first of which was played on 20 July 1902, in which both teams played the first international match outside the United Kingdom in Uruguay, with Argentina winning by 6–0.

Games between the two teams, even those that are only friendly matches, are often marked by notable and sometimes controversial incidents. In addition, both national teams have been described as some of the most successful sides in the history of association football; Argentina has won three FIFA World Cups, whereas Uruguay won two. Both teams have won the Copa América a record-fifteen times and have won two gold medals at the Olympic Games. The two nations have also seen success in other inter-confederation and youth competitions, and are also routinely ranked among the top national teams in the world in both the FIFA World Rankings and the World Football Elo Ratings. As of 2023, Argentina has won 92 matches, Uruguay has won 59 matches, and 46 matches ended in a draw.

Aside from the national teams, both countries have produced some of the most successful clubs in the world. The Big Five have represented Argentina's success in club football for most of its history, although other clubs have achieved success in recent history as well, respectively. In Uruguay, Peñarol and Nacional have predominantly been the most successful clubs in the country ever since the introduction of the sport. In the Copa Libertadores, Argentine clubs have reached the final 38 times, with 25 coming out as champions, whereas Uruguayan clubs have appeared in 16 finals and have won 8 of them. In the Copa Sudamericana, Argentine clubs have been featured 15 times, winning it on 9 occasions. No Uruguayan club, however, has yet reached a Copa Sudamericana final. In all intercontinental competitions, including the Intercontinental Cup and the FIFA Club World Cup, Argentine clubs have won 9 tournaments and were runners-up 14 times, and Uruguayan clubs won 6 tournaments and were runners-up 2 times. In 2009, the International Federation of Football History & Statistics released a series of statistical studies that determined the best continental clubs of the 20th century. For South America, Peñarol was ranked as the greatest football club in the continent. This was followed by Independiente, Nacional, and River Plate in that order. Boca Juniors were ranked sixth overall, although Boca Juniors were ranked as the best South American club for the first decade of the 21st century in 2012.

The two nations have also produced many defining players since their introduction to the sport. This includes but isn't limited to, Uruguay's golden generation from the first half of the 20th century, consisting of the likes of José Leandro Andrade, Alcides Ghiggia, José Nasazzi, and Juan Alberto Schiaffino, to Argentina's international prominence later on with names such as Gabriel Batistuta, Mario Alberto Kempes, Diego Maradona, and Daniel Passarella, and eventually down to modern-day generational talents, including Edinson Cavani, Ángel Di María, Diego Forlan, Lionel Messi, Juan Román Riquelme, and Luis Suárez.