- La Academia won the 2024 CONMEBOL Sudamericana.
- After reaching the semifinals of the CONMEBOL Libertadores in 2025, Gustavo Costas’ side will aim to capture its second trophy.
When Gustavo Costas arrived at the Cilindro in Avellaneda in January 2024 to begin his third spell as head coach, he left a clear promise in the air: “It’s no longer enough to compete in these tournaments—we have to win them. I see Racing ready to fight, to achieve important things. That’s what the fans want: to take the step we’re missing, to accomplish something at the international level, because the last time was when I was playing, and that was a long time ago.”
By then, Costas had both witnessed and played a leading role in the club’s happiest moments as well as its most difficult days. He first served as a ball boy during the years of the Equipo de José, an unforgettable side coached by Juan José Pizzuti that won the club’s only CONMEBOL Libertadores in 1967. Later, as a player, he became captain, idol, and a symbol of the team that lifted the Supercopa Sudamericana in 1988. It was then that the fans began chanting that “Costas is the greatest in Argentine football.”
As a coach—his managerial career began in 1999—he faced two different yet equally challenging periods at the club: “I’ve already put out many fires here and got burned doing it. I didn’t want to be brought in for that. Hopefully, I can achieve important things with Racing—that’s the dream of my life,” he said in his first hours as La Academia’s head coach.
And Costas fulfilled his dreams. He instilled in the squad his love for Racing, a team that contested every ball as if it were the last. When opponents held the edge in footballing terms, La Academia matched them with character and personality. That is how a process began that culminated in South American glory during his first campaign, ending a 36-year drought without international titles.
The Albicelestes finished the Group Stage as leaders after overcoming Brazil’s Bragantino, Chile’s Coquimbo Unido, and Paraguay’s Sportivo Luqueño. In the round of 16, they thrashed Chile’s Huachipato, then dispatched Athletico Paranaense in the quarterfinals, prevailed in a dramatic semifinal against Corinthians, and celebrated with a commanding 3–1 victory over Cruzeiro in the final in Asunción: “I thank the players—they are the most important. This is the group I cherish the most because they fulfilled the dream of my life, achieving something like this with the club where I grew up. They gave everything for the shirt. I knew Racing’s fans needed an international title, and we were able to give it to them.”
Racing raised the stakes for the 2025 CONMEBOL Libertadores. La Academia topped Group E, finishing ahead of Brazil’s Fortaleza, Colombia’s Atlético Bucaramanga, and Chile’s Colo-Colo. In the round of 16, they advanced in dramatic fashion against Peñarol with a goal from Franco Pardo in the fourth minute of second-half stoppage time. In the quarterfinals, they overcame compatriots Vélez Sarsfield to reach the continent’s final four. Although Flamengo entered the semifinals as favorites, Costas’ Racing showcased its competitiveness and delivered a series that made its fans proud despite a narrow 1–0 aggregate defeat over 180 minutes.
Despite the disappointing outcome, Racing maintained its competitive edge in the domestic league and secured qualification for the CONMEBOL Sudamericana. They also came within seconds of booking a place in the CONMEBOL Libertadores after reaching the 2025 Clausura final: in the playoffs, they eliminated River Plate in the round of 16, edged past Tigre on penalties in the quarterfinals, defeated Boca Juniors at La Bombonera in the semifinals, and were seconds away from lifting the trophy before Estudiantes de La Plata equalized in the third minute of stoppage time and forced a penalty shootout that ultimately crowned El Pincha.
Racing returns to the CONMEBOL Sudamericana with the ambition of adding another title to fuel the success of the Costas era. Since that final in Asunción against Cruzeiro, the squad has undergone a renewal, particularly with the departures of Gabriel Arias (Newell’s), Juan Nardoni (Grêmio), Agustín Almendra (Necaxa), Juan Fernando Quintero (River Plate), and Maximiliano Salas (River Plate). Costas has also reshaped the team’s structure, shifting from a 3-5-2 to a 4-2-3-1 formation, moving Santiago Sosa into midfield and building a system with three attacking midfielders—Duván Vergara, Matko Miljevic, and Santiago Solari—behind the clinical striker Adrián Maravilla Martínez.
