Boca Juniors announced on Tuesday the imminent departure of head coach Claudio Úbeda, who will not continue in his post following the club's disappointing elimination at the group stage of the 2026 Copa Libertadores.
Úbeda's contract with Boca was set to expire on June 30. Local media outlets have been reporting for days that he would not be offered a renewal.
"We thank Claudio and his coaching staff for their professionalism and the work carried out during their time at the club, and we wish them the greatest success in their future endeavours," the club said in a brief statement released on social media.
The 56-year-old leaves without any titles to his name and after three high-profile eliminations form competitions.
Úbeda took over as Boca's head coach following the death of Miguel Ángel Russo last October, having previously served as the late boss' first assistant coach.
During his eight months in charge, Úbeda managed 32 matches, posting a record of 17 wins, 7 draws, and 8 losses. His best memories include victories in two Superclásicos against River Plate and a 14-match unbeaten streak.
However, under his leadership, Boca was eliminated three times at La Bombonera in crunch games: in the semi-finals of the 2025 Clausura tournament against Racing, in the Round of 16 of the 2026 Apertura against Huracán, and by Universidad Católica of Chile last week in the Copa Libertadores.
Following his departure, the club will now begin looking for a new manager to help end a title drought that has lasted more than three years, since Boca won the 2022 SuperCopa Argentina
Boca, who has not won the Copa Libertadores since 2007, was seeking its seventh title this season in order to match Independiente of Avellaneda record as the competition's most successful club in the history of South America's premier club tournament.
Its last two appearances in Libertadores finals ended in painful defeats: in 2018 Boca lost to arch-rivals River Plate at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium, and in 2023 the Xeneize was defeated by Fluminense at the Maracanã.
Boca's next international touchpoint will be the Copa Sudamericana, where it will face Chile's O'Higgins in a play-off for a place in the Round of 16.
The Sudamericana is not unfamiliar territory for Boca as a source of consolation – it won the tournament in both 2004 and 2005.
– TIMES/AFP
Comments