Game in Mendoza: Godoy Cruz or Independiente Rivadavia

THIS EXPERIENCE REQUIRES A MINIMUM OF 3 GUESTS TO GO AHEAD

* If you are travelling from Buenos Aires, let us know and we'll advise. *

Godoy Cruz Antonio Tomba is a club that is special because of its fans, but this is not like every other club - their greatest idol is actually a fan: "El Loco Julio" (Crazy Julio). Julio Roque Pérez. A club widely represented in the Southern part of Mendoza, with a strong sense of community and family bonds between supporters. The "Expreso" is a true gem of the Argentine provinces.

Mendoza is also home to one of the province's oldest and most traditional clubs, Independiente Rivadavia represents the heart of Mendoza football. Known as "La Lepra", the club boasts a fiercely loyal fanbase that fills the historic Estadio Bautista Gargantini with passion every matchday, creating one of the best atmospheres outside Buenos Aires.

Learn this and more stories about Godoy Cruz in our PIBE LIFE episode in YouTube

Godoy Cruz

Where we'll meet - Our group will meet directly in Mendoza at a location that we'll send a few days prior the game. Your bilingual guide will explain the context of Argentine football, the day’s game and Godoy Cruz's history. More importantly, they’ll let you know exactly what you need to do and be aware of to be one of the lucky few to gain entry into the World Cup Stadium “Malvinas Argentinas" (or alternatively, the Feliciano Gambarte).

The Build-Up - We’ll do the previa (pre-match) at a local spot and grab a bite and a drink at the park or at a typical "previa" spot near the stadium. We’ll mingle with Tomba fans and learn their traditions, especially how to do the correct wrist-flick for our agite. Your guide will accompany you in reduced groups (6-8 pax) to the correct entrance gate, through the squeeze of security controls and police checkpoints, and finally into the ground.

The match - Through the turnstiles and up the stairs - the Malvinas Argentinas is spectacular and full of history (Argentina national team plays there sometimes). It is a great opportunity to have an incredible visibility as it is one of the few that has no wire-fence so you’ll be a couple of meters away from the players and feel the warmth of the support coming from the terraces.

The Come-Down - The game is over but memories are forever. You’ll head back to the meeting point with your guide that will help you return home safely. You'll never be left alone!

Includes

• Beer/soft drink, and a burger/choripan 🍺🍔
  
  
• Match Ticket  🎟
  
  
• Experience Bilingual Guide - to translate, answer your questions and keep everyone safe 😀
  
  

This experience includes public transportation.

Ind. Rivadavia

Where we'll meet - Our group will meet directly in Mendoza at a location that we'll send a few days prior to the game. Your bilingual guide will introduce you to the context of Argentine football, the day’s match and the history of Independiente Rivadavia, one of Mendoza’s oldest and most traditional clubs. They’ll also explain everything you need to know before heading to the Estadio Bautista Gargantini, La Lepra’s historic home in the heart of Parque General San Martín.

The Build-Up -  We’ll do the traditional previa (pre-match) at a local spot near the stadium, grabbing a bite and a drink while the area starts filling up with Lepra supporters. This is your chance to experience the build-up alongside the locals, learn about the club’s traditions, songs and rivalries, and understand why Independiente Rivadavia has such a strong identity within Mendoza.Your guide will then accompany the group towards the stadium, helping you navigate the crowds, security controls and police checkpoints before entering the ground.

The match - Through the turnstiles and up the stairs - the Malvinas Argentinas is spectacular and full of history (Argentina national team plays there sometimes). It is a great opportunity to have an incredible visibility as it is one of the few that has no wire-fence so you’ll be a couple of meters away from the players and feel the warmth of the support coming from the terraces.

The Come-Down - The final whistle doesn’t mean the experience ends there. You’ll leave the stadium together with your guide and head back towards the meeting point. Your guide will help you get back safely and make sure you’re never left alone.

Includes

• Beer/soft drink, and a burger/choripan 🍺🍔
  
  
• Match Ticket  🎟
  
  
• Experience Bilingual Guide - to translate, answer your questions and keep everyone safe 😀
  
  

This experience includes public transportation.

Alternative to Football: ASADO Experience

No matches during your stay in Mendoza? Don't miss out the "Asado Bodeguero" experience. This is a 3-course lunch/dinner, including:

• Charcuterie (fresh cold cuts)
  
• Abundant and varied asado - different cuts and flavours
• Traditional dessert with regional fruits
• 5 different wines, with labels from different regions and cellars (1 white, 1 rosé, 2 red, 1 sparkling) together with a guided explanation of the history and ellaboration type of the wine-tasting experience.

Reach out for the Asado Experience and we'll sort all the details!

What you need

• National Photo ID (not a copy/screenshot)
• Very casual clothing and comfortable footwear for walking/standing (dress-down!)
• Coats/jackets for the cold/rain
• You can bring your phone to take pictures
• Leave your valuables at home and travel light - no handbags, make-up, power banks, water bottles, lighters, umbrellas… these will be confiscated
• Some cash if you want to buy something extra as credit cards are not often accepted
• Your psyched-up self, it will be intense!

Important to know

• For some clubs, tickets are very hard to come by and are available exclusively to members, to sponsors, or can only be found through various levels of re-sale. For others, tickets are available but can only be bought in-person, with local ID/bank cards, or through various other inventive ways of wasting your time. We will make sure to find tickets for you and guarantee their authenticity.
• The access to the stadium is filled with different controls and security checks in which police and fans get mixed up, sometimes creating tension. Our expert guides have navigated these sites dozens of times, know the ins and outs, and can anticipate and handle these situations so you don’t have to.
• Many football fans in Argentina are not used to seeing tourists and barely speak English. In a way, this is what makes our experience truly authentic, and we will help with Spanish so no language barriers affect your match-day.
• Many supporters will appreciate it if you show your support through your clothing, by wearing the club's merchandise like a shirt, beanie, jacket, etc. Dressing with the club colours will be fine, but if you want a jersey make sure to ask us how to get it. Away fans are not allowed in Argentina.
• Football in Argentina is an amazing subculture. Our expert guide will let you know everything you need about the context of the game, the history of the clubs, the traditional pre-game rituals, the meaning of the songs you will hear, the significance of the flags and symbols, and more.
• The chaos and unpredictability in Argentine football are what makes it uniquely beautiful, and uniquely frustrating. The League often decides fixtures at the last moment, and changes can happen late on also. If this is the case, we will let you know in advance for you to make a decision according to your availability.

Experience Argentine football outside Buenos Aires with either Godoy Cruz or Independiente Rivadavia, Mendoza’s two major footballing forces, with the Andes and Argentina’s wine country as the backdrop.

Godoy Cruz offers the chance to experience the Tomba and its passionate supporters, with home matches played at the historic Feliciano Gambarte or, depending on the fixture, the World Cup venue Estadio Malvinas Argentinas. Independiente Rivadavia, meanwhile, welcomes you to the Bautista Gargantini, where La Lepra creates an intense, intimate atmosphere in the heart of Parque General San Martín.

Whether your trip lines up with Godoy Cruz or Independiente Rivadavia, this is an ideal way to combine Mendoza’s wine and mountain culture with a side of Argentine football that most international visitors never get to experience. Your local host supports the full matchday flow with clear meeting points, timing guidance and stadium entry assistance, so you can focus on the chants, colours, traditions and local rivalries that make football in Mendoza unique.