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.

The name of the rivalry is based on their geographical location; the Río de la Plata forms part of the border between Argentina and Uruguay.

[16][17][18][19][20] During its first years of existence, both national teams played only friendly matches amongst each other until the establishment of the Copa Lipton in 1905, organized by both Argentine and Uruguayan Football Associations.

The trophy had been donated by the Scottish tea magnate Thomas Lipton with the condition that the teams be made up of only native-born players.

[23][24] In 1910, the Argentine Football Association organized the Copa Centenario Revolución de Mayo in honor of the centennial anniversary of the May Revolution in Argentina.

The competition is notable for being the first international tournament of South America where more than two football nations participated and is also considered a predecessor to Copa América.

A week after the start of the tournament, on 9 July 1916, the continental governing body of football in South America, CONMEBOL, was founded under initiative of Uruguayan Héctor Rivadavia Gómez with the approval of the four associations.

Despite Argentina and Uruguay's large history in the most important competition of South America, they have never played a final match facing each other.

According to La Nación newspaper, 52,000 fans attended the game, an Argentina 2–1 win, where the Uruguayan team left the field with only four minutes to play.

Argentina came to the final after thrashing United States 11–2, Belgium 6–3 and Egypt 6–0, while Uruguay had defeated The Netherlands, Germany and Italy in previous rounds.

With the winning goal by Héctor Scarone, Uruguay won the replay match, also achieving their second consecutive gold medal, with 28,113 spectators in the stadium.

Tango singer Carlos Gardel invited Argentine and Uruguayan players to a show in the cabaret "El Garrón", in Paris.

Argentina had previously defeated France, Mexico, Chile and the United States, while Uruguay beat Peru, Romania and Yugoslavia.

The final ended 4–2 to Uruguay after they trailed 2–1 at half-time, adding the title of World Cup winners to their status as Olympic champions.

The following day was declared a national holiday in Uruguay;[34] in the Argentinian capital Buenos Aires a mob threw stones at the Uruguayan consulate.

According to Juan Sebastián Verón, who was in the starting eleven for Argentina, the team noticed that the Uruguayan players and local fans "were suffering" after the result in Asunción was already known.

[37][38] Local media also attributed Argentine players Germán Burgos and Juan Pablo Sorín with saying that they would have let themselves lose the match if Uruguay needed the three points.

In 2004, then-Uruguayan coach Juan Ramón Carrasco clarified that an "agreement" was made with the Argentine team to maintain the result to qualify for the playoffs.

Four years later, during the 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification, an almost identical scenario took place; the Colombian national team earned a must-needed three points after winning against Paraguay in Asunción 1–0, and if Argentina did not lose its last game against Uruguay in Montevideo, Colombia would advanced to the playoffs.

[40] In the 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification, with Alejandro Sabella as coach and Argentina having already classified, an alternative team was placed in the last match of the campaign on 15 October 2013 against Uruguay.

[42][43] Argentine and Uruguayan journalists criticised the match, especially in the last 20 minutes, claiming that the game was all "business" and both sides didn't want to take any risks.

[47] Messi was asked about the confrontation in a post-game interview, stating that young players from the Uruguayan squad, particularly Ugarte, should "learn respect to their elders."

In Argentina, as of 2024, out of the 134 editions of the Argentine Primera División, 122 of the champions were of the Big Five; River Plate (38), Boca Juniors (35), Racing Club (18), Independiente (16), and San Lorenzo (15).

By 1976, the first Brazilian club since Santos won in 1963 would come out as champions, as Cruzeiro narrowly defeated River Plate in a 3-2 victory.

Boca Juniors would defend their title in the next years edition, as they defeated Deportivo Cali in a 4-0 series, but would lose to Club Olimpia in the 1979 Copa Libertadores.

In 1996 Copa Libertadores, captained by Uruguayan and club legend Enzo Francescoli, River Plate would win their second championship in a rematch with América de Cali, ten years after their 1986 encounter.

With the arrival of Carlos Bianchi in 1998, Boca Juniors established themselves as a dominant team in South American football and ushered in a golden generation that would continue onwards to the turn of the 21st century.

After winning several national competitions, led by talented footballers such as, but not limited to, Sebastián Battaglia, Óscar Córdoba, Hugo Ibarra, Martín Palermo, Juan Román Riquelme, and Carlos Tévez, the club would win the 2000 Copa Libertadores after 22 years, defeating Palmeiras in the finals by penalty-shots after two matches ended in a draw (2–2 and 0–0).

The following year, River Plate, having won the 2014 Copa Sudamericana and beginning to rebuild themselves under the guidance of Marcelo Gallardo, would win the tournament by defeating Tigres UANL.

However, aside Argentina's Big Five, other Argentine clubs have rose to international prominence, the most notable of which includes Estudiantes de La Plata, four-time Copa Libertadores winners, having won the tournament three years in a row (1968, 1969, 1970) under the leadership of club legends Carlos Bilardo, who would guide the Argentine national team to their second FIFA World Cup in 1986, and captain Juan Ramón Verón.