Racing chose continuity as a starting point for 2026. In Avellaneda they understand that, after a cycle that once again placed the club on the international map, stability in the bank is a way to take care of what has been built. That’s why, Gustavo Costas He will continue to lead the first team until 2028, after agreeing to an extension for three more seasons of his contract.
The decision was made official by the leadership that heads Diego Milito and it works as a clear signal inside and out: the sports project is not restarting, it is deepening. Costas, identified with the history of the club and with a strong emotional relationship with the people, became a central figure since his return in 2024. Not only because of the results, but because of the climate that he managed to rebuild around the team.
In numbers, its third cycle already has more than a hundred games and an achievement that marked an era: the Copa Sudamericana 2024, the title that ended an international drought of more than three decades and returned Racing to a place of continental prominence. This background explains, to a large extent, the renewed confidence.
2025, however, was not linear. Racing was one step away from the final of the Copa Libertadores, but Flamengo left it behind in the semifinals. The blow was hard, especially because of the feeling of closeness to the great consecration. Even so, the team managed to quickly resettle at the local level and staged a reaction that led them to fight for the championship: they eliminated River and Boca in decisive instances, before falling to Estudiantes in the final played in Santiago del Estero.
That closure left consequences on the annual table. Racing failed to get into the 2026 Libertadores and will have to settle for the Sudamericana, after finishing fifth. An objective that, although minor on paper, will be part of the challenge of a coach who knows that the demands at the club are not negotiable.
The new year will bring changes to the squad. Luciano Vietto will not continue after the expiration of your contract, while Agustín Almendra He is close to leaving for Mexican soccer. In return, Costas will have the return of Baltasar Rodríguezwho returns after his experience at Inter Miami, where he was MLS champion.
With the renewal sealed, Racing is committed to maintaining an identity and not starting from scratch. Costas, at 62 years old, will have the task of rebuilding, competing and inspiring again. The bar is high and the credit exists. The challenge, now, will be to convert that trust into new chapters of a story that the club decided to continue writing with the same protagonist on the bench.
