Football was introduced to Argentina in the latter half of the 19th century, as in many other parts of the world, by the British immigrants in Buenos Aires, numbering round 40,000 people, along with rugby and other sports.

The so-called "father of Argentine football" was a Glaswegian schoolteacher, Alexander Watson Hutton, who first taught football at St Andrew's School in Buenos Aires in the early 1880s. On 4 February 1884 he founded the Buenos Aires English High School where he continued to instruct the pupils in the game. In 1891 Hutton established the Association Argentine Football League, the first football league outside of the British Isles.

Most major clubs were created around the turn of the 20th century; they played on the national amateur tournament or in local championships. By then, matches had a considerable attendance.

In the 1930 FIFA World Cup, the world turned to South America for the first Football World Cup, held in Uruguay, and Argentina had an important role, losing to the host country in the final match. A year later, football was professionalized, and was already the most popular sport.

Since then, football kept gaining popularity, and Argentina became a synonym with football around the world. Many great players abandoned Argentina to go to more important and better paying leagues such as the Spanish, Italian and the English. Raimundo Orsi, Alfredo Di Stéfano, Omar Sivori, Mario Kempes, Diego Maradona, Gabriel Batistuta, and Juan Román Riquelme are just a few examples of the many Argentine footballers who have left the country to become famous in Europe.

When the Argentina national football team play, streets empty for the duration of the match. After the victories in 1978 FIFA World Cup and 1986 FIFA World Cup, streets flooded with people celebrating the championship, making it impossible not to become part of the celebration.

It was in 1986 when the figure of Diego Maradona exploded, becoming an icon not only of Argentine football but of football itself. In Argentina, Maradona became something of a god, admired by fans of every club (even River Plate).

Many Argentine fans travel to see their teams in away matches. Hinchas (fans) create an emotional ambiance in many stadiums, singing and cheering without pause; barra bravas (Argentine Hooligans) also create occasional problems, usually in riots after the match. Probably one of the most exciting matches in the world is the Boca-River Derby, where the colourful fans seem to become more important than the match itself.