Copa Libertadores

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The Copa Libertadores is widely regarded as the most important club competition in South American football. Like the UEFA Champions League, teams from South American countries battle to win the competition year after year.

The format of this competition has changed since its beginning in 1960. In its earlier years, the champions of every CONMEBOL nation could play, but the competition has expanded up to the point where 38 teams are allowed to participate. It wasn’t until 1966 that runners-up of South American leagues were granted entry.

Out of those 38 teams, those with a lower rank play in the first stage, where three winners are picked out of the six participants for the first qualifying round. For the following stage, thirteen pre-selected teams join the three winners from the previous round to find the eight teams that battle for the final four spots in the group stage.

The group stage has all 32 teams divided into eight groups. The winner and runner up of each group enter the knockout stage where two-legged ties decide the teams that make it to the final. The tournament’s final game was usually played at the stadium of the best-ranked club involved in the match, but that has changed, with the ruling stating that a neutral venue must host a single-match final, just like in the UEFA Champions League. This decision came into effect in 2019, with Flamengo beating River Plate 2-1 to lift the title in a one-off match, having made the switch from its previous two-legged format. The champion of this tournament qualifies for the FIFA Club World Cup and the Recopa Sudamericana.

The 2018 edition of the tournament turned out to be a historical one for several reasons. The final tie of the tournament saw bitter rivals River Plate and Boca Juniors lock horns to win the cup, and while the first leg ended in a 2-2 draw, the return leg was delayed for two weeks due to an incident between River Plate fans and Boca Juniors’ bus, which was attacked. In the end, CONMEBOL decided to stage the final match at Santiago Bernabeu, with River Plate winning the title with a 3-1 scoreline after extra time. This was River’s fourth title in the competition. It was also the first final to be held outside South America and the first Superclásico final of an international competition.

The Copa Libertadores is ranked as one of the world’s most popular club competitions. This comes as little surprise given the support South American football enjoys from fans, both domestically and internationally. One of its biggest attractors is the plethora of talented footballers that play in this tournament. Pelé is one of the most iconic names to have gotten his hands on this trophy, but he isn’t the only one, with the likes of Ronaldinho, Juan Román Riquelme, Martin Palermo, Carlos Tevez, and Neymar all enjoying success. This is why the Copa Libertadores is brought to the screens for fans across the globe via TV broadcasts, live streaming options, and on-demand services.