The Copa Sudamericana is the second most relevant club competition in South America. This tournament was created in 2002, replacing the Copa Merconorte and Copa Mercosur trophies.

After several changes to its format, 44 teams qualify directly to the competition, which seems them brought down to 22 after a draw and the subsequent two-legged ties. Those 22 winners are joined by 10 teams eliminated from the Copa Libertadores, meaning that 32 teams enter the final stage.

The tournament’s KO stage is played on a two-legged tie system, with the final match of each tie being hosted by the highest-ranked team of the pairing. Away goals are a tiebreaker up until the final match, where the aggregate between each team determines the winner.

The 2017 Copa Sudamericana saw Independiente claim their second title in this competition, beating Flamengo with a 3-2 aggregate.
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The 2018 edition kicks off on February 28. The final is scheduled to be played on December 12, 2018.

Did you know? Mexican team Pachuca became the first -and only- CONCACAF team to win a CONMEBOL tournament in 2006. Los Tuzos defeated a Colo Colo team that included rising stars such as Alexis Sánchez and Arturo Vidal, among others.