Copa Sudamericana

What is the Copa Sudamericana?

The CONMEBOL Sudamericana is South America’s second continental club competition, below the Copa Libertadores. Clubs enter through their domestic league and cup placings under an allocation by association — six each for Argentina and Brazil, four for each of the other eight — and the field is completed by clubs dropping out of the Libertadores: the four losers of its third qualifying phase and the eight third-placed clubs of its groups.^[1] [2]

How does it work?

The 2026 edition began on 3 March with a first phase of 32 clubs paired within their own country in single-leg ties; the 16 winners joined the 12 top seeds and the four Libertadores dropouts in eight groups of four, home and away. Group winners went straight to the round of 16 while runners-up faced the Libertadores third-placed clubs in a playoff round; the competition then proceeds through two-leg ties to a one-off final on 21 November 2026 at the Estadio Metropolitano Roberto Meléndez in Barranquilla. The winner enters the 2027 Libertadores group stage and meets the Libertadores champion in the Recopa Sudamericana.^{[2] [6] [7]}

Since when does it exist?

CONMEBOL created the competition in 2002 to replace three earlier tournaments — the Copa CONMEBOL, Copa Merconorte and Copa Mercosur — and has played the final as a single match at a pre-chosen venue since 2019. Ecuador’s Independiente del Valle (2019, 2022) and LDU Quito (2023) broke the Argentine and Brazilian hold on the trophy; six clubs share the record with two titles, Lanús joining them in 2025.^[4] [5]

Winners of the last ten editions.

Why does it matter?

CONMEBOL raised the champion’s prize to a record USD 10m for 2026 and total distribution beyond USD 84m, and the winner’s Libertadores place and Recopa fixture make it a route to the continent’s top competition for clubs that did not qualify domestically. For a player, it is CONMEBOL competition on the record, a level above any domestic league.^[2] [3]